Effect of dietary supplementation with purified wood lignocellulose on performances, caecal fermentation and gut microbiota of growing rabbits

Abstract

A total of 576 rabbits were housed in 18 open-top elevated pens (32 rabbits per pen) during the fattening period (54–71 d of age) and fed a standard diet or a diet enriched in purified wood lignocellulose and fat formulated to guarantee rabbit optimal digestive health and convenient feed conversion ratio. The impacts on gut microbiota (both hard faeces and caecal content) and caecal fermentation, diet digestibility and rabbit performance were examined. The microbial diversity and the bacterial community structure of hard faeces barely differed from that of caecal content (p >.05). No differences in alpha and beta diversity of microbiota were detected between rabbits fed the different diets. Twelve genera, mostly belonging to the family of Lachnospiraceae, increased (p