Prospecting Probiotic Bacterial Diversity In Leh Inhabiting Animals and Their Evaluation for Health Promoting Effects in Chickens at High Altitude

Abstract

This study investigated the potential of indigenous probiotics to enhance poultry health at high altitudes, particularly in Leh-Ladakh, where environmental stressors hinder the survival and productivity of lowland chicken breeds. The research comprised both in vitro and in vivo phases. Initially, gut microbial diversity was compared using the community-level physiological profiling across chickens and cattle from varying altitudes, revealing significant differences in metabolic activity, substrate utilization, and microbial diversity among the high- altitude animals and low-altitude chickens. Based on this data, metagenomics based bacterial diversity was studied to explore the dynamics of potential probiotic bacteria in high altitude animals and same samples were further examined using culture-based methods, which revealed six promising strains Enterococcus hirae (RC-TJA-P), Arthrobacter citreus (z61), Enterococcus lactis (EOK2), Staphylococcus hominis (Q4), Enterococcus mundtii (HF5y), and Enterococcus faecium (BR-MRS). These isolates demonstrated commendable acid, bile, temperature, and salt tolerance, along with adhesion and antioxidant properties. Among these, Enterococcus hirae (RC-TJA-P), Arthrobacter citreus (z61) were most effective in promoting cell viability and suppressing inflammatory cytokines in cell lines and further selected to explore their health promoting potential in chickens. Hence, in vivo trials with lowland chicks transported to Leh showed that supplementation with RC-TJA-P and z61 significantly improved growth parameters, immune responses (IgA, IgG), and antioxidant capacity with no adverse effects indicating improved gut health. In conclusion, indigenous high-altitude probiotics can enhance poultry health and productivity under extreme conditions. The study advocates for developing region-specific probiotics to improve poultry farming sustainability in challenging terrains. newline