Probiotic Bacillus subtilis enhances silkworm (Bombyx mori) growth performance and silk production via modulating gut microbiota and amino acid metabolism.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Artificial diet-reared silkworms (Bombyx mori) exhibit reduced gut microbial diversity and impaired growth performance compared to mulberry-fed counterparts. While Bacillus subtilis is widely used as a probiotic in livestock and aquaculture, its impact on silkworms remains unexplored. This study investigates whether dietary supplementation with B. subtilis enhances larval development and elucidates the underlying mechanisms involving gut microbiota and metabolic pathways.

Results

Supplementing artificial diets with B. subtilis (6 × 10⁵ CFU/g) significantly increased larval body weight by 9.1-22.1% during instar stages and improved feed utilization efficiency (FUE) by 4.09%-6.80% compared to controls. Cocoon quality metrics, including cocoon shell weight

SUBMITTER: Ren C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12495873 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature