Research Note: A mixture of Bacteroides spp. and other probiotic intestinal anaerobes reduces colonization by pathogenic E. coli strain O78:H4-ST117 in newly hatched chickens

An experimental group of one-day-old chicken from a commercial hatchery was given a defined mixture of 7 gut anaerobes. The next day the chicks were inoculated by an APEC strain O78:H4-ST117 resistant to ciprofloxacin, alongside with the control group and monitored for 4 wk after the inoculation for the presence of the colonizing strains and ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli. Significant reduction of colonization rates in the first 2 wk was recorded in the experimental group for the numbers of ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli. The results show that colonization of chicken by defined anaerobic mixtures may provide a decisive protection during the critical period of the chicken intestinal micro -flora development.

Automated summary

An experimental group of one-day-old commercial hatchery chickens were given a defined mixture of 7 gut anaerobes. The next day, the chickens were inoculated with a ciprofloxacin-resistant APEC O78:H4-ST117 strain, alongside a control group, and monitored for 4 weeks for colonization with the inoculated strains and ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli. The results showed a significant reduction in colonization rates of ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli in the experimental group during the first 2 weeks. This suggests that colonization of chickens with defined anaerobic mixtures provides decisive protection during the critical period of intestinal microflora development.