Study to characterize and compare the intestinal microbiome of two lines of chickens divergently selected for antibody response to sheep red blood cells.. HAS-LAS_intestinal-microbiome

Intestinal microbiota has significant effects oh animal health. This experiment sought to compare and characterize the intestinal micrbiomes of two lines of chickens which have been divergently selected from a common founder line of white leg horn for high or low antibody response to antigens from sheep red blood cells. In addition to differences in antibody response, these lines have been found to have considerable differences in reproductive efficiency and susceptibility to pathogens. Examination of the possible differences in intestinal microbial content and composition may provide additional insight into factors influencing the physiological differences observed in these lines.