Effects of Dietary Supplementation With Clostridium butyricum on Growth Performance, Apparent Digestibility, Blood Metabolites, Ruminal Fermentation and Bacterial Communities of Fattening Goats

Abstract

<i>Clostridium butyricum</i> (<i>C. butyricum</i>) is currently widely used to improve the body health and productive performance of monogastric animals. However, there have been few reports on the effects and specific mechanism of action of <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> in ruminants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> supplementation on the growth performance and digestive microbiota of fattening goats. Twenty-four healthy male Albas goats (body weight = 22 ± 2.03 kg) were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups with eight goats in each group. The treatments were as follows: control group (CON) (basal diet, concentrate to forage ratio = 65:35); low-dose <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> (LCB) (basal diet plus 2.0 × 10⁸ CFU/kg <i>Clostridium butyricum</i>); and high-dose <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> (HCB) (basal diet plus 1.0 × 10⁹ CFU/kg <i>Clostridium butyricum</i>). The experiment lasted for 8 weeks after a 2-week adaptation period. Therefore, growth performance and rumen and rectum microbiota were evaluated in goats supplemented with <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> and its metabolites. The results showed that dietary supplementation with <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> significantly increased the pH (<i>P</i> < 0.05), but had no significant effect on growth performance (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Compared with the control group, dietary <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> supplementation significantly increased the relative abundance of <i>Prevotella_1, Christensenellaceae AE_R-7_Group</i> and <i>Prevotellaceae AE_UCG-003</i> (<i>P</i> < 0.05), and significantly decreased <i>Succiniclasticum</i> and <i>Muribaculaceae_unclassified</i> (<i>P</i> < 0.05). The relative abundance of <i>Clostridium</i> in the rumen was <1.0%. Moreover, 16S rDNA analysis showed that the fecal <i>Clostridium</i> or <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> count was significantly decreased (<i>P</i> < 0.05), and the relative abundance of <i>Alistipes</i> and <i>Akkermansia</i> was increased (<i>P</i> < 0.10) in the low-dose group compared with the control group. Supplementing <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> in a high-concentrate diet did not significantly affect the performance of goats, while regulation of the gastrointestinal microbiota and related metabolites was associated with rumen fermentation.