Abstract
A number of poultry probiotics contain bacterial spores. In this study, orally administered spores of Bacillus subtilis germinated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of chicks. Furthermore, 20 h after spores were administered, vegetative cells outnumbered spores throughout the GI tract. This demonstrates that spore-based probiotics may function in this host through metabolically active mechanisms.
MeSH terms
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Administration, Oral
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Animal Feed / microbiology
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Animals
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Bacillus subtilis / genetics
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Bacillus subtilis / growth & development*
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Chickens
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Colony Count, Microbial
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Food Microbiology*
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Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology*
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Probiotics*
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RNA, Bacterial / biosynthesis
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Spores, Bacterial / genetics
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Spores, Bacterial / growth & development
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Time Factors