AUTHOR=Wang Baikui , Zhou Yuanhao , Mao Yulong , Gong Li , Li Xiang , Xu Shujie , Wang Fei , Guo Qianpeng , Zhang Huihua , Li Weifen 

TITLE=Dietary Supplementation With Lactobacillus plantarum Ameliorates Compromise of Growth Performance by Modulating Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Intestinal Dysbiosis in Broilers Under Clostridium perfringens Challenge

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.706148

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2021.706148

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Clostridium perfringens</italic> is an important zoonotic pathogen associated with food contamination and poisoning, gas gangrene, necrotizing enterocolitis or necrotic enteritis in humans and animals. Dysbacteriosis is supposedly associated with the development of <italic>C. perfringens</italic> infection induced necrotic enteritis, but the detailed relationship between intestinal health, microbiome, and <italic>C. perfringens</italic> infection-induced necrotic enteritis remains poorly understood. This research investigated the effect of probiotics on the growth performance and intestinal health of broilers, and the involved roles of intestinal microbiota and microbial metabolic functions under <italic>C. perfringens</italic> infection. Results showed that subclinical necrotic enteritis was successfully induced as evidenced by the significant lower body weight (BW), suppressed feed conversion ratio (FCR), decreased ileal villus height and mucosal barrier function, and increased ileal histopathological score and bursal weight index. <italic>Lactobacillus plantarum</italic> or <italic>Paenibacillus polymyxa</italic> significantly attenuated <italic>C. perfringens</italic>-induced compromise of growth performance (BW, FCR) and ileal mucosa damage as illustrated by the increased ileal villus height and villus/crypt ratio, the decreased ileal histopathological score and the enhanced ileal mucosal barrier function. <italic>L. plantarum</italic> also significantly alleviated <italic>C. perfringens</italic>-induced enlarged bursa of fabricius and the decreased levels of ileal total SCFAs, acetate, lactate, and butyrate. Furthermore, dietary <italic>L. plantarum</italic> improved <italic>C. perfringens</italic> infection-induced intestinal dysbiosis as evidenced by significantly enriched short-chain fatty acids-producing bacteria (<italic>Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Oscillospira, Faecalibacterium, Blautia</italic>), reduced drug-resistant bacteria (<italic>Bacteroides, Alistipes</italic>) and enteric pathogens (<italic>Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis</italic>) and bacterial metabolic dysfunctions as illustrated by significantly increased bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, decreased bacterial lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and antibiotic biosynthesis (streptomycin and vancomycin). Additionally, the BW and intestinal SCFAs were the principal factors affecting the bacterial communities and microbial metabolic functions. The above findings indicate that dietary with <italic>L. plantarum</italic> attenuates <italic>C. perfringens</italic>-induced compromise of growth performance and intestinal dysbiosis by increasing SCFAs and improving intestinal health in broilers.</p>