Probiotic Lactobacilli Administration Induces Changes in the Fecal Microbiota of Preweaned Dairy Calves

Abstract Background Liquid feed are the major nutrient source that can have a significant impact on the growth and development of immune system of calves before weaning. Waste milk containing antibiotic residue has been produced because of the continuous expansion of dairy farms. In order to reduce economic loss and prevent environmental pollution, most farms seem waste milk as one of the calves’ liquid feeds. However, there is limited information to report the effects of waste milk on growth performance, especially immunity function of calves. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of waste milk on growth, immunity and gut health of dairy calves. Results Feeding WM improved hip width, hip height, heart girth, final body weight, and feed efficiency of dairy calves compared to MR. Plasma concentrations of IgA, IgM, IgG and IL-10 were higher and TNF-α was lower in WM group. In addition, treatment and time interactively affected plasma concentrations of IgG and IL-2, which increased and decreased in WM group but decreased and increased in MR group, respectively, from 49 to 70 d of age. There was no difference in diarrhea case and average days of diarrhea among treatments. Difference in fecal microbiota was observed between MR and WM groups only at 49 d of age. Analysis of differential abundance showed that the increase in the relative abundance of Prevotellaceae NK3B31 group and the decrease in that of Bacteroides was higher in WM than MM group from 49 to 70 d of age. Conclusions WM had beneficial effects on growth performance and did not affect health statue, which might be explained by enhanced immune function modulated by fecal microbiota.

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Characterization of fecal branched-chain fatty acid profiles and their associations with fecal microbiota in diarrheic and healthy dairy calves

Journal of Dairy Science ◽

10.3168/jds.2020-18825 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hangshu Xin ◽

Tao Ma ◽

Yang Xu ◽

Guanqun Chen ◽

Yanhong Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Chain Fatty Acid ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Fatty Acid Profiles ◽

Branched Chain

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Early Life Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Neonatal Dairy Calves Promotes Growth Performance and Alleviates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress during Weaning

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11092704 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2704

Author(s):

Fernanda Rosa ◽

Tainara Cristina Michelotti ◽

Benoit St-Pierre ◽

Erminio Trevisi ◽

Johan S. Osorio

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Community Analysis ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Microbial Community Analysis ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Holstein Calves ◽

And Performance

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of early life fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on the health and performance of neonatal dairy calves. The donor was selected based on health and production records and fecal material testing negative for infectious pathogens. Sixteen healthy newborn Holstein calves were randomized to either a baseline nutritional program (CON) or 1×/d inoculations with 25 g of fecal donor material (FMT) mixed in the milk replacer (n = 8/TRT) from 8 to 12 days of age. Blood and fecal samples were collected weekly, and calves were weaned at 7 weeks of age. A TRT × Week interaction was observed in haptoglobin, which was reflected in a positive quadratic effect in FMT calves but not in CON. A trend for a TRT × Week interaction was observed in the liver function biomarker paraoxonase, which resulted in greater paraoxonase in FMT calves than CON at three weeks of age. Fecal microbial community analysis revealed a significant increase in the alpha-diversity between week 1 and week 5 for the FMT calves. These results suggest that early life FMT in neonatal calves has positive effects in mediating the inflammatory response and gut microbial maturation.

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Effects of treatment with enrofloxacin or tulathromycin on fecal microbiota composition and genetic function of dairy calves

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0219635 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. e0219635 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carla Foditsch ◽

Richard V. V. Pereira ◽

Julie D. Siler ◽

Craig Altier ◽

Lorin D. Warnick

Keyword(s):

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Genetic Function

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Differences in the fecal microbiota of dairy calves reared with differing sources of milk and levels of maternal contact

JDS Communications ◽

10.3168/jdsc.2020-0059 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Annabelle Beaver ◽

Charisse Petersen ◽

Daniel M. Weary ◽

B. Brett Finlay ◽

Marina A.G. von Keyserlingk

Keyword(s):

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves

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Gut microbiota features associated with Clostridioides difficile colonization in dairy calves

10.1101/2021.05.11.443551 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laurel E. Redding ◽

Alexander S. Berry ◽

Nagaraju Indugu ◽

Elizabeth Huang ◽

Daniel P. Beiting ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Beta Diversity ◽

Diarrheal Disease ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Opportunistic Pathogen ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Clostridioides Difficile ◽

