The Effect of 125% and 135% Arginine diets on The Gut Microbial Homeostasis of Broilers During Sub-Clinical Necrotic Enteritis Challenge

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an enteric disease of poultry that alters the structure of the gut microbial community causing dysbiosis. While the role of arginine in regulating gut microbiota has been extensively studied in wine production and mice models, there is a paucity of research in poultry models. Given arginine's capacity to modulate intestinal immune responses and gut microbial composition, it holds the potential for mitigating dysbiosis induced by enteric diseases, such as NE, in poultry. Therefore, this study delves into the impact of two levels of arginine supplementation, 25% and 35% above the concentration in the basal diet, on gut microbial homeostasis in poultry during NE. The effect of 125% and 135% arginine diets on growth performance, intestinal health, and immune response during necrotic enteritis were detailed in our first research article. This article provides additional insights into the cecal microbiome and SCFA concentrations, offering a more comprehensive view of the disease's impact on the birds. In this study, we employed a subclinical NE model characterized by a significant reduction in growth performance but no significant mortality. Hence, this experiment provides insights into the impact of arginine supplementation on the cecal microbial homeostasis of broilers during a subclinical NE challenge.