Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis?
The intestinal microbiota is known to be altered by <i>Eimeria</i>-induced coccidiosis, but it remains unclear whether the microbiota is fully restored after recovery. To address this, 110 newly hatched Cobb male broiler chickens were challenged with 2 × 10<sup>4</sup> sporul...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Jiaqing Guo Zijun Zhao Chace Broadwater Isabel Tobin Jing Liu Melanie Whitmore Guolong Zhang |
| author_facet | Jiaqing Guo Zijun Zhao Chace Broadwater Isabel Tobin Jing Liu Melanie Whitmore Guolong Zhang |
| author_sort | Jiaqing Guo |
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| description | The intestinal microbiota is known to be altered by <i>Eimeria</i>-induced coccidiosis, but it remains unclear whether the microbiota is fully restored after recovery. To address this, 110 newly hatched Cobb male broiler chickens were challenged with 2 × 10<sup>4</sup> sporulated oocysts of <i>Eimeria maxima</i> (EM) strain M6 or mock-infected with saline on day 10. Body weight and feed intake were recorded. Additionally, 10 mock- and 12 EM-infected birds were randomly selected to assess the small intestinal lesion, fecal oocyst shedding, and ileal and cecal microbiota compositions using 16S rRNA gene sequencing at 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days post-infection (dpi). EM infection significantly decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.001) body weight by 5 dpi, persisting through 21 dpi. The infection also reduced (<i>p</i> < 0.05) weight gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency in the first week; however, these parameters became comparable in the second and third weeks. At 7 dpi, during the peak of infection, major lactic acid bacteria were enriched, while short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria were mostly suppressed in both the ileum and cecum. Opportunistic pathogens such as <i>Escherichia</i> and <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> transiently bloomed at 7 dpi. By 14 dpi, differential bacterial enrichment subsided, and nearly all commensal bacteria returned to healthy levels by 21 dpi. Coupled with comparable growth performance between healthy and EM-recovered chickens, we conclude that the intestinal microbiota is largely restored to its healthy state after recovery. Understanding the microbiota’s responses to coccidiosis may inform probiotic-based mitigation strategies. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-0dd3075e94e3413697a6d017c6656cd42025-01-24T13:44:50ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-01-011418110.3390/pathogens14010081Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis?Jiaqing Guo0Zijun Zhao1Chace Broadwater2Isabel Tobin3Jing Liu4Melanie Whitmore5Guolong Zhang6Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USADepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USAThe intestinal microbiota is known to be altered by <i>Eimeria</i>-induced coccidiosis, but it remains unclear whether the microbiota is fully restored after recovery. To address this, 110 newly hatched Cobb male broiler chickens were challenged with 2 × 10<sup>4</sup> sporulated oocysts of <i>Eimeria maxima</i> (EM) strain M6 or mock-infected with saline on day 10. Body weight and feed intake were recorded. Additionally, 10 mock- and 12 EM-infected birds were randomly selected to assess the small intestinal lesion, fecal oocyst shedding, and ileal and cecal microbiota compositions using 16S rRNA gene sequencing at 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days post-infection (dpi). EM infection significantly decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.001) body weight by 5 dpi, persisting through 21 dpi. The infection also reduced (<i>p</i> < 0.05) weight gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency in the first week; however, these parameters became comparable in the second and third weeks. At 7 dpi, during the peak of infection, major lactic acid bacteria were enriched, while short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria were mostly suppressed in both the ileum and cecum. Opportunistic pathogens such as <i>Escherichia</i> and <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> transiently bloomed at 7 dpi. By 14 dpi, differential bacterial enrichment subsided, and nearly all commensal bacteria returned to healthy levels by 21 dpi. Coupled with comparable growth performance between healthy and EM-recovered chickens, we conclude that the intestinal microbiota is largely restored to its healthy state after recovery. Understanding the microbiota’s responses to coccidiosis may inform probiotic-based mitigation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/81microbiome<i>Eimeria</i>16S rRNA gene sequencinglactic acid bacteriapathobiontsshort-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria |
| spellingShingle | Jiaqing Guo Zijun Zhao Chace Broadwater Isabel Tobin Jing Liu Melanie Whitmore Guolong Zhang Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis? Pathogens microbiome <i>Eimeria</i> 16S rRNA gene sequencing lactic acid bacteria pathobionts short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria |
| title | Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis? |
| title_full | Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis? |
| title_fullStr | Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis? |
| title_short | Is Intestinal Microbiota Fully Restored After Chickens Have Recovered from Coccidiosis? |
| title_sort | is intestinal microbiota fully restored after chickens have recovered from coccidiosis |
| topic | microbiome <i>Eimeria</i> 16S rRNA gene sequencing lactic acid bacteria pathobionts short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/81 |
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