刺参肠道菌群的研究进展

肠道菌群的组成与营养消化、生物屏障、免疫防御等生理过程密切相关,对动物机体健康生长具有极其重要的作用。文章分析了刺参(Apostichopus japonicus)肠道菌群的组成及其影响因素,总结了刺参肠道菌群的生理功能,并对刺参肠道菌群的应用和研究趋势进行了展望。     

仔猪肠道菌群的建立与影响因素

肠道菌群生态平衡是猪营养、生理和免疫功能的基础。然而,在猪的生长发育过程中,菌群在肠道内定植和分布受到各种因素的影响,包括分娩环境、日粮成分、抗生素或其他替抗物的使用等。本文主要从仔猪肠道菌群的形成规律、影响因素和营养调控措施等方面论述了仔猪肠道菌群与仔猪肠道健康或疾病的关系,旨在为绿色健康养殖方面研究提供帮助。     

肠道微生物-肠-脑轴与猪营养代谢

肠-脑轴是肠道与大脑通过神经和内分泌介导的一种双向应答系统,越来越多的研究表明,肠道菌群在此轴中发挥着关键作用。因此,微生物-肠-脑轴之间的双向交流关系逐渐成为动物营养代谢以至人类健康和疾病中热门的研究方向。肠道微生物群与宿主相互作用,从而控制体内平衡。本文从微生物与宿主肠道以及脑神经系统之间的相互关系入手,综述了微生物-肠-脑轴在猪营养代谢中的研究进展。     

肠道菌群的建立及其与免疫系统发育和成熟的关系

肠道内细菌的数量可以达到10~(14),大约是体细胞数量的10倍。稳定的肠道微生物区系是宿主与微生物长期共同进化的结果,参与机体代谢、营养和免疫等重要生理过程,尤其是免疫系统的发育和成熟。有研究表明,肠道菌群和免疫系统紧密相连,完善的菌群结构对免疫系统的建立及功能的正常发挥起重要作用。研究就胃肠道的发育、菌群的建立以及菌群与肠道免疫系统发育和成熟的关系展开综述。     

肠道微生物与大脑间联系的研究进展

肠道菌群不仅能调节肠道,还能影响脑活动甚至行为。肠道菌群和宿主相互作用,并通过肠-脑轴影响动物行为。为更好地了解肠道微生物菌群及其与动物大脑和行为的关联,对动物健康和福利水平的提高及饲料中微生态制剂的选择提供理论指导。     

肠道菌群功能及检测技术研究进展

大量的微生物存在于动物的胃肠内,在经过长期的进化与选择之后,它们形成了一个动态的微生物系统。肠道菌群与机体的相互作用对动物本身来说十分重要,近年来更是已经成为研究的热点问题。肠道菌群的功能主要体现在它对机体的生物屏障作用、营养作用、免疫作用等方面。肠道菌群的检测方法是研究肠道菌群的重点和难点问题,目前主要技术有分离培养、质谱技术、宏基因组测序等。文章结合大量文献资料,总结了目前肠道菌群功能的相关研究成果及研究方法。     

从微生态营养角度谈新型微生态制剂的开发与设计

动物体的微生物细胞数量巨大,是动物体细胞数量的10倍,已经被看作动物的第10大系统。肠道中的菌群数量占动物体微生物细胞的大部分,在肠道内生长代谢所产生的营养是维持动物的生命和生长必不可少的元素,它来源于饲料,是经过肠道菌群加工所产生的,又与饲料成分有本质的区别,我们给它命名为动物的微生态营养。动物的微生态营养是肠道菌群与其宿主动     

肠道菌群对宿主黏膜免疫和营养代谢的关系研究进展

肠道是营养物质消化吸收的主要场所,同时又是机体最大的免疫器官。肠道内共生着数量庞大和种类繁杂的菌群。肠道菌群具有调控宿主营养代谢和促进黏膜免疫系统成熟的双重作用。就肠道菌群对宿主黏膜免疫和营养代谢的关系进行综述。     

