A Bacillus-Based Direct Fed Microbial (DFM) Mixture Remodels the Gut Microbiome to Augment Respiratory Health of Salmonella Infected Pigs

Antibiotics, as feed additives, have been integral to commercial pork production. Their use, however, have fostered spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. In this study, we explored the use of a mix of naturally occurring bacteria, made up of species of the genus Bacillus, as an alternative to antibiotics in the pig diet. The bacterial mix reversed disease lesions in the lungs of pigs infected with Salmonella, a common bacterium that causes severe disease in commercial pigs. Our findings suggested that applying the bacterial mix to the Salmonella infected pigs shifted the microbes in the gut to a community that is endowed with many antimicrobials that ward off the effects of the Salmonella. We present data showing the novelty of some of the antimicrobials discovered in the present study. It is our hypothesis that their characterization will yield new antimicrobials that can be used in different sectors of animal production.