Effect of farm management on antimicrobial resistance and intestinal microbiota in poultry production
- Autores: Laura Montoro Dasí
- Directores de la Tesis: Clara Marín Orenga (dir. tes.), Aranzazu Villagra Garcia (dir. tes.), Fernando Estellés Barber (tut. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de València ( España ) en 2021
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Carmelo Ortega Rodríguez (presid.), Jorge Garcia Hernandez (secret.), Juan José Quereda Torres (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencia y Tecnología de la Producción Animal por la Universitat Politècnica de València
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: RiuNet
- Resumen
Social awareness regarding animal welfare, food safety, antimicrobial resistance and environmental health has increased, promoting the implementation of alternative sustainable production systems that include the 'One Health' concept. For this reason, in the poultry sector different alternatives at field level have been proposed, centred on the improvement of biosecurity protocols, the use of rustic slow-growing breeds and the implementation of precision livestock farming. In this context, intestinal microbiota play an important role in poultry health, in the spread of antimicrobial resistance and in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens throughout the poultry production chain. Animal welfare promotes the presence of beneficial microbiota and the integrity of the intestinal epithelium, reducing the interactions between environmental and intestinal bacteria. This way, it could be possible to achieve a reduction in antibiotic administration at field level, and also the presence of zoonotic pathogens in the food chain. Salmonella spp. is the main cause of human foodborne outbreaks in the European Union, and the main sources of infection are poultry products. Between the main serovars related to these outbreaks is S. Infantis, which is currently the most prevalent serovar isolated in broiler chickens. Therefore, the general objective of this doctoral thesis was to evaluate the effect of alternative production systems of poultry production on the microbiota composition development, antimicrobial resistance dynamics and Salmonella epidemiology.
In the first experiment, the effect of the genetic breed was studied by comparing a commercial fast-growing breed vs. an alternative slow-growing breed. The objectives were to characterise the caecal microbiota and to investigate antimicrobial resistance and multidrug-resistance dynamics throughout the growing period. Regarding microbiota composition, results showed that Firmicutes represented the dominant phylum for both systems, and the most predominant genera were Oscillospira spp., Ruminococcus spp., Coprococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bacteroides spp. On the other hand, results obtained in the study of antimicrobial resistance showed that at the onset of the cycle, fast-growing day-old-chicks showed higher antimicrobial resistance rates. However, at the end of the period no significant differences were found.
In the second experiment, the effect of the farm management conditions was evaluated by comparing commercial density and ventilation conditions vs. improved conditions. The objectives were to characterise the caecal microbiota, to evaluate antimicrobial resistance and multidrug-resistance dynamics, and to investigate the development of S. Infantis and its antimicrobial resistance throughout the growing period. Results obtained in microbiota development showed a higher level of microbiota complexity in the group reared under optimal farm conditions at the end of rearing. Moreover, Firmicutes was the dominant phylum during all the growing period, and the predominant genera were Oscillospira spp., Ruminococcus spp., Bacteroides spp. and Coprococcus spp. Results obtained in the study of antimicrobial resistance showed high antimicrobial resistance rates throughout rearing, and no statistical differences were observed between groups. Finally, Salmonella shedding showed that the highest counts were observed at slaughter day for both groups. Moreover, 100% of the isolates were multi-resistant after the first week post-infection.
In conclusion, the main results obtained include that microbiota diversity and composition are in constant development throughout the growing period, and antimicrobial resistance is present as of the arrival day and increases until the end of rearing. Regarding S. Infantis epidemiology, it has been demonstrated the continuous shedding throughout the growing period and its ability to gain antimicrobial resistance.
