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The majority of rural households in developing countries own village chickens that are reared under traditional scavenging systems with few inputs and exposure to various parasitic infestations. Understanding of the village chicken farming system and its influence on helminth infestation is a prerequisite for optimal prevention and control strategies. This study investigated the village chicken production system and associated gastrointestinal parasites in 87 households from Limpopo (n = 39) and KwaZulu-Natal (n = 48) provinces of South Africa. A total of 191 village chicken faecal samples and 145 intestines were collected to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in villages of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, respectively. The faecal floatation analysis of samples from Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces indicated infestations by Ascaridia galli (18.77%), Heterakis gallinarum (15.56%) and Capillaria spp. (4.00%); tapeworms Choanotaenia infundibulum (2.10%) and Raillietina cesticillus (6.00%) and Eimeria spp. (29.46%). Mixed infestations were observed in five (4.90%) samples from Limpopo province and in only four (4.49%) from KwaZulu-Natal province, of which 1.12% were a mixture of C. infundibulum and Eimeria spp. and 3.37% a combination of H. gallinarum and Eimeria spp. In Limpopo, 2.94% of the chickens were positive for H. gallinarum and Eimeria spp., whilst 0.98% had A. galli and Capillaria spp. infestations. Further investigation is needed to understand the impact of gastrointestinal parasites on village chicken health and production and develop appropriate intervention and control strategies feasible for small-holder farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics are known to stabilize the microbiome especially in monogastric animals. Limited information is available on the potential effect on the rumen microbiome. Feedlot cattle are fed high concentrate diets which may result in subclinical and clinical acidosis due to dysbiosis. This can negatively affect the production and lead to morbidities and death. The alpha diversity of a microbiome population and the ratio of Proteobacteria towards Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes have been known to indicate potential dysbiosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of probiotics on the alpha diversity and Proteobacteria ratio of the rumen microbiome of feedlot cattle during the finisher phase. Thirtysix Bonsmara bulls were randomly divided into three groups and fed for 120 days; a basal diet commonly fed in South African feedlots (CTR: control), the basal diet supplemented with monensin (30 mg/animal/day; MON) or a Bacillus-based probiotic (B. licheniformis and B. subtilis; Bovacillus, Chr. Hansen A/S at 2.75 g/animal/day; BOV). Four animals from each of the groups were randomly selected for rumen content collection during the finisher phase using a stomach tube. After DNA extraction was completed, 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4) was performed. Alpha diversity (Shannon) and the relative abundance of the phyla was determined using phyloseq with significance (p< 0.05) determined with the Kruskal-Wallis test. In total, 41 300 ASVs and 10 phyla were identified. BOV had a significantly greater (p=0.023) alpha diversity compared with CTR and numerically greater compared with MON. The Proteobacteria ratio was greater than expected in all groups. However, the ratio was significantly less in BOV compared with CTR (p=0.028) and numerically less compared with MON. The results indicate that probiotic supplementation of feedlot cattle has the potential to stabilize the rumen microbiome by increasing the alpha diversity and decreasing the Proteobacteria ratio thereby preventing dysbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of the development of an antibiotic resistant bacterium necessitates investigation for alternative feed additives. Probiotics are known to confer a health benefit to the animal and affect the production of the animal through increased nutrient digestibility. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial composition of the rumen of South African feedlot cattle when supplemented with a Bacillus probiotic. Twenty-four Bonsmara cattle were randomly divided into two groups: a basal diet (control, CTR) and the basal diet supplemented with Bacillus-based probiotic (B. licheniformis and B. subtilis; Bovacillus, Chr. Hansen A/S; BOV). The animals were fed for 120-days divided by starter, grower, and finisher diets. Four animals from each group were selected for rumen content collection via stomach tube during each phase. DNA extraction was performed and submitted for 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4). Approximately 41 300 ASVs were identified from 87 genera using DADA2, phyloseq and the RDP database. ANOSIM was used to determine different microbial profiles and Wilcoxon Rank Sum test to determine significant differences in the relative abundance of the microbes between the treatment groups. Microbial profiles in the starter (ANOSIM=0.0416) and grower (ANOSIM=0.1771) phases were similar between CTR and BOV. Most bacteria had greater abundance in CON compared with BOV in the starter phase. In the grower, BOV had a significantly greater abundance of Prevotella (p=0.028) and Lachnobacterium (p=0.042) compared to CTR. The microbial profiles between CTR and BOV differed in the finisher phase (ANOSIM=0.3229) with most of the bacteria having a significantly greater abundance in BOV compared with CTR including Roseburia (p=0.028), Fibrobacter (p=0.057) and Ruminococcus (p=0.028). These microbes as well as Prevotella are known fiber-degraders in the rumen microbiome. The results indicate a tendency in BOV for increased abundance of fibre-degrading microbes, however further studies are needed to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]