J Biomed Res.  2015 Mar;16(1):1-5. 10.12729/jbr.2015.16.1.001.

Effect of probiotic 379D as an alternative to antibiotics for feed supplementation in broiler chickens

• Kim SE
• Shim KM
• Kim JC
• Choi YH
• Yoo JC
• Kang SS

• KMID: 2169004
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12729/jbr.2015.16.1.001

Abstract

Antibiotics have been used to prevent disease, promote growth rate, and improve feed efficiency. However, the use of antibiotics in livestock has been restricted worldwide due to problems such as bacterial resistance. Therefore, probiotics among alternatives to antibiotics have gained attention in the livestock feed industry these days. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with probiotic 379D on safety, growth rate, and feed efficiency. In this study, bacterial strain 379D was isolated from soil and identified as a Bacillus sp. according to 16S rRNA sequence analysis. In an in vitro test, in-gel activity assay and antimicrobial susceptibility test were conducted to evaluate 379D. In an in vivo study, 379D was administered at concentrations of 0.1% and 1% to broiler chickens for 28 days. The results of in-gel activity assay and antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that strain 379D had broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, no adverse 379D-related effects were observed in 0.1% and 1% groups. Feed efficiency was higher in the 379D-treated groups than in the control group. In conclusion, 379D is expected to be used as a safe alternative to antibiotics in a feed supplement and will improve feed efficiency in broiler chickens.

Keyword

probiotics; antibacterial effect; feed efficiency; feed supplementation; broiler chickens

MeSH Terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents*
Bacillus
Chickens*
Dietary Supplements
Livestock
Probiotics*
Sequence Analysis
Soil
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Soil