A Consistent and Predictable Commercial Broiler Chicken Bacterial Microbiota in Antibiotic-Free Production Displays Strong Correlations with Performance.

ABSTRACT: Defining the baseline bacterial microbiome is critical to understanding its relationship with health and disease. In broiler chickens, the core microbiome and its possible relationships with health and disease have been difficult to define, due to high variability between birds and flocks. Presented here are data from a large, comprehensive microbiota-based study in commercial broilers. The primary goals of this study included understanding what constitutes the core bacterial microbiota in the broiler gastrointestinal, respiratory, and barn environments; how these core players change across age, geography, and time; and which bacterial taxa correlate with enhanced bird performance in antibiotic-free flocks. Using 2,309 samples from 37 different commercial flocks within a vertically integra

SUBMITTER: Johnson TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5981067 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature