Found intestinal bacteria beneficial in chicken eggs

Scientists all know that birds get gut bacteria that are healthy for their environment, but a new study at the University of Georgia found that the chickens born have the beneficial bacteria in them. in the intestine.

The lead author of the study, Adriana Pedroso, said the finding - presented at the 108th meeting of the American Society of Microbiology in Boston - could have important implications for the poultry industry and food safety.

Pedroso, a postdoctoral researcher at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, said: 'Understanding the relationship of bacteria to chicken development is the first step towards creating animals. healthy grip without antibiotics'.

Probiotic.(Photo: www.avecom.be )

Pedroso and his colleagues incubated more than 300 eggs and soaked them in a mild bleach before removing the embryos by using sterile tools.DNA analysis shows that there is a diverse microbial community in the gut of developing embryos. Pedroso and colleagues hypothesize that bacteria invade the eggshell surface into egg whites, which are then introduced into the intestine of the embryo.

The co-author of the study, John Maurer, professor of ornithology, said the findings could form a better way to promote poultry growth, reducing the risk of disease. food poisoning. He explained that the poultry industry has gradually stopped using growth-promoting stimulants in recent years but has increased the use of probiotics - beneficial intestinal bacteria - for newly hatched animals. The establishment of a beneficial bacteria community in poultry will limit pathogenic bacteria. But studies of the effectiveness of probiotics have not yet achieved uniform results. Maurer says it's important to calculate the timing of probiotic use.

He said: 'Currently, most probiotics are used after birds hatch. But our research shows that we should use probiotics in infancy for better results. '

The idea is that sterile embryos in eggs and poultry with intestinal bacteria have emerged since the 1960s, when experiments applied bacterial culture techniques - usually using Petri culture implants. with growth hormones - do not achieve the desired results. Newer DNA techniques such as those used by Pedroso and colleagues, are highly sensitive, unaffected by bacterial growth in the culture plate.

Pedroso concluded: 'Previous assumptions are based on cell culture techniques, but now we know that only about 1% of bacteria in the biosphere can be grown.'