仔猪肠道损伤修复营养调控及其机制和应用

仔猪早期断奶是现代养猪业中的一项重要技术措施,但断奶应激又导致仔猪出现早期断奶综合征,尤其是肠道损伤.肠道正常的功能依赖肠道黏膜上皮屏障、免疫屏障、生物屏障的完整性来维持.断奶应激会导致仔猪肠道黏膜形态结构改变、肠上皮屏障通透性增加、消化吸收功能降低、黏液层厚度下降、肠道pH升高、免疫抑制、肠道微生物菌群失衡等,甚至造成肠道功能的继发性损伤和功能紊乱.因此,肠道损伤修复及其营养调控研究日益受到关注.直接或间接调控因子主要包括:1)多肽类生长因子.主要包括表皮生长因子(EGF)、胰高血糖素样肽-2 (GLP-2)、胰岛素样生长因子-Ⅰ(IGF-Ⅰ)和转化生长因子(TGF)等.本文介绍了本团队制备的猪胰高血糖素样肽-2(pGLP-2)长效化产物对降低仔猪肠道炎性反应,提高黏膜屏障功能的作用.2)微生态调控剂.包括益生菌制剂和抗菌肽.猪饲粮中常用益生菌有屎肠球菌、芽孢杆菌、植物乳杆菌、乳球菌、酵母菌等.已报道用于仔猪饲粮的抗菌肽主要有天蚕素、防御素、抗菌肽buforinⅡ、抗菌肽P5及复合肽等.3)营养代谢调控剂.报道较多的氨基酸及其衍生物有谷氨酰胺及其替代品α-酮戊二酸、L-精氨酸、N-乙酰半胱氨酸等.研究较多的其他调控剂还有短链脂肪酸、壳聚糖、植物多糖、锌和硒等.本文对上述各类损伤修复调控因子研究进展进行了综述.     

海藻酶解物对体外培养大黄鱼肠道菌群结构和短链脂肪酸合成的影响北大核心CSCD

为明确大黄鱼肠道菌群合成短链脂肪酸(SCFAs)的情况和相关的细菌以及海藻酶解物对体外培养大黄鱼肠道菌群结构和短链脂肪酸合成的影响,本研究分别使用GAM培养基(对照组)、添加0.5%复合海藻酶解物的GAM培养基以及添加0.5%海带酶解物的GAM培养基厌氧培养4尾大黄鱼的肠道菌群,采用气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS/MS)方法检测培养物中7种SCFAs的含量,并采用NovaSeq PE250方案对培养物中菌群进行16S rDNA扩增子测序。结果显示:大黄鱼肠道菌群可以体外合成SCFAs,使用GAM培养基培养时乙酸、丙酸和丁酸的比例约为94∶5∶1,在GAM培养基中添加0.5%复合海藻酶解物可增加丁酸合成量,使乙酸、丙酸和丁酸的比例变为92∶4∶4,并提升肠道菌群的α多样性,提高拟杆菌门(Bacteroidota)和分类未定细菌门(unidentified_Bacteria)的相对丰度。SCFAs合成与肠道菌群联合分析显示,大黄鱼肠道中以产酸拟杆菌(Bacteroides acidifaciens)、单形拟杆菌(Bacteroides uniformis)、普通拟杆菌(Bacteroides vulgatus)和肠鼠杆菌(Muribaculum intestinale)为代表的拟杆菌属细菌是增加丁酸合成的主要细菌;在GAM培养基中添加0.5%海带酶解物时丁酸合成量与对照组无显著差异(P>0.05),且与对照组间无具有显著性差异的菌群。本研究证实大黄鱼肠道菌群可以合成SCFAs,拟杆菌属细菌的相对丰度与丁酸的合成量呈正相关,且体外试验表明复合海藻酶解物可显著提升大黄鱼肠道菌群的α多样性,促进具有抗炎作用的丁酸的合成。     

Factors influencing social organization in postpartum Angus cows under confinement. Effect on cow–calf weight change

