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200675 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.200675 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2025-05 41 pages Tanveer, Haadia Abdollahzadeh, Darya Voth-Gaeddert, Lee Glesener, Hannah Barrett, The Honors College School of Life Sciences Department of Psychology In 2019, over 1 million deaths were attributed to antimicrobial-resistant infections, a number projected to rise in the future. To mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risks, the poultry industry seeks alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in broiler feed. AGPs are subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics used as animal feed additives to enhance growth performance and reduce subclinical infections among animal populations. Concerns regarding broiler health – increased pathogen exposure, chronic inflammation, and growth reduction – highlight a need for viable alternatives in broiler production. Antibiotic use exerts selective pressure, enabling resistant bacteria to proliferate and spread untreatable infections. This study evaluated non-fermented and fermented grape pomace (GP) products, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, as AGP substitutes through metrics of AMR gene profiles, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles, and growth outcomes in 60 Cornish Cross broilers. Broilers were randomly assigned to six dietary groups: standard diet wheat-corn-soybean meal (STD), 30% rice bran or non-starch polysaccharide (NSP), NSP + zinc bacitracin (AGP), NSP + 0.5% GP (GP), NSP + 0.5% Lactobacillus casei fermented GP (LAB FGP), and NSP + 0.5% Saccharomyces cerevisiae EC1118 fermented GP (YST FGP). NSP was included in the experimental groups to induce low-grade gut inflammation. Cecal samples were collected post-treatment and DNA was extracted for qPCR and HPLC analysis. qPCR was utilized to detect and quantify 3 target AMR genes associated with zinc bacitracin resistance (bacA, bcrA, bcrB). Findings revealed that bacA was ubiquitous with high gene copy numbers, while bcrA and bcrB displayed greater variability. AGP broilers exhibited elevated bcrA and bcrB levels, whereas GP-based treatments had lower detection frequencies. SCFA analysis revealed notable differences between inflamed and non-inflamed groups as well as significant differences in SCFA profiles of synbiotic-fed groups. Propionate and butyrate were scarcely detected except in LAB FGP and YST FGP groups indicative of unique rehabilitation mechanisms with probiotic co-supplementation. Isobutyrate, acetate, and formate concentrations remained relatively consistent but trended away from extremes in GP-based groups. While not all comparisons were statistically significant, these findings indicate that GP-based treatments may promote gut SCFA profile recovery post-inflammation and serve as a viable AGP alternative, potentially moderating AMR gene proliferation in broiler production. Gut Microbiome Antimicrobial resistance Chronic Gut Inflammation Gut Dysbiosis Short-chain Fatty Acids Synbiotics Broiler chicken health Broiler Production The Therapeutic Potential of Synbiotics for Gut Inflammation and Growth Promotion: Analyzing AMR Genes and SCFA Profiles in Chicken Cecal Content