Effect of two prebiotics on gut microflora in healthy and Salmonella challenged broilers

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The diverse collection of bacteria in the digestive tract, collectively referred to as the gut microflora, plays an important role in the nutrition, health and disease of broiler chickens. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth of bacterial species present in the gut. The aim of this proposal is to understand how two prebiotics, mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) and xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS), modify the microbial ecology in the chicken gastro-intestinal tract, consequently improving production performance and health. This proposal expands the scope of current AviMicroNet research towards novel alternatives to antibiotics. It will shed light on how prebiotics affects gut microflora during physiological and pathological (Salmonella challenge model) stages. Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis and Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium, frequently isolated from healthy, diseased or dead birds, are the human illness causing serovars most commonly associated with poultry meat and eggs (CDC, 2008). Poultry meat could be contaminated accidentally from intestinal contents of carrier birds during processing. The consumption of Salmonella contaminated and improperly cooked chicken meat and eggs has been associated with human illnesses. By development of effective prebiotics, it is possible to reduce salmonellosis cases in human.