Illumina Miseq platform analysis caecum bacterial communities of rex rabbits fed with different antibiotics

Abstract

Antibiotics have been widely used for the prevention and the treatment of diseases to humans and animals, and they have fed additives for agricultural animals to promote growth. However, there is a growing concern over the practice due to its side effects on intestinal microbial communities which plays a vital role in animals’ health. To investigate the effect of antibiotics on the bacterial population of the caecum in rex rabbits, 80 rex rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control group (B, basal diet), chlortetracycline group (C, 50�mg/kg), colistin sulfate group (S, 20�mg/kg) and zinc bacitracin group (Z, 40�mg/kg). Caecum microbial communities of rex rabbits from the four groups were analyzed through Illumina Miseq platform after being fed 28�days. The results showed that most obtained sequences belongs to Firmicutes followed by Bacteroidetes, and the ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes in C group (42.31�%) was higher than that in Z group (21.84�%). Zinc bacitracin supplementation caused a significant decreased of the Proteobacteria phylum and Lactobacillus spp. (P