The objective was to determine factors influencing social organization in postpartum Angus cows and its effect on variation of cow–calf weight after 90 d. Postpartum Angus cows (N=90) with no history of puerperal problems, a calf suckling, and body condition score (BCS) no less than 3 were allocated into 3 groups of 30 (A, B, and C) according to parity (P) and cow body frame (CF). Using the agonistic interactions recorded during the study, a raw dominance value with subsequent Arc-sin conversion (Arc-sin DV) was calculated to generate a linear social dominance order (DO) with 3 social categories (dominant—D-, intermediate—I-, and subordinate—S-cows). The effects of postpartum body weight (PPBW), BCS, CF, and P on Arc-sin DV were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. Similar procedure was applied to analyze the effects of group, P, CF, and DO on cow body weight at 90 d (CW90), and the effects of DO of dams, P, group, calf gender (CG), and sire within breed (SWB) on calf body weight at 90 d (CFW90). Cows with larger CF and heavier PPBW obtained greatest (P<0.0005) Arc-sin DV. The youngest and the oldest cows tended (P<0.10) to obtain the lowest Arc-sin DV. After 90 d of trial, D cows were heavier than I (P<0.002) and S cows (P<0.0001). Calf birth weight was influenced by SWB (P<0.03) and P (P<0.05), and D cows had heavier (P<0.05) calf at birth than S cows. At 90 d, calf body weight was influenced by P (P<0.03) and DO of dam (P<0.008). Thus, calf weight at 90 d increased with DO of dams. In conclusion, CF, PPBW, and to a less extent P, influenced DO. Parity and CF influenced PPBW. Variation of CW90 was influenced by DO. Calf birth weight was influenced by SWB, P, DO of cow, and CG. Meanwhile, CFW90 was influenced by P and DO of cow. Interactions among social organization, management strategies, calf growth, and reproductive aspects need more attention.     

Maternal and reproductive performance of Brahman x Angus, Senepol x Angus, and Tuli x Angus cows in the subtropics

To determine the maternal and reproductive performance of F1 cows in the subtropics, 42 Brahman x Angus, 34 Senepol x Angus, and 50 Tuli x Angus cows were bred to Angus bulls to calve first and subsequently bred to Charolais bulls to calve as 3- to 8-yr-olds. Age at first calving did not differ among crossbred cows. Angus-sired calf birth weights were heavier (P < 0.01) from Senepol x Angus than either Brahman x Angus or Tuli x Angus cows. Weaning weights of Angus-sired calves were heavier (P < 0.01) from Brahman x Angus (213.5 kg) than either Senepol x Angus (194.9 kg) or Tuli x Angus (191.5 kg) cows. As 3- to 8-yr-old cows, calf birth weights were heavier (P < 0.05) from Senepol x Angus compared with Brahman x Angus but not Tuli x Angus cows. Weaning weights of Charolais-sired calves were heaviest (P < 0.05) from Brahman x Angus cows (268.9 kg), lightest from Tuli x Angus cows (233.4 kg), and intermediate from Senepol x Angus cows (245.0 kg). Calf crop born and calf crop weaned were lowest (P < 0.05) for Senepol x Angus cows (76.9 and 70.2%) and did not differ between Brahman x Angus (89.0 and 86.1%) and Tuli x Angus (94.7 and 86.5%) cows. Tuli x Angus cows tended (P < 0.10) to have a lower percentage of unassisted births and lower (P < 0.10) calf survival to weaning than Brahman x Angus cows but not Senepol x Angus cows. As 3- to 8-yr-olds, weaning weight per cow exposed was greatest (P < 0.05) for Brahman x Angus (234.2 kg), least (P < 0.05) for Senepol x Angus (173.0 kg), and intermediate (P < 0.05) for Tuli x Angus (209.1 kg) cows. Also as 3- to 8-yr-olds, efficiency (205-d calf weight per 100 kg of cow exposed) was similar for Brahman x Angus (42.2) and Tuli x Angus cows (40.7), and both were greater (P < 0.01) than for Senepol x Angus cows (33.8). These data indicate that, in the subtropics, maternal and reproductive performance of Tuli x Angus cows, but not Senepol x Angus cows, was comparable to Brahman x Angus cows, except for lower calf survivability and weaning weight.     

腹泻仔猪与健康仔猪粪便菌群多样性的比较

本试验旨在探究腹泻仔猪与健康仔猪粪便菌群多样性及结构的差异。采集同等饲养条件下的8份腹泻和8份健康哺乳仔猪的粪便样本,利用16S rRNA高通量测序技术对健康仔猪和腹泻仔猪粪便菌群进行比较。结果表明:健康仔猪粪便菌群的多样性高于腹泻仔猪(P<0.05);与健康仔猪粪便菌群组成相比,腹泻仔猪变形菌门(Proteobacteria)的相对丰度增加(P<0.05),而拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)降低(P<0.05);在属的分类水平上,腹泻仔猪粪便中埃希氏-志贺菌属(Escherichia-Shigella)和乳杆菌属(Lactobacillus)的相对丰度高于健康仔猪(P<0.05),而拟杆菌属(Bacteroides)、Lachnoclostridium和瘤胃球菌属(Ruminococcus)低于健康仔猪(P<0.05)。综上表明,腹泻仔猪与健康仔猪粪便菌群的多样性和结构存在显著差异,埃希氏-志贺菌属的相对丰度显著增加可能是仔猪腹泻的重要原因之一。     

