Impact of Dietary
Bacillus toyonensis M44 as an Antibiotic
Alternative on Growth, Blood Biochemical Properties, Immunity, Gut
Microbiota, and Meat Quality of IR Broilers
Fatimah S. Alqahtani1, Safia M.A. Bahshwan2,
Mada M. AL-Qurashi2, Aminah Allohibi2, Eman A.
Beyari3, Mashail A. Alghamdi3, Roua S. Baty4,
Nawal Al-Hoshani5, Anas S. Dablool6, Fadwa
Mohammed Alkhulaifi7, Abdullateef A. Alshehri8,
Essam H. Ibrahim9,10, Ahmed M. Saad11*, Nadeen
G. Mostafa12
1Department
of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Bisha, P. O. Box:
551, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia; 2Biological Sciences
Department, College of Science & Arts, King Abdulaziz University,
Rabigh 21911, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Biological
Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Biotechnology, College of
Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia;
5Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess
Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671,
Saudi Arabia; 6Public Health Department, Health Sciences
College at Al-Leith, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia;
7Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam
Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441,
Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Clinical Laboratory
Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University,
P.O. Box 1988, Najran, Saudi Arabia; 9Biology Department,
Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha
61413, Saudi Arabia; 10Blood Products Quality Control and
Research Department, National Organization for Research and Control
of Biologicals, Cairo, Egypt; 11Biochemistry Department,
Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt;
12Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of
Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
*Corresponding author: ahmedm4187@gmail.com
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant
microorganisms may lead to treatment failure and economic losses in the poultry
industry and threaten public health. One of the main factors involved in the
increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistance is the non-judicious use of
antimicrobial agents as growth promoters in poultry and animal production. The
search for natural alternatives to growth promoters to antimicrobial agents is
continuous and crucial. This investigation focused on the probiotic strains
extracted from the gastrointestinal tracts of poultry reared in various
habitation types. The selected strain with antioxidant properties was Bacillus
toyonensis (BT) M44, used as a probiotic dietary supplement and antibiotic
alternative, then investigated its effects on growth performance, blood
biochemical parameters, immune response, gut microbiota, and meat quality of IR
broilers. Bacillus toyonensis M44 exhibited potent antibacterial activity against
MDR microorganisms, as evidenced by MICs ranging from 5% to 10%. A total of 160 IR chicks were allocated into four
groups randomly, each consisting of (10 x 4) chicks. The control group was
administered a basal diet; the remaining three groups were provided the control
diets containing BT at concentrations of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/kg. The results
indicated that BT-supplemented groups showed increased body weights, weight
gain, growth rate, and performance index and reduced feed conversion ratio
during the two growth periods compared to control. The best results were
obtained with BT 1.6 mg/kg for the antecedent growth metrics. Chicks receiving
BT (0.4 mg/kg) had improved renal functions and lower uric acid and creatinine
levels than the other groups. Moreover, ALT and AST levels P<0.05 decreased with
BT doses compared to the control. BT 1.6 mg/kg produced the best liver function
results; the histopathological studies confirmed that BT addition didn't affect
the liver and intestine structure. Adding
Bacillus toyonensis M44to the diet formulation improved (P<0.05) lipid
profile, immune response, thyroid functions, and gut microflora compared to the
control group. Additionally, BT enhanced the chicken meat's juiciness and
tenderness characteristics and improved its moisture and protein content; the
meat color was also enhanced. Generally, supplementing IR chicken with BT could
improve growth performance and blood biochemistry, modulate the gut microflora
structure, and enhance the meat quality.
To Cite This Article:
Alqahtani FS, Bahshwan
SMA, AL-Qurashi MM, Beyari EA, Alghamdi
MA, Baty RS, Al-Hoshani N, Dablool AS, Alkhulaifi FM, Alshehri AA, Ibrahim EH,
Allohibi A, Saad AM, Mostafa NG, 2024. Impact of dietary Bacillus toyonensis
M44 as an antibiotic alternative on growth, blood biochemical properties,
immunity, gut microbiota, and meat quality of IR broilers. Pak Vet J, 44(3):
637-646.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.215