The modulatory effects of alfalfa polysaccharide on intestinal microbiota and systemic health of Salmonella serotype (ser.) Enteritidis-challenged broilers

Salmonella serotype (ser.) Enteritidis infection in broilers is a main foodborne illness that substantially threatens food security. This study aimed to examine the effects of a novel polysaccharide isolated from alfalfa (APS) on the intestinal microbiome and systemic health of S. ser. Enteritidis-infected broilers. The results indicated that broilers receiving the APS-supplemented diet had the improved (P < 0.05) growth performance and gut health than those fed no APS-supplemented diet. Supplementation with APS enhanced (P < 0.05) the richness of gut beneficial microbes such as Bacteroidetes, Barnesiella, Parabacteroides, Butyricimonas, and Prevotellaceae, while decreased (P < 0.05) the abundance of facultative anaerobic bacteria including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Burkholderiaceae in the S. ser. Enteritidis-infected broilers. The Bacteroides and Odoribacter were identified as the two core microbes across all treatments and combined with their syntrophic microbes formed the hub in co-occurrence networks linking microbiome structure to performance of broilers. Taken together, dietary APS supplementation improved the systemic health of broilers by reshaping the intestinal microbiome regardless of whether S. ser. Enteritidis infection was present. Therefore, APS can be employed as a potential functional additives to inhibit the S. ser. Enteritidis and enhance the food safety in poultry farming.