Effects of a synbiotic combination of Bacillus subtilis and yeast cell wall-derived glucomannan on cecal colonization of Salmonella Enteritidis in layer chickens

Abstract

SUMMARY: Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) has been a major foodborne concern associated with poultry and poultry products. Direct-fed microbials (DFM), such as Bacillus subtilis strains, and mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) added into poultry feed have emerged as an alternative approach to antimicrobials to reduce Salmonella colonization in chickens. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a synbiotic feed additive product (BacPack Q1+1) combining a selected Bacillus subtilis strain and yeast cell wall-derived MOS on SE colonization in the ceca of Hy-line W36 pullets. Day-old chicks were raised in cage units and orally challenged at 3 wk-of-age with a nalidixic acid resistant SE strain at a dose of 1.6 × 109 colony forming units (CFU) per bird. SE colonization was assessed by enumeration of SE in cecal pouches at 7, 10 and 13 days postinfection (dpi). SE was not detectable in the ceca of 68% of synbiotic supplemented pullets compared to 36% of the controls at 13 dpi (P = 0.049). The findings of this study suggest that synbiotic combinations of DFM and prebiotics could be a useful tool for reducing the prevalence of Salmonella in layer chickens.

Keywords

• Salmonella
• probiotics
• prebiotics
• chickens