Effects of Caprylic Acid on the Cecal Colonization of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg and the Cecal Microbiome in Broiler Chickens

Authors

• Shijinaraj Manjankattil, University of Minnesota
• Dhananjai Muringattu Prabhakaran, University of Minnesota
• Anup Kollanoon Johny, University of MinnesotaFollow
• Claire Peichel, University of Minnesota
• Divek V.T. Nair, University of Minnesota
• Grace Dewi, University of Minnesota
• Jason Langlie, University of Minnesota
• Trevor J. Gould, Minnesota Supercomp Inst
• A. M. Donoghue, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2025

Keywords

Salmonella Heidelberg, caprylic acid, microbiome, bacitracin

Abstract

This study determined the efficacy of in-feed supplementation of a medium-chain fatty acid, caprylic acid (CA), on the cecal colonization of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) and its effect on the cecal microbiome of commercial broilers. A total of 24, 4-week-old commercial Ross 708 chickens were randomly allocated to two replicates of four treatment groups in eight BSL2 isolators (3 birds/isolator): Negative control (NC), Positive Control (PC), Antibiotic group (AB), and caprylic acid (CA) groups. The birds received a Salmonella-free standard corn-soy-based diet, with the broilers in the AB receiving 50 g/ton bacitracin methylene disalicylate, and the CA group receiving caprylic acid (1% w/w), in feed from days 1 to 35. All birds, except those in the NC group, were challenged with similar to 3.7 log(10) CFU of MDR SH/5 mL by crop gavage on day 29. Cecal samples were collected 7 days after the challenge for SH recovery by direct plating and enrichment, as well as for DNA extraction for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Compared to the PC group, a 3.6 log(10) CFU/g reduction in SH was observed in the CA group (p < 0.05). Although no significant effect of CA on cecal microbial composition was observed, a significant difference in taxonomic alpha- and beta-diversities was observed in the AB. CA also resulted in significant differences in hub taxa compared to PC in the network association analysis, indicating a potential role for microbiome modulation in its mechanism of action.

Comments

Web of Science

MDPI

Citation

Manjankattil, S.; Muringattu Prabhakaran, D.; Kollanoor Johny, A.; Peichel, C.; Nair, D.V.T.; Dewi, G.; Langlie, J.; Gould, T.J.; Donoghue, A.M. Effects of Caprylic Acid on the Cecal Colonization of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg and the Cecal Microbiome in Broiler Chickens. Poultry 2025, 4, 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry4040047

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.