• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.681-698
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• 2022

The Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, common carp Cyprinus carpio, grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella and rohu carp Labeo rohita are farmed commercially worldwide. Production of these important finfishes is rapidly expanding, and intensive culture practices can lead to stress in fish, often reducing resistance to infectious diseases. Antibiotics and other drugs are routinely used for the treatment of diseases and sometimes applied preventatively to combat microbial pathogens. This strategy is responsible for the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, mass killing of environmental/beneficial bacteria, and residual effects in humans. As an alternative, the administration of probiotics has gained acceptance for disease control in aquaculture. Probiotics have been found to improve growth, feed utilization, immunological status, disease resistance, and to promote transcriptomic profiles and internal microbial balance of host organisms. The present review discusses the effects of single and multi-strain probiotics on growth, immunity, heamato-biochemical parameters, and disease resistance of the above-mentioned finfishes. The application and outcome of probiotics in the field or open pond system, gaps in existing knowledge, and issues worthy of further research are also highlighted.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1797-1808
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• 2020

Objective: This study assessed the effects of probiotics on cecal microbiota, gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, and immune response in the cecal tonsil of broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica. Methods: One-day-old broiler chickens (n = 240) were randomly allocated to four treatments: negative control (Cont), multi-strain probiotic-treated group (Pro), Salmonella-infected group (Sal), and multi-strain probiotic-treated and Salmonella-infected group (ProSal). All chickens except those in the Cont and Pro groups were gavaged with 1×10⁸ cfu/mL of S. enterica subsp. enterica 4 days after hatching. Results: Our results indicated that body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of birds were significantly reduced (p<0.05) by Salmonella challenge. Chickens challenged with Salmonella decreased cecal microbial diversity. Chickens in the Sal group exhibited abundant Proteobacteria than those in the Cont, Pro, and ProSal groups. Salmonella infection downregulated gene expression of Occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO1), and Mucin 2 in the jejunum and Occludin and Claudin in the ileum. Moreover, the Sal group increased gene expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha factor (LITAF) and reduced levels of transforming growth factor-β4 and IL-10 compared with the other groups (p<0.05). However, chickens receiving probiotic diets increased Lactobacillaceae abundance and reduced Enterobacteriaceae abundance in the ceca. Moreover, supplementation with probiotics increased the mRNA expression of Occludin, ZO1, and Mucin 2 in the ileum (p<0.05). In addition, probiotic supplementation downregulated the mRNA levels of IFN-γ (p<0.05) and LITAF (p = 0.075) and upregulated IL-10 (p = 0.084) expression in the cecal tonsil. Conclusion: The administration of multi-strain probiotics modulated intestinal microbiota, gene expression of tight junction proteins, and immunomodulatory activity in broiler chickens.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.89-98
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• 2008

This experiment was carried out to investigate the combination feeding of β-glucan and multi-species probiotics on growth performance, various lipid concentrations of serum, antibody production and cecal microbial profiles in broiler chicks. A total of six hundred 1-d-old male broiler chicks were divided into five groups, placed into four pens per group(30 birds per pen) and fed one of five non-medicated experimental diets(T1, 0.15% multi-species probiotics; T2, 0.1% β-glucan+0.15% multi-species probiotics; T3, 0.3% multi-species probiotics; T4, 0.1% β-glucan+0.3% probiotics or devoid them as control) for 5 wk. There was no significant difference in feed intake among the groups. The average weight gains and FCR in groups fed diet containing 0.3% probiotics were significantly improved(p<0.05) than control in finisher period(22-35d). The concentration of serum cholesterol ester in groups fed 0.3% probiotics were significantly lowered(p<0.05) as compared to that of the control. Relative weights of liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, breast and leg were not influenced by the dietary treatments. The average ND or IB antibody titers in groups fed diets containing β-glucan and probiotics were tended to be increased, but not significantly. The number of cecal lactic acid bacteria was significantly increased(p<0.05) by the dietary β- glucan and probiotics. These results indicated that dietary β-glucan and probiotics exerted a growth- promoting and immune-enhancing effects on broiler chicks. In addition, yeast derived β-glucan, and multi-species probiotics modulated the profiles of cecal microflora, reflecting potential alternative substances to replace antibiotics for feeding broiler.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1014-1032
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• 2020

