Biology (Aug 2024)

Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Body Weight, Growth Performance, Immune Function, Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolites in Fallow Deer

  • Meihui Wang,
  • Qingyun Guo,
  • Yunfang Shan,
  • Zhibin Cheng,
  • Qingxun Zhang,
  • Jiade Bai,
  • Yulan Dong,
  • Zhenyu Zhong

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13080603
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 8
p. 603

Abstract

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Intestinal diseases are one of the diseases that affect the growth and immunity of deer. Currently, more lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are available as feed additives to improve the intestinal ecological balance of ruminants in production practices. In this study, Enterococcus faecalis was supplemented in the feed of fallow deer for 170 d, and body weights, blood indices and immune levels of fallow deer were counted at 35, 65 and 170 d. The effects of Enterococcus faecalis on the intestinal microbiota and the metabolism of fallow deer were analysed using 16S rDNA and UPLC-MS/MS methods. The results showed that the addition of Enterococcus faecalis to the diet improved body weight and immune function and increased the aggregation of gut microbiota in fallow deer. The addition of Enterococcus faecalis altered the community structure of intestinal microorganisms in fallow deer and increased the number of beneficial bacteria. In addition, combined with metabolomics analysis, it was found that supplementation with Enterococcus faecalis significantly altered the metabolites of fallow deer, mainly regulating lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and phospholipid metabolism. In conclusion, this study presents, for the first time, evidence that the LAB strain Enterococcus faecalis can be used as a potential probiotic for deer and points to a new direction for the treatment of intestinal disorders in the deer family.

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