Effects of aging on the bacterial community and inflammatory response in the intestinal and oviductal mucosa in laying hens.

Aging and inflammation of the intestinal and oviductal mucosa reduce egg-laying function in chickens. In mammals, the bacterial flora of the intestine and genital mucosa changes with age and is associated with inflammation of the intestine and genital mucosa. However, the relationship between aging and inflammation of the gut and oviductal mucosa in laying hens is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to clarify whether aging affects the microflora and inflammatory response of the intestinal and oviductal mucosa in chickens. White Leghorn laying hens (n = 8), approximately 280 days old (young group) and 730 days old (aged group), respectively, were used. Bacterial DNA was extracted from normal feces in the cloaca and swabs of oviductal vagina mucosa, and 16SrRNA amplicon sequencing analysis was done.