Effect of Feeding Insoluble Fiber on the Microbiota and Metabolites of the Caecum and Feces of Rabbits Recovering from Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy Relative to Non-Infected Rabbits
Xiao-Haitzi Daniel Puón-Peláez,
Neil Ross McEwan,
Roberto Carlos Álvarez-Martínez,
Gerardo Mariscal-Landín,
Gerardo Manuel Nava-Morales,
Juan Mosqueda,
Andrea Margarita Olvera-Ramírez
Affiliations
Xiao-Haitzi Daniel Puón-Peláez
Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Delegación Santa Rosa Jáuregui, Querétaro C.P. 76230, Mexico
Neil Ross McEwan
School of Pharmacy & Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee House, Garthdee Rd, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK
Roberto Carlos Álvarez-Martínez
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Av. Junipero Serra, Antiguo Aeropuerto, Campus Aeropuerto S/N, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro C.P. 76140, Mexico
Gerardo Mariscal-Landín
Centro Nacional de Investigación en Fisiología Animal INIFAP, Km. 1, Carretera a Colón, Col. Ajuchitlán Colón, Querétaro C.P. 76280, Mexico
Gerardo Manuel Nava-Morales
Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro C.P. 76010, Mexico
Juan Mosqueda
Cuerpo Académico Salud Animal y Microbiología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Delegación Santa Rosa Jáuregui, Querétaro C.P. 76230, Mexico
Andrea Margarita Olvera-Ramírez
Cuerpo Académico Salud Animal y Microbiología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Delegación Santa Rosa Jáuregui, Querétaro C.P. 76230, Mexico
This study aimed to investigate the effect of feeding insoluble fiber on the microbiota and metabolites of the caecum and feces of rabbits recovering from epizootic rabbit enteropathy relative to non-infected rabbits. Rabbits that had either recovered from epizootic rabbit enteropathy or ones that had never had epizootic rabbit enteropathy were fed on a diet of 32% or 36% neutral detergent fiber until they were 70 days of age. At this point, the short-chain fatty acid and ammonia levels were measured in caecotroph and fecal samples and compared using 2 × 2 ANOVA. The microbial composition of the samples was also analyzed using next-generation sequencing and compared by PERMANOVA. Caecotrophic samples from previously affected rabbits on lower fiber diets had higher short-chain fatty acid contents and higher species diversity index values for some indices (p p p < 0.05). The results of this work show that, although there is some potential in the use of high-fiber diets for the treatment of rabbits that have had epizootic rabbit enteropathy, they are not able to produce the same digestive tract properties as those seen in rabbits that have never had the condition. This is true even after the rabbits have recovered from epizootic rabbit enteropathy.
