Feed additives that can modulate the poultry gastrointestinal tract and provide benefit to bird performance and health have recently received more interest for commercial applications. Such feed supplements offer an economic advantage because they may directly benefit poultry producers by either decreasing mortality rates of farm animals, increasing bird growth rates, or improve feed efficieny. They can also limit foodborne pathogen establishment in bird flocks by modifying the gastrointestinal microbial population. Prebiotics are known as non-digestible carbohydrates that selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria, thus improving the overall health of the host. Once prebiotics are introduced to the host, 2 major modes of action can potentially occur. Initially, the corresponding prebiotic reaches the intestine of the chicken without being digested in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract but are selectively utilized by certain bacteria considered beneficial to the host. Secondly, other gut activities occur due to the presence of the prebiotic, including generation of short-chain fatty acids and lactic acid as microbial fermentation products, a decreased rate of pathogen colonization, and potential bird health benefits. In the current review, the effect of prebiotics on the gastrointestinal tract microbiome will be discussed as well as future directions for further research.

中文翻译：

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益生元和家禽胃肠道微生物群。

可以调节家禽胃肠道并有益于家禽生产性能和健康的饲料添加剂最近在商业应用中受到了越来越多的关注。此类饲料补充剂具有经济优势，因为它们可以通过降低家畜死亡率、提高禽类生长率或提高饲料效率来直接使家禽生产者受益。它们还可以通过改变胃肠道微生物种群来限制鸟群中食源性病原体的建立。益生元被称为不可消化的碳水化合物，可以选择性地刺激有益细菌的生长，从而改善宿主的整体健康。一旦益生元被引入宿主体内，可能会发生两种主要的作用模式。最初，相应的益生元到达鸡的肠道，但没有在胃肠道上部被消化，而是被某些被认为对宿主有益的细菌选择性地利用。其次，由于益生元的存在，会发生其他肠道活动，包括作为微生物发酵产物产生短链脂肪酸和乳酸、降低病原体定殖率以及潜在的鸟类健康益处。在当前的综述中，将讨论益生元对胃肠道微生物组的影响以及未来进一步研究的方向。