This work aimed to investigate the psychobiotic effects of six bacterial strains on the mind and behavior of male Wistar rats. The probiotic (PRO) group (n=7) were rats pre-treated with antibiotics for 7 days followed by 14-day probiotic administration, antibiotics (ANT) group (n=7) were rats treated with antibiotics for 21 days without probiotics. The control (CON) group (n=7) were rats that received sham treatment for 21 days. The six bacterial strains with probiotic properties were mostly isolated from Thai fermented foods; Pedicoccus pentosaceus WS11, Lactobacillus plantarum SK321, L. fermentum SK324, L. brevis TRBC 3003, Bifidobacterium adolescentis TBRC 7154 and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis TBRC 375. The probiotics were freeze-dried into powder (6×10⁹ CFU/5 g) and administered to the PRO group via oral gavage. Behavioral tests were performed. The PRO group displayed significantly reduced anxiety level and increased locomotor function using a marble burying test and open field test, respectively and significantly improved short-term memory performance using a novel object recognition test. Antibiotics significantly reduced microbial counts in rat feces in the ANT group by 100 fold compared to the PRO group. Probiotics significantly enhanced antioxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic defenses in rat brains as assessed using catalase activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay, respectively. Probiotics also showed neuroprotective effects with less pyknotic cells and lower frequency of vacuolization in cerebral cortex. This multi-strain probiotic formulation from Thai fermented foods may offer a potential to develop psychobiotic-rich functional foods to modulate human mind and behaviors.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.521-529
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• 2010

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate multi-microbe submerged liquid (SLF) and solid substrate (SSF) fermented probiotic products in broilers. The SLF and SSF probiotics were comprised of Lactobacillus acidophilus ($1.1{\times}10^9$ and $4{\times}10^8$ cfu/g), Bacillus subtilis ($1.1{\times}10^9$ and $4{\times}10^9$ cfu/g), Saccharomyces cerevisiae ($1.5{\times}10^7$ and $1.0{\times}10^4$ cfu/g) and Aspergillus oryzae ($2.6{\times}10^7$ and $4.3{\times}10^7$ cfu/g), respectively. In Exp. 1, 640 day-old Ross chicks were allotted to 4 treatments, each comprising 4 replicates (40 chicks/replicate). The basal diet was prepared without any antimicrobials (negative control, NC), and 20 mg/kg avilamycin (positive control, PC), 0.3% SLF and 0.3% SSF probiotics were added to the basal diets as treatments. Birds fed PC and SSF diets showed improved (p<0.001) overall weight gain and F/G than birds fed NC and SLF diets; whereas, birds fed SLF diet had better weight gain and F/G than birds fed NC diet. Retention of CP was higher (p<0.05) in birds fed the SSF diet than birds fed PC, SLF and NC diets. Birds fed the SLF diet tended to have higher (p<0.10) cecal total anaerobic bacteria than birds fed PC and NC diets; whereas, lesser cecal coliforms were noticed in birds fed PC, SLF and SSF diets than birds fed the NC diet. In Exp. 2, 640 day-old Ross chicks were randomly allotted to 4 treatments in a $2{\times}2$ factorial arrangement. Each treatment had 4 replicates (40 chicks/replicate). Two different multi-microbe probiotic products (0.3% SLF or SSF) each with two different antibiotics (10 mg/kg colistin, or 20 mg/kg avilamycin) were used as dietary treatments. Birds fed the SSF diet had greater weight gain (p<0.001), better F/G (p<0.05), greater retention of energy (p<0.001) and protein (p<0.05), and lesser cecal Clostridium (d 35) than birds fed SLF diet. Birds fed the colistin-supplemented diet had less (p<0.01) cecal coliforms when compared with birds fed the avilamycin diet. Additionally, birds fed the avilamycin diet had greater energy retention (p<0.05) than birds fed the colistin diet. Thus, the results of this study suggest the multi-microbe probiotic product prepared by a solid substrate fermentation method to be superior to the probiotic product prepared by submerged liquid fermentation; moreover, feeding of probiotics with different antibiotics did not elicit any interaction effect between probiotic and antibiotic.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.6
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• pp.1035-1045
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine whether spraying an anti-microbial agent into the slurry pit will reduce the noxious odor substances from piggery barns. For this, a total of 200 crossbred ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) growing pigs with an initial average body weight (BW) of 23.58 ± 1.47 kg were selected and housed in two different rooms, i.e. control (CON) and treatment (TRT). Each room has 100 pigs (60 gilts and 40 borrows). For a period of 42 days, all pigs were fed with corn-soybean meal-based basal diet. Later the noxious odor substances were measured by the following methods. First, fecal samples were randomly collected and stored in sealed and unsealed containers, and sprayed with the non-anti-microbial agent (NAMA) (saline water) and multi-bacterial spraying (MBS) agent (200 :1, mixing ratio-fecal sample : probiotic), Second, the slurry pit of CON and TRT rooms were directly sprayed with NAMA and MBS, respectively. The fecal sample that was stored in sealed and un-sealed containers and sprayed with MBS significantly reduced NH₃ and CO₂ concentration at the end of day 7. However, at the end of day 42, the fecal sample showed a lower H₂S, methyl mercaptans, acetic acid, and CO₂ concentration compared to the unsealed container. Moreover, at the end of days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 compared to the CON room and TRT room slurry pit emits lower concentrations of NH₃, acetic acid, H₂S, and methyl mercaptans, and CO₂ into the atmosphere. Based on the current findings, we infer that spraying anti-microbial agents on pig dung would be one of the better approaches to suppress the odor emission from the barn in the future.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.8_spc
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• pp.1321-1330
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• 2019

