Examining the competitive exclusion and pathogenic potential of <i>Pseudomonadota</i> isolated from healthy chickens

The chicken intestine presents a complex environment for microbial survival due to high interbacterial competition, high bile salt concentrations, a low pH, and microaerophilic conditions. While most probiotics contain members of the <i>Bacillota</i> phylum, members of the <i>Pseudomonadota</i> phylum are known to be more important in competitive exclusion-which may be an important consideration in the formulation of future probiotics. Little is known about commensal <i>Pseudomonadota</i> in healthy chickens, or what benefits members of this phylum may offer the host; most studies on <i>Pseudomonadota</i> focus on aspects of opportunistic pathogenesis and dysbiosis. In this study, we use an in silico approach to evaluate the pathogenic potential, competition strategies, and potential host benefits of <i>Pseudomonadota</i> isolates from healthy chickens. We analyzed the draft genomes of 29 representative isolates of <i>Pseudomonadota</i> using Bagle4, AntiSMash, SeCreT6, KEGG mapper, and Virsorter2 to identify key interbacterial competition strategies including secondary metabolite biosynthesis, secretion systems, quorum sensing, and prophages. Our results revealed that each isolate exhibits distinct interbacterial competitive strategies, often independent of their taxonomic affiliation. Including <i>Pseudomonadota</i> in future poultry probiotics may be critical to improving colonization resistance in industrially raised poultry.