Significant Difference

Diarrheal disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in dairy calves, is strongly associated with the health and composition of the gut microbiome. Clostridioides difficile is an opportunistic pathogen that proliferates and can produce enterotoxins when the host experiences gut dysbiosis. However, even asymptomatic colonization with C. difficile can be associated with differing degrees of microbiome disruption in a range of species, including people, swine, and dogs. Little is known about the interaction between C. difficile and the gut microbiome in dairy calves. In this study, we sought to define microbial features associated with C. difficile colonization in pre-weaned dairy calves less than 2 weeks of age. We characterized the fecal microbiota of 80 calves from 23 different farms using 16S rRNA sequencing and compared the microbiota of C. difficile -positive (n=24) and C. difficile -negative calves (n=56). Farm appeared to be the greatest source of variability in the gut microbiota. When controlling for calf age, diet, and farm location, there was no significant difference in Shannon alpha diversity ( P = 0.50) or in weighted UniFrac beta diversity (P=0.19) between C. difficile -positive and –negative calves. However, there was a significant difference in beta diversity as assessed using Bray-Curtiss diversity ( P =0.0077), and C. difficile -positive calves had significantly increased levels of Ruminococcus (gnavus group) ( Adj. P =0.052), Lachnoclostridium ( Adj. P =0.060), Butyricicoccus ( Adj. P =0.060), and Clostridium sensu stricto 2 compared to C. difficile -negative calves. Additionally, C. difficile -positive calves had fewer microbial co-occurrences than C. difficile –negative calves, indicating reduced bacterial synergies. Thus, while C. difficile colonization alone is not associated with dysbiosis and is therefore unlikely to result in an increased likelihood of diarrhea in dairy calves, it may be associated with a more disrupted microbiota.

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Supply of Methionine During Late-Pregnancy Alters Fecal Microbiota and Metabolome in Neonatal Dairy Calves Without Changes in Daily Feed Intake

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2019.02159 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ahmed Elolimy ◽

Abdulrahman Alharthi ◽

Mohamed Zeineldin ◽

Claudia Parys ◽

Ariane Helmbrecht ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feed Intake ◽

Late Pregnancy ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves

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Fecal microbiota changes associated with dehorning and castration stress primarily affects light-weight dairy calves

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0210203 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. e0210203 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Raies A. Mir ◽

Michael D. Kleinhenz ◽

Johann F. Coetzee ◽

Heather K. Allen ◽

Indira T. Kudva

Keyword(s):

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Light Weight

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Analysis of the developing gut microbiota in young dairy calves—impact of colostrum microbiota and gut disturbances

Tropical Animal Health and Production ◽

10.1007/s11250-020-02535-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bui Phan Thu Hang ◽

Ewa Wredle ◽

Johan Dicksved

Keyword(s):

Average Daily Gain ◽

Amplicon Sequencing ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Calf Health ◽

Significant Difference

AbstractThe aim of this study was to characterize the colostrum and fecal microbiota in calves and to investigate whether fecal microbiota composition was related to colostrum microbiota or factors associated with calf health. Colostrum samples were collected in buckets after hand milking of 76 calving cows from 38 smallholder dairy farms. Fecal samples were taken directly from the rectum of 76 calves at birth and at 14 days age. The bacterial community structure in colostrum and feces was analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism for all samples, and the microbial composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for a subset of the samples (8 colostrum, 40 fecal samples). There was a significant difference in fecal microbiota composition between day 0 and day 14 samples, but no associations between the microbiota and average daily gain, birth weight, or transfer of passive immunity. At 14 days of age, Faecalibacterium and Butyricicoccus were prevalent in higher relative abundances in the gut of healthy calves compared to calves with diarrhea that had been treated with antimicrobials. Colostrum showed great variation in composition of microbiota but no association to fecal microbiota. This study provides the first insights into the composition of colostrum and fecal microbiota of young dairy calves in southern Vietnam and can form the basis for future more detailed studies.

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Effect of a Multispecies Probiotic Mixture on the Growth and Incidence of Diarrhea, Immune Function, and Fecal Microbiota of Pre-weaning Dairy Calves

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.681014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yanyan Wu ◽

Lili Wang ◽

Ruiqing Luo ◽

Hongli Chen ◽

Cunxi Nie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Function ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Total Serum ◽

Control Group ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Performance Reduction ◽

T1 And T2

The effects of different doses of a multispecies probiotic (MSP) mixture on growth performance, the incidence of diarrhea rate and immune function, and fecal microbial diversity and structure were evaluated in pre-weaning Holstein dairy calves at WK2, WK4, WK6, and WK8. Forty Chinese Holstein female newborn calves were randomly assigned to four treatments with 10 calves in each group, C (control group), T1 (0.5 g MSP/calf/day, T2 (1 g MSP/calf/day), and T3 (2