Recent development of novel techniques in systems biology have been used to improve and manipulate the rumen microbial ecosystem and gain a deeper understanding of its physiological and microbiological interactions and relationships. This provided a deeper insight and understanding of the relationship and interactions between the rumen microbiome and the host animal. New high-throughput techniques have revealed that the dominance of Proteobacteria in the neonatal gut might be derived from the maternal placenta through fetal swallowing of amniotic fluid in utero, which gradually decreases in the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum with increasing age after birth. Multi "omics" technologies have also enhanced rumen fermentation and production efficiency of dairy goats using dietary interventions through greater knowledge of the links between nutrition, metabolism, and the rumen microbiome and their effect in the environment. For example, supplementation of dietary lipid, such as linseed, affects rumen fermentation by favoring the accumulation of ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid biohydrogenation with a high correlation to the relative abundance of Fibrobacteriaceae. This provides greater resolution of the interlinkages among nutritional strategies, rumen microbes, and metabolism of the host animal that can set the foundation for new advancements in ruminant nutrition using multi 'omics' technologies.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1418-1427
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Bacillus-based probiotics supplemented at two different levels to modulate the productive performance, egg quality, tibia traits, and specific cecal bacteria counts of Hy-Line Brown layers from 25 to 37 weeks of age. Methods: A total of 216 twenty-five-week-old hens were randomly distributed into 3 experimental diets with 12 replicates of 6 birds per cage. Diets included basal diet supplemented with 0 (CON), 3×10⁸ (PRO1), or 3×10⁹ (PRO2) colony-forming unit (CFU) of the test probiotic containing Bacillus subtilis PB6, Bacillus subtilis FXA, and Bacillus licheniformis G3 per kilogram of feed. Results: Improved egg weights and mass at 29 weeks; and feed intake at 31 weeks (p<0.10) were noticed with the probiotic-supplemented PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Considering egg quality, the shell thickness, Haugh units, and yolk color were improved; but yolk cholesterol was lowered (p<0.05) with PRO1 and PRO2 diets at 29 weeks. At both 33 and 37 weeks, the egg-breaking strength, shell color and thickness, albumen height, Haugh units, and yolk color were improved; but yolk cholesterol was similarly lowered (p<0.05) with the PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Improved tibia Ca, ash, weights, and density; and raised cecal counts of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli (p<0.05) were noticed with PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Improved tibia P but reduced Clostridia counts (p<0.10) were also observed with the PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation of Bacillus subtilis PB6, Bacillus subtilis FXA, and Bacillus licheniformis G3 at 3×10⁸ CFU/kg of feed is adequate to significantly improve egg quality, lower yolk cholesterol, enhance several tibia traits, and raise the populations of beneficial cecal bacteria. Modest improvements in several productive parameters and tibia P but reduced Clostridia were also observed; and could warrant further investigation of probiotic effects beyond the current test period.