Potential use of ground brown rice for weanling pigs

The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of substituting corn with ground brown rice on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota in weanling pigs. Seventy-two weanling pigs (28 d old with 6.78 ± 0.94 kg body weight [BW]) were randomly allotted to two dietary treatments with six pens and six pigs (three barrows and gilts) per pen within a randomized complete block design. The control pigs were fed a typical diet for weanling pigs based on corn and soybean meal diet (control diet: CON), and the other pigs were fed a formulated diet with 100% replacement of corn with ground brown rice for 35d (treatment diet: GBR). Growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota of weanling pigs were measured. The substitution of corn with GBR did not affect growth performance or diarrhea frequency. Additionally, there were no differences in white blood cell number, hematocrit, cortisol, C-reactive protein, and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels between pigs fed CON or GBR for the first 2 wk after weaning. However, weanling pigs fed GBR had lower (P < 0.05) serum transforming growth factor-beta 1 level than those fed CON. Furthermore, weanling pigs fed GBR had increased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus and Streptococcus and decreased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Clostridium and Prevotella in the gut microbiota compared with those fed CON. In conclusion, there was no significant difference in growth performance when corn was replaced with ground brown rice in diets for weanling pigs. Furthermore, the substitution of corn with ground brown rice in weaning diet modulated immune status and gut microbiota of pigs by increasing beneficial microbial communities and reducing harmful microbial communities. Overall, ground brown rice-based diet is a potential alternative to corn-based diet without negative effects on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota changes of weanling pigs.     

干酪乳杆菌对北京黑猪育肥阶段肠道消化物菌群组成及乳酸、短链脂肪酸和长链脂肪酸含量的影响

本试验探讨了在饲粮中添加干酪乳杆菌对北京黑猪育肥阶段肠道消化物菌群组成及乳酸、短链脂肪酸和长链脂肪酸含量的影响。选择体重为(62.77±0.59)kg的北京黑猪120头,随机分成2组,分别为对照组和干酪乳杆菌组,每组5个重复,每个重复12头(阉公猪与母猪各占1/2)。对照组饲喂基础饲粮(不添加抗生素和干酪乳杆菌),干酪乳杆菌组在基础饲粮中添加干酪乳杆菌冻干制剂(每千克饲粮中有效活菌数为2.0×10^9 CFU)。在试验猪平均体重为92 kg时,选择20头猪进行屠宰,采集空肠和结肠中的消化物,用于分析菌群组成及乳酸、短链脂肪酸和长链脂肪酸含量。结果表明:1)与对照组相比,饲粮中添加干酪乳杆菌显著提高了空肠中厚壁菌门和链球菌属的相对丰度(P<0.05),显著降低了变形菌门、Terrisporobacter和埃希氏菌属-志贺氏菌属的相对丰度(P<0.05);显著提高了结肠中拟杆菌门、乳杆菌属和未标记拟杆菌目_S24-7_群的相对丰度(P<0.05),显著降低了链球菌属的相对丰度(P<0.05)。2)与对照组相比,干酪乳杆菌组结肠中乳酸含量显著降低(P<0.05),丁酸含量显著升高(P<0.05)。3)与对照组相比,饲粮中添加干酪乳杆菌显著降低了空肠中山嵛酸和顺-15-二十四碳一烯酸含量(P<0.05),显著提高了二十二碳六烯酸和ω-3多不饱和脂肪酸含量(P<0.05);显著降低了结肠中棕榈油酸和花生四烯酸含量(P<0.05)。综上所述,在北京黑猪育肥阶段饲粮中添加干酪乳杆菌,减少了空肠中埃希氏菌属-志贺氏菌属的相对丰度,增加了结肠中乳杆菌属的相对丰度;降低了结肠中乳酸的含量,提高了丁酸的含量;提高了空肠中二十二碳六烯酸的含量,降低了结肠中花生四烯酸的含量。肠道内的这些变化有利于猪群健康和生长性能的提高。     

