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Probiotics and Synbiotics in Poultry: Impacts on Gut Microbiota

A Special Issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615) belonging to the section "Poultry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2026) | Viewed by 1501

Editors


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Guest Editor
Animistic Precision Animal Nutrition, Garner, NC, USA
Interests: prebiotics; probiotics; postbiotics; synbiotics; novel feed ingredients; gut health; disease challenge models

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IGY Immune Technologies & Life Sciences Inc., Airdrie, AB, Canada
Interests: gut microbiota; microbiology; nutritional immunology; feed additives; nutraceuticals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The poultry industry continues to seek sustainable alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters to enhance performance, health, and food safety. Among these, probiotics and synbiotics have emerged as promising tools for modulating gut microbiota and improving host resilience.

This Special Issue, “Probiotics and Synbiotics in Poultry: Impacts on Gut Microbiota”, aims to advance our understanding of how beneficial microbial strains and their synergistic combinations influence intestinal morphology, intestinal microbial population dynamics, immune function, nutrient utilization, and overall bird productivity.

We invite original research and comprehensive reviews exploring disease challenge models, mechanisms of action, strain selection and characterization, dose–response relationships, and their effects under both experimental and commercial production settings. Studies integrating omics technologies, microbial community profiling, and functional assessments of gut health are especially encouraged. By highlighting novel findings and practical applications, this issue seeks to bridge the gap between microbiome science and applied poultry nutrition, contributing to the development of effective strategies for improved poultry production.

Dr. Daniel Adams
Dr. Shahna Fathima
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • probiotics
  • synbiotics
  • microbiome
  • gut health
  • intestinal ecology
  • intestinal morphology
  • immune response
  • growth performance
  • nutrient utilization prebiotics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 6457 KB  
Article
Protective Effect of Synbiotic Supplementation Against Salmonella Typhimurium Infection in Young Broiler Chickens
by Walter Rivera Pérez, Elías Barquero Calvo, Aida Chaves Hernández and Catalina Salas Duran
Animals 2026, 16(9), 1411; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16091411 - 5 May 2026
Viewed by 918
Abstract
Salmonella infection in poultry remains a major concern due to its economic impact and public health risks. Synbiotics have emerged as a natural strategy to improve gut health and resistance to enteric pathogens. This study evaluated the immune response and early protective effects [...] Read more.
Salmonella infection in poultry remains a major concern due to its economic impact and public health risks. Synbiotics have emerged as a natural strategy to improve gut health and resistance to enteric pathogens. This study evaluated the immune response and early protective effects of a synbiotic in broiler chickens using a reduced in vivo model of Salmonella Typhimurium infection. A total of 44 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: control (CT), control plus synbiotic (CT + Syn), challenged (ST), and challenged plus synbiotic (ST + Syn). Birds were challenged at 7 days of age and euthanized at day 12 for sample collection. Synbiotic supplementation reduced bacterial colonization and adhesion in the ileum, as assessed by intestinal content isolation and immunofluorescence analysis. Additionally, the synbiotics mitigated lesion severity in the intestine, liver, and heart, increased anti-inflammatory IL-10 expression, and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α. Ileal histomorphometry showed increased epithelial height in the ST + Syn birds, while intestinal permeability was not affected. Improved body weight was also observed compared to the challenged birds without supplementation. In conclusion, synbiotic supplementation provided early protection against S. Typhimurium infection by modulating immune responses, preserving intestinal morphology, and supporting weight gain in broiler chickens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics and Synbiotics in Poultry: Impacts on Gut Microbiota)
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