Title |
Cecal microbiome divergence of broiler chickens by sex and body weight |
Author |
Kyu-Chan Lee1, Dong Yong Kil2*, and Woo Jun Sul1* |
Address |
1Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Republic of Korea, 2Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Republic of Korea |
Bibliography |
Journal of Microbiology, 55(12),939–945, 2017,
|
DOI |
10.1007/s12275-017-7202-0
|
Key Words |
body weight, broiler chicken, cecal bacterial community,
metagenome function, sex, 16S rRNA sequencing |
Abstract |
The divergence of gut bacterial community on broiler chickens
has been reported as potentially possible keys to enhancing
nutrient absorption, immune systems, and increasing
poultry health and performance. Thus, we compared cecal
bacterial communities and functional predictions by sex and
body weight regarding the association between cecal microbiota
and chicken growth performance. In this study, a total
of 12 male and 12 female 1-day-old broiler chickens were
raised for 35 days in 2 separate cages. Chickens were divided
into 3 subgroups depending on body weight (low, medium,
and high) by each sex. We compared chicken cecal microbiota
compositions and its predictive functions by sex and body
weight difference. We found that bacterial 16S rRNA genes
were classified as 3 major phyla (Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes,
and Proteobacteria), accounting for > 98% of the total bacterial
community. The profiling of different bacterial taxa and
predictive metagenome functions derived from 16S rRNA
genes were performed over chicken sex and bodyweight. Male
chickens were related to the enrichment of Bacteroides while
female chickens were to the enrichment of Clostridium and
Shigella. Male chickens with high body weight were associated
with the enrichment of Faecalibacterium and Shuttleworthia.
Carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms were suggested as candidate
functions for weight gain in the males. This suggests
that the variation of cecal bacterial communities and their
functions by sex and body weight may be associated with the
differences in the growth potentials of broiler chickens. |