EN
The aim of the study was to estimate the tendency and scope of changes in caecal development and metabolism when affected by a fructooligosaccharide-rich diet evoking diarrhoea. In the present study one fifth of a group of commercial male turkeys fed for 16 weeks with a diet containing 1% of fructooligosaccharides had mild symptoms of diarrhoea. Because the main activity of fructooligosaccharides is in the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract, attention was paid to the amount and composition (ammonia, dry matter, protein, short- -chain fatty acids and pH value) of caecal digesta and the activity of microbial enzymes. The occurrence of mild diarrhoea, observed in the study, did not influence the productivity of the birds nor did it alter the relative weight of liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine and colon. Diarrhoea significantly influenced the caecal metabolism of the birds by causing an enlargement of the caeca (digesta and wall), and the caecal digesta/ tissue index was almost twice as high in the case of these turkeys. Dry matter of the ileal and caecal digesta was significantly decreased in the group with diarrhoea. Diarrhoea lowered concentrations of Lowry's protein and short-chain fatty acids in the caeca, and the activity of bacterial b-glucuronidase, a- and b-galactosidase, a- and b-glucosidase in caecal digesta, compared to turkeys without diarrhoea. The ammonia production in the caeca was enhanced by diarrhoea symptoms. It seems that the 1% FOS included in the turkeys feed mixture poses a risk of diarrhoea occurring, which in turn might limit potential benefits of diet supplementation with fructooligosaccharides.