The role of feed enzymes in maintaining poultry intestinal health.

Gut health or intestinal health is frequently discussed without any clear definition as to its meaning. It is suggested that this should be defined as intestinal integrity and functionality as both are a pre-requisite for the health of the intestine itself and the host. The health of the intestine is dependent upon a successful evolution of the absorptive capacity of the intestine, which in turn is influenced by the co-evolution of the intestinal immune systems and the microbiota.

Worldwide prevalence of class 2 integrases outside the clinical setting is associated with human impact.

An intI-targeted PCR assay was optimized to evaluate the frequency of partial class 2-like integrases relative to putative, environmental IntI elements in clone libraries generated from 17 samples that included various terrestrial, marine, and deep-sea habitats with different exposures to human influence. We identified 169 unique IntI phylotypes (< or =98% amino acid identity) relative to themselves and with respect to those previously described. Among these, six variants showed an undescribed, extended, IntI-specific additional domain.

Polydextrose, lactitol, and fructo-oligosaccharide fermentation by colonic bacteria in a three-stage continuous culture system.

In vitro fermentations were carried out by using a model of the human colon to simulate microbial activities of lower gut bacteria. Bacterial populations (and their metabolic products) were evaluated under the effects of various fermentable substrates. Carbohydrates tested were polydextrose, lactitol, and fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS).

GC fractionation enhances microbial community diversity assessment and detection of minority populations of bacteria by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

Effectively and accurately assessing total microbial community diversity is one of the primary challenges in modern microbial ecology. This is particularly true with regard to the detection and characterization of unculturable populations and those present only in low abundance. We report a novel strategy, GC fractionation combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (GC-DGGE), which combines mechanistically different community analysis approaches to enhance assessment of microbial community diversity and detection of minority populations of microbes.

Selective plating underestimates abundance and shows differential recovery of bifidobacterial species from human feces.

The aim of the present work was to compare the efficacies and levels of selectivity of different culture-dependent and -independent methods for analyzing bifidobacteria in human stool samples. The three different culture media used here significantly differed from each other, particularly with regard to the recovery of Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Bifidobacterium medium failed to recover B.

Culture-independent microbial community analysis reveals that inulin in the diet primarily affects previously unknown bacteria in the mouse cecum.

Inulin is a well-known fructose-based prebiotic which has been shown to stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria, a bacterial group generally considered beneficial for intestinal health. In the present study, we analyzed inulin-associated shifts in the total bacterial community of wild-type mice and mice carrying a genetically inactivated adenomatous polyposis coli tumor suppressor gene by using DNA-based approaches independent of bacterial culturability. Mice were fed a high-fat, nonfiber diet with or without inulin inclusion at a 10% (wt/wt) concentration.

Phylogenetic analysis of intestinal microflora indicates a novel Mycoplasma phylotype in farmed and wild salmon.

All studies of the microbial community of the gastrointestinal tract of salmon to date have employed culture-based approaches, typically on pond- or tank-raised, freshwater animals. We present a phylogenetic survey of the bacterial populations present in the distal intestine of salmon from three different marine locations in Europe. This was accomplished through PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing of partial 16S rDNA genes from microbial community DNA isolated from the contents of the GI tract distal to the pyloric ceca.