Abstract—The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of multi-strain probiotics and antibiotic on the intestinal ecosystem in broilers. One hundred and eighty 1-day-old broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 3 dietary treatments including the control (corn-soybean meal, basal diet), and basal diet supplemented with 0.1% probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus LAP5、L. casei L21、L. fermentum P2 and Pediococcus acidilactici LS) or 10 ppm antibiotic (avilamycin) for 3 weeks feeding period. Nine birds were sacrificed at 1, 2 and 3 weeks of age from each group to analyze the intestinal ecosystem by using the real time PCR combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE banding profiles showed that the similarity of microbial community was higher level in probiotic group compared to the control and antibiotic groups, and it have more accordant to bacterial similarity and enhance clustering effect compared with other groups in cecum. The results of real-time PCR revealed that the population of Lactobacilli in the cecum of probiotic group was significantly higher than control and antibiotic groups (P<0.05). The population of Bifidobacterium in cecum was significantly increased, while the population of Clostridium perfringens was decreased in probiotic group at 2 and 3 weeks. In conclusion, diets supplemented with multi-strain probiotics could increase the population of beneficial bacteria (including Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium) as well as decrease the number of C. perfringens; hence probiotics can improve the homogeneity of microbial community inhabited in the cecum of broilers.
 

Index Terms—probiotic, DGGE, real time PCR

Cite: Bi Yu, Chi-Huan Chang, and Tzu-Tai Lee, "Effects of the Probiotics Supplementation in Diet on Intestinal Microflora Ecosystem in Broilers," Journal of Advanced Agricultural Technologies, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 138-142, December 2015. Doi: 10.12720/joaat.2.2.138-142