热应激条件下荷斯坦奶牛后段肠道差异微生物分析

本试验旨在分析热应激条件下，热应激耐受奶牛和热应激易感奶牛后段肠道菌群组成的差异，寻找与热应激相关的后段肠道微生物，为利用饲养管理和遗传选择等手段提高奶牛耐热能力提供理论依据。选择体况相近且健康的1胎中国荷斯坦泌奶牛19头，利用奶牛夏季上午直肠温度（MRT）和下午直肠温度（ART）差值（RTD）将其分为热应激易感组（H组，10头）和热应激耐受组（L组，9头）。采用Illumina PE250测序平台测定两组个体粪便中细菌16S rDNA V3~V4区序列，利用生物信息学方法筛选两组个体的差异微生物。结果表明：①L组的Shannon指数和Chao1指数高于H组，但组间差异不显著（P>0.05）。②在门水平，两组个体的厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）、拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）和变形菌门（Proteobacteria）的相对丰度之和均占总菌的95%以上；在属水平，L组中YRC22和普雷沃氏菌属（Prevotella）的相对丰度显著高于H组（P<0.05），且YRC22、Prevotella的相对丰度与ART、RTD、呼吸评分（RS）、直肠温度极值（RTR）及流涎评分（DS）等5项热应激相关指标均呈负相关关系。③与热应激相关的6项指标（MRT、ART、RTD、RS、DS、RTR）中，RS、DS和MRT在冗余分析（RDA）结果中R2较大，表明这3项指标与奶牛后段肠道微生物菌群相关程度较大。综上所述，热应激影响奶牛后段肠道菌群结构，Prevotella是热应激相关的后段肠道微生物。     

Grazing Distribution and Diet Quality of Angus,Brangus, and Brahman Cows in the Chihuahuan Desert

Grazing distribution can be improved by using adapted cattle breeds that travel to distant areas of extensive pastures. A 2-yr study was conducted to evaluate grazing distribution and diet quality of Angus, Brangus, and Brahman cows (seven cows per breed group) in the Chihuahuan Desert during three seasons (winter, early summer, and late summer) using three pastures. Two GPS collars were randomly assigned to each breed group and cow positions were logged every 10 min for 10- to 14-d periods in each pasture (3 periods · season^-1). In 2008, breed groups were evaluated in separate pastures and data were analyzed as a 3 × 3 Latin square design. In 2009, all breed groups were evaluated at the same time in the same pastures. Fecal samples were collected in 2008 and analyzed using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to estimate diet quality. If positions recorded when cows were resting were excluded, Brahman cows traveled greater distances per day than Angus cows throughout the study and greater (P ≤ 0.10) than Brangus cows in all but one season during 2009. No differences in average distance to water were detected (P &spigt; 0.10) among breed groups. During early summer in 2008 and early and late summer in 2009, Angus cows maintained a more linear grazing path (P ≤ 0.10) than Brangus or Brahman cows. Brahman cows displayed more sinuous grazing paths (P ≤ 0.10) than other breeds during early and late summer seasons in 2009. In 2008, no differences in crude protein content of diets were detected (P &spigt; 0.10) among breed groups during all seasons. Spatial movement patterns of Brahman cows appeared to differ from Angus and Brangus cows; however, there was no evidence to suggest that there was any advantage in use of areas far from water by any breed group.     

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and cereals differently affect gut development in broiler chickens and young pigs

Dietary fiber, resistant to host-mediated digestion in the small intestine due to lack of endogenous enzymes, impacts many facets of animal health and is associated with gut development especially in young monogastrics. Furthermore, it can be used as in-feed antibiotic alternative. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) forage with high content of pectin (uronic acids as building blocks) is a novel class of dietary fiber that is chemically different from cereal grains (with high content of arabinoxylans). In the present study, we investigated effects of dietary inclusion of chicory forage on digestibility, gut morphology and microbiota in broilers and young pigs. In the chicken experiment, 160 1-d old broiler chicks were fed 3 nutritionally balanced diets for 30 d including a cereal-based diet and 2 diets with part of the cereals substituted with 60 and 120 g/kg chicory forage (CF60 and CF120), whereas in the pig experiment, 18 seven-wk old Yorkshire pigs were fed 3 diets for 18 d including a cereal-based diet and 2 diets with 80 and 160 g/kg chicory forage inclusion (CF80 and CF160). Our results showed that young pigs were capable to utilize chicory forage well with higher total tract apparent digestibility (TTAD) of all fiber fractions, particularly uronic acid, compared with the control (P < 0.01). In contrast, a decreased TTAD of all fiber fractions was observed in chickens fed on diet CF120 (P < 0.05). Moreover, diet induced changes in gut morphology were observed in the large intestine of chickens. The alteration of cecal mucosal thickness was further positively correlated with TTAD of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and its constituent sugars (P < 0.05). In addition, in pigs, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of intestinal microbiota revealed substantial dietary effects (cereal control diet vs. chicory forage inclusion) on the relative abundance of 2 dominant bacterial phylotypes (Prevotella sp. vs. Roseburia sp.) respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our data showed that chicory forage (Cichorium intybus L.), a novel dietary fiber source in animal nutrition, have potential beneficial properties as fiber ingredient in diets for both pigs and chickens.     

Effect of dietary folate level on organ weight,digesta pH,short-chain fatty acid concentration,and intestinal microbiota of weaned piglets

Folate is increasingly thought to promote gastrointestinal health and regulate the diversity of gut microbiota to alleviate weaning stress in piglets. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of folate on organ weight, digesta pH, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration, and intestinal microbiota in weaned piglets. A total of 28 piglets (6.73 ± 0.62 kg) were allocated to four dietary treatments consisting of a control group, 3, 9, and 18 mg/kg of folate supplementation in a 14-d feeding trial. The results showed that piglets fed with 9 and 18 mg/kg of folate supplementation had greater (P < 0.05) average liver and spleen weight than the control group. Folate supplementation (9 and 18 mg/kg) can significantly increase (P < 0.05) the stomach pH and tend (P < 0.10) to decrease the cecum pH. Folate treatment (9 and 18 mg/kg) had a positive effect on the metabolism of SCFAs in piglets, in particular, compared with the control group, and the content of acetic acid (AA) and valeric acid was markedly increased (P < 0.05) in the cecum and colon, respectively. Moreover, isobutyric acid, butyric acid, and isovaleric acid were tended (P < 0.10) to increase in the colon. Cecum contents samples were used to determine bacterial community diversity by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. At the genus level, in the cecum, there was a higher (P < 0.05) relative abundance of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Lactobacillus mucosae in the 9 mg/kg folate supplementation group. The functional pathways analysis predicted that folate may modify nutrient metabolism by changing the gut microbiota function of weaned piglets. Furthermore, the data showed that Lactobacillus was positively correlated with AA in the cecum. Overall, these findings suggested that folate treatment could increase the organ weight and the stomach pH of weaned piglets and had beneficial effects on gut health, which might be attributed to the alteration in intestinal microbiota induced by folate and the interaction of the intestinal microbiota with SCFAs.     

Chicory （Cichorium intybus L.） and cereals differently affect gut development in broiler chickens and young pigs

Dietary fiber, resistant to host-mediated digestion in the small intestine due to lack of endogenous enzymes, impacts many facets of animal health and is associated with gut development especially in young monogastrics. Furthermore, it can be used as in-feed antibiotic alternative. Chicory （Cichorium intybus L.） forage with high content of pectin （uronic acids as building blocks） is a novel class of dietary fiber that is chemically different from cereal grains （with high content of arabinoxylans）. In the present study, we investigated effects of dietary inclusion of chicory forage on digestibility, gut morphology and microbiota in broilers and young pigs. In the chicken experiment, 160 1-d old broiler chicks were fed 3 nutritionally balanced diets for 30 d including a cereal-based diet and 2 diets with part of the cereals substituted with 60 and 120 g/k9 chicory forage （CF60 and CF120], whereas in the pig experiment, 18 seven-wk old Yorkshire pigs were fed 3 diets for 18 d including a cereal-based diet and 2 diets with 80 and 160 g/kg chicory forage inclusion （CF80 and CF160）. Our results showed that young pigs were capable to utilize chicory forage well with higher total tract apparent digestibility （TTAD） of all fiber fractions, particularly uronic acid, compared with the control （P 〈 0.01）. In contrast, a decreased TTAD of all fiber fractions was observed in chickens fed on diet CF120 （P 〈 0.05）. Moreover, diet induced changes in gut morphology were observed in the large intestine of chickens. The alteration of cecal mucosal thickness was further positively correlated with TTAD of non-starch polysaccharides （NSP） and its constituent sugars （P 〈 0.05）. In addition, in pigs, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism （T-RFLP） analysis of intestinal microbiota revealed substantial dietary effects （cereal control diet vs. chicory forage inclusion） on the relative abundance of 2 dominant bacterial phylotypes （Prevotella sp. vs. Roseburia sp.） respective