Following increasing regulatory restrictions on antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), Bacillus subtilis has gained considerable attention as a potential probiotic alternative in broiler production due to its spore-forming characteristics, environmental stability and capacity to modulate the intestinal environment. This seminar synthesizes findings from two broiler studies investigating the effects of B. subtilis PB6 (  CFU/g) and dietary supplementation with B. subtilis ATCC19659 at concentrations of  ,  , and  CFU/g. Across the two studies, B. subtilis supplementation was associated with improved growth performance including increased body weight and reduced feed conversion ratio accompanied by enhanced intestinal morphology, particularly increasing villi height. Probiotic supplementation also modulated immune responses, as indicated by elevating phagocytic activity, serum immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM), and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, TGF-  ). Furthermore, dietary supplementation enhanced hepatic antioxidant capacity (through increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), while favorably modulating the cecal microbiota by reducing potentially pathogenic taxa, such as Escherichia-Shigella and increasing the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. Collectively, these findings suggest that spore-forming B. subtilis has potential as an alternative to AGPs, including zinc bacitracin, through its beneficial effects on growth performance, intestinal health, immune function, antioxidant status, and gut microbial composition in broiler chickens.
- El-Sayed, Y., W. Khalil, N. Fayez, and A. F. Mohamed Abdel-Fattah. 2024. Enhancing effect of oregano essential oil and Bacillus subtilis on broiler immune function, intestinal morphology and growth performance. BMC Vet Res. 20:112. doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-03960-w
- Mohamed, T. M., W. Sun, G. Z. Bumbie, A. A. Elokil, K. A. F. Mohammed, R. Zebin, P. Hu, L. Wu, and Z. Tang. 2022. Feeding Bacillus subtilis ATCC19659 to Broiler Chickens Enhances Growth Performance and Immune Function by Modulating Intestinal Morphology and Cecum Microbiota. Front. Microbiol. 12:798350. doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.798350
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