Investigating microbial population structure and function in the chicken caeca and large intestine over time using metagenomics.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Although taxonomic variations in chicken gut microbiota have been previously documented, their functional capacity remain poorly understood. To gain a better understanding, we incorporated whole genome shotgun metagenomics to analyse microbial communities of two different organs: the caeca and the large intestine.

Results

Using 24 samples obtained from the caeca and the large intestine of commercial chickens, we assembled Metagenome-Assembled Genomes (MAGs) and characterise their functional profiles. Afterwards, using 8 samples, we integrated this sequencing data with chicken performance metadata body weight (BW), weight gain, feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and age. MAGs belonging to specific families were found to be positively associated with chan

SUBMITTER: Star-Shirko B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12357378 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature