Development of the gastrointestinal tract microflora in young carrier pigeons
1 Department of Nutrition and Animal Husbandry, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia
2 Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia.
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020, 13(02), 260-265.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2020.13.2.0383
Publication history:
Received on 15 November 2020; revised on 23 November 2020; accepted on 25 November 2020
Abstract:
The high demands placed on the performance of carrier pigeons are often reflected in their health and reduced immunity. Therefore, it is important to take sufficient care of their health from the hatching throughout the rearing of future competitors. The aim of the study was to monitor the development of the bacterial microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) during the first month of their life. Two examinations of young pigeons involved taking of swabs from crop and cloaca at 5th day after hatching and 30th day of weaning, when exposure of young pigeons to stress was expected. The results of the study suggested that crop microbiota of young pigeons until weaning is dominated by lactobacilli, such as L. fermentum, L. mucosae or L. agilis, and host-specific bacteria, namely enterococci and streptococci. From the cloacal swabs, E. coli, Ent. faecalis and Str. faecalis were most frequently detected during the two samplings. Commensal bacteria, particularly Str. gallolyticus and Str. sanguinis, which are part of the gastrointestinal microbiota, can act as opportunistic pathogens, mainly under stress conditions resulting in susceptibility to various diseases.
Keywords:
Carrier Pigeons; Hatching; Swabs; Crop; Cloaca; Lactobacilli.
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Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0
