Gut microbial population as affected by probiotic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) inclusion in broiler chicken diet

The gut of the chicken is a fundamental organ which plays an important role in digestion and host defence. In this study, the gut microbial population as affected by probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) inclusion in broiler chicken diet was investigated. A total of 255 broiler chicks (White Ross breed) were used for this study. The chicks were allocated to five treatment groups in a completely randomized design with each treatment having three replicates of 17 birds each. The experimental diets (T1 , T2 , T3 , T4 and T5 ) were formulated with varying levels of inclusion of probiotic (SC) T1 served as the control while T2 , T3 , T4 and T5 had  0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% level of inclusion of probiotic (SC), respectively. The parameters taken were the gut content from the jejunum, ileum and caecum which were collected by dissecting the segments. The gut content was then placed in a plane sterile tube and taken to the laboratory for microbial count of Lactose fermenting bacteria (LFB) and non-lactose fermenting bacteria (NLFB). The results from the study showed that there was significant (P<0.05) difference in the population of Lactose fermenting bacteria (LFB) and non-lactose fermenting bacteria (NLFB) in the jejunum, caecum and ileum of the dietary treatment groups. Treatment group fed 0.5% SC had the highest population (9.30x108cells/ml) of LFB in the jejunum while treatment group fed 1.0% SC had the highest population of 1.73x109 and 1.08x109cells/mlof LFB in the ceacum and ileum respectively. The population of NLFB was higher in the control group compared to other treatment groups. This study concludes that dietary inclusion of SC in broiler chickens can influence the gut status thereby benefiting the animal through production of digestive enzymes, synthesis of vitamin B and immune stimulation.It is suggested that broiler chicken farmers should be encouraged to include Probiotic (SC) in the diet of broiler chickens for improved gut health