Alternative solutions to improve gut health

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Alternative products to enhance intestinal health.

Experiences in EU.

Dr.Hilde Van Meirhaeghe - Vetworks

RSA – AFMA 2013

Overview

Introduction

Importance of gut health and contributing factors

Alternative solutions to improve gut health

Copyright 2013 VETWORKS

Introduction

Challenges poultry production:

Provide animal protein for the growing world population in a sustainable way

Guarantee food safety

Respect the environment – waste management

Keep it profitable

EU policy: meat production safe ‘from stable to table’

EFSA : concerns of Antimicrobial Resistance AMR in humans

2006 Antimicrobial Growth Promotors AGP banned

Reduction antimicrobial use in animal

Non EU countries: KFC and McDonald’s announced to promote AGP-free poultry meats


Public opinion AMR

Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, warns that within the next 20 years, people having simple operations may die because there will be no antibiotics left that can deal effectively with routine infections.

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics should be ranked along with terrorism on a list of threats to the nation.


Facts – emotions - policies


MRSA

ESBL

Link AMR humans –animals?

Looks simple but…..


What will be the impact of reduction of antibiotic use in food animals?

Very difficult to measure…but EU ‘precautionary principle’

‘One World – One Health’.

Epidemiology of AMR is very complex

adapted and modified from Linton [1977] by Rebecca Irwin, Health Canada[Prescott 2000] and IFT.

Good news: AMR can be reversed


Dutil et al. 2010

Introduction

EU regulations food animal production controversy

- Since the ban of AGP more therapeutic AB use

- Reduction of antimicrobial resistance by reducing antibiotic use in food animals

• The Netherlands: 50% reduction ( imposed by the goverment)

• Germany: voluntary reduction in some integrations ( imposed by retailers)

• Belgium: ‘prudent use of AM’ – formularium, monitoring AB use


EU: Antibiotic use in poultry

AB use mainly in broilers (not in layers, eggs for consumption)

70% of the antibiotic use in is for problems related to gut health

To reduce antibiotic use: improve intestinal health


Overview

Introduction




Intestinal health and integrity

Efficiency of ingredient digestion and nutrient absorption depends on

Structural integrity and physiologic activity of the gut

Balance between microbial ecosystem and the host defence mechanisms


Intestinal health and integrity

Structural integrity

• Long and wide villi: greater surface for absorption

• Small crypts: lower tissue turn over, less energy and protein required for recovery

• Goblet cells: produce protective mucines

• Strong tight junctions:

• prevent bacteria and toxic substances to enter the cells and the blood, and cause inflammation and ‘leaky gut’

Physiologic activity:

Greater particle size promotes peristalsis and reverse persistalsis:

better mixture with enzymes and digestion


Host defense mechanism: gut barrier function

Maximize the protective innate immunity

Prevent inflammatory response, keep a state of oral tolerance

Complex regulation of the microbial ecosystem:

Suppress invasion of pathogens ( Salmonella, E. coli)

Increase diversity in de microflora

Inhibit overgrowth ( Clostridium perfringens – Clostridiaceae)


Microbial ecosystem and host defense

Gut problems since the ban of AGP

Broilers:

Coccidiosis clinical and subclinical

Necrotic enteritis

Dysbacteriosis - Bacterial Enteritis – bacterial overgrowth

Wet Litter


Clinical signs and necropsy:

- Wet litter (-> pododermatitis)

- Diarrhea

- No increase feed intake

- Water/feed ratio

- Thin, transparent, fragile intestinal wall

- Ballooning intestinal wall

- Undigested feed in distal part gut

- Abnormal intestinal content: too liquid, too gassy, too fat, too slimy

- Inflammation gut wall (much milder than with NE, not necrotic!)

characterised by redness (mucosal and/or serosal) and hyperaemia of

blood vessels servicing gut


Bacterial Enteritis

1. Coccidia infecting gut

mucosa, causing villus atrophy

Coccidiosis =main pre-disposing

factor NE and bacterial enteritis!

0. Normal gut with well developed villi

2. Damaged gut reacts by: villus

fusion, increase of mucus production

Goblet cells and immune reaction

causing inflammation

3. Immune reaction and damage

causes plasma protein leakage/

intestinal function decreased, more

nutrients in gut

4. Clostridiaceae (rods) grow on

available nutrients, mucus and plasma

proteins and attach to gut lining,

causing further reaction of immune

system and gut defences (mucus,…)


BE and Coccidiosis

Coccidiosis prevention is a key factor to control BE

Anticoccidials: some also have antimicrobial activity

Most important is to preserve good anticoccidial efficacy of the limited products available

Rotation programs, chemical clean up

To enhance integrity of the gut, and absorption of nutrients


Bacterial Enteritis

Imbalance microbial

system

Inflammation and

oxidative stress

Result: back to 1….

High feed intake,

high NSP levels,

coccidiosis 1

4

3

2


Overview

Introduction




Bacterial Enteritis

Suppress bacterial

proliferation (antibiotics,

acids, probiotics, AGP

…. )

Add beta-glucan/MOS

or other products for

faster restoration gut

morphology, reduce

inflammation and

oxidative stress

Optimise anticoccidial

program, use exogenous

enzymes, mycotoxin

binders ….

Reduce feed intake,

limit NSP levels, avoid

coccidiosis, avoid viral

infections 1

4

3

2


Alternatives to enhance intestinal health

Combination of different products that act in synergy to improve

Gut barrier management: integrity and recovery of intestine

Control the microbial ecosystem and the host defence mechanisms


Alternatives to enhance gut health

Improved cox control

Improved digestibility feed

Enzymes

Lower NSP

Mycotoxin binders

Alternatives

Acids

Pre and probiotics

Phytonutrients (herbs and essential oils)

Others: Bacteriophages, Antimicrobial peptides, Toll-like receptor agonists……….


Organic Acids

Antimicrobial activity of the acid depends on

Chemical structure, chain length SCFA- MCFA

Form dissocciated or not (pKa value)

MIC values versus certain pathogens

Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA)

C6:0-C12:0 have more antibacterial activity than SCFA

Caprylic –caproic acid have lower MIC for E. coli and Salmonella

Lauric acid has a lower MIC for Clostridium perfringens

(Huyghebaert et al. 2011)


Organic acids

Originally: SCFA used for general bacterial decontamination of the feed itself or drinking water

• effective in the crop and gizzard, not in the caeca

Butyric acid:

• Promotes development and recovery of villi

• Stimulates the expression of the tight junction proteins – claudines

• Limits invasion of pathogens ( E. coli, Salmonella)

• Promotes beneficial microbial ecosystem


Organic acid

Butyric acid has a beneficial effect on the gut integrity and the microbiotic ecosystem but it has to be available in the caeca

Coated Butyrate by micro-encapsulation (slow release matrix)

Or

Enhance butyrate producing bacteria in the caeca

• Direct –BA producers( Clostridium clusters IV –XIVa)

• Indirect- Lactobacilli stimulate growth of BA producers (cross-feeding)

(Van Immerseel et al. 2010)


Probiotics

= Single or mixed cultures of living microorganisms which beneficially affect the host by improving the properties of the indigenous microbiota (Fuller 1992)

Mode of action:

Competition pathogens for adhesion site

Competition pathogens for nutrients

Immunomodulation

Production antimicrobial compounds

e.g. quorum sensing = different populations of bacteria communicate and influence each other (Boyen et al 2008)


Prebiotics

= Non digestible food ingredients that selectively favor the multiplication or metabolic activity of a specific fraction of the intestinal microbiota (Gibson & Roberfroid, 1995)

Products:

Inulin + oligofructose/fructo-oligosaccharides (plant roots)

Mannan-oligosaccharides (yeasts)

Mode of action:

Β-glucans: immunomodulators

Mannan oligosaccharides: supports Lactobacillus spp., reduction pathogens


Bind to macrophages

-> activation macrophages

1. Stimulation phagocytosis

a-specific immunity boost

2. Activation T&B-lymphocytes through

increase cytokine production

specific immunity boost

• Polysaccharide-protein complexes

1. Substrate and energy source for

Lactobacillus spp.

Enhancement of beneficial flora

2. Competitive bindingsite for certain Gr-

bacteria

Inhibits attachment Salmonella

spp.and E.coli to the intestinal wall

(1-3,1-6) ß-glucans mannan oligosaccharides

Prebiotics


Alphamune: effect on gut morphology

• Villus height and villus surface area:

– Increase villus length & villus surface area

Better digestion and nutrient absorption

Increased BW, better FCR

Much more epithelial cells available

for nutrient absorption in picture on

the left


Herbs and essential oils

Phenolic compounds, glycosides, alkaloïds: derived from plants

Carvacrol (oregano) allicin( garlic), cinnamaldehyde(cinnamon)

Mode of action:

Effect on tight junctions, anti- oxidant, immunomodulation

Stimulate the endogenous digestive enzyme

Large variation in composition:

Origin, harvest and storage, extraction method

Cave! Contaminants: mycotoxins, heavy metals


Alternative approach to gut health

Stable gut flora => good gut health

-> Save nutrients

-> Less microbial and toxin leakage

-> Minimise reaction immune system

Improved performance

A lot of research on alternatives: synergistic blends of different products

Objective parameters needed to evaluate the effect on gut health in vitro and in vivo


conclusion


Now, there has been a great deal of information on

new biocontrol approaches for preventing and treating

bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens in food animal

production. Multiple alternatives, including prebiotics,

probiotics, phytonutrients (herbs and essential oils),

hyperimmune antibodies, bacteriophages, antimicrobial

peptides, and toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, have

already been used by the animal industry for various

claims, but it is generally accepted that none of these

alternatives are known to be as effective as AGP in

field application. However, a combination of additives

(e.g., probiotics and prebiotics) or novel feed additives

have shown some efficacy to compensate for production

loss, in the absence of AGP, with economic returns.

Thank you!


Alternative solutions to improve gut health

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