Compositions for gut health
Provided herein, inter alia, are compositions of organic acid-producing microorganisms and methods of making and using the same to inhibit pathogenic bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal tracts of an animal and additionally promote improvement of one or more metrics in an animal, such as increased bodyweight gain, decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR), improved gut barrier integrity, reduced mortality, reduced pathogen infection, and reduced pathogen shedding in feces.
1 . A method for improving one or more metrics in an animal selected from the group consisting of increased bodyweight gain, intestinal health status, decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR), improved gut barrier integrity, reduced mortality, reduced pathogen infection, and reduced pathogen shedding in feces comprising administering an effective amount of a bacterial consortium comprising (a) Lactobacillus reuteri strain S1 deposited at Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (WFDB) under number CBS 145921 and comprising the 16S ribosomal RNA nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7; (b) Lactobacillus reuteri strain S2 deposited at WFDB under number CBS 145922 and comprising the 16S ribosomal RNA nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8; and (c) Lactobacillus reuteri strain S3 deposited at WFDB under number CBS 145923 and comprising the 16S ribosomal RNA nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9 to the animal, thereby improving the one or more metrics in the animal, wherein one or more of the bacterial strains in the bacterial consortium further comprise one or more inactivated or deleted antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes selected from the group consisting of InuC and vatE, and wherein the one or more AMR genes is located within 10 kilobases of a transposon or other mobile genetic element.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial consortium increases one or more of the lactate, acetate, isobutyrate, butyrate, isovalerate, and valerate content of the gastrointestinal tract of the animal.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pathogen is one or more of Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni , Enterobacteriaceae, a Salmonella sp., and Escherichia coli.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further treats, prevents, or decreases incidence of necrotic enteritis.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the animal is a domesticated bird.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the domesticated bird is selected from the group consisting of chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, emus, ostriches, and pheasant.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the chicken is a broiler or a layer.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the feed additive composition, the bacterial consortium is administered by water line.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the consortium produces one or more organic acids selected from the group consisting of lactate, butyrate, isobutyrate, propionate, acetate, isovalerate, and valerate.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each strain in the bacterial consortium is administered to the animal at a dosage of at least about 1×10 3 CFU/day to at least about 1×10 15 CFU/day.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the consortium inhibits at least one pathogen selected from avian pathogenic Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens and Enterobacteriaceae in a gastrointestinal tract of a bird having ingested an effective amount of said consortium.