Authors
Julio Cesar Ortega Cambara, Piotr Cuber, Farina Khattak, Pedro Humberto Lebre, Salvatore Galgano, Jos Houdijk, Duncan Smallman, Patricia Estridge, Michael J Allen, Fiona Short, Martin Sutcliffe, Hermine V Mkrtchyan
Published in
Frontiers in microbiology. Volume 17. Pages 1868730. Epub Jul 15, 2026.
Abstract
Dulse (Palmaria palmata) is a macroalgal feed ingredient rich in polysaccharides and bioactive compounds that offers a sustainable strategy to enhance animal health and productivity through modulation of gut microbiota. However, the impact of dulse supplementation on the taxonomic composition and genetic repertoire of the broiler chicken caecal microbiota remains poorly characterised.
We applied long-read shotgun metagenomic sequencing on 18 caecal samples collected from 27-day-old male Ross 308 broilers following a 7-day feeding trial with three dietary treatments - a reference diet, a soyabean meal-supplemented diet, and a diet supplemented with 30% dulse - to investigate the effects of dulse inclusion on microbial community composition, genetic diversity, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence determinants.
Across all dietary treatments, the Clostridia class predominated (71%), whereas primary fermenters (L. phocaeense), lactic acid bacteria (L. salivarius), and hydrogenotrophic cross-feeders (B. hydrogenotrophica) were enriched in the reference diet, dulse-supplemented and soyabean meal-supplemented groups, respectively (KW p < 0.05), contributing to potential improvements in caecal function, immune resilience, and nutrient utilisation while reducing pathogen load. The overall resistome profiles were comparable across dietary treatments and were dominated by genes conferring resistance to tetracyclines, lincosamides, and aminoglycosides. In contrast, the virulome displayed diet-associated shifts: Enterobacteriaceae were enriched in the dulse and reference diets relative to the soyabean meal diet, with an expanded functional repertoire of virulence-associated genes, particularly those involved in adhesion, iron acquisition, and secretion systems. Multidrug resistance genes, virulence determinants, and Col/IncF-type plasmid replicons were associated with E. coli reads, highlighting its potential resistance and virulence arsenal within the caecal microbiota.
Our findings suggest that the benefits of dulse extend beyond its nutritional value, residing in its ability to foster ecosystem resilience; by promoting a diverse, niche-stabilised microbiota, dulse minimises the risk of opportunistic pathogen proliferation, supporting its use as a sustainable, functional feed ingredient.
PMID:
42529392
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jul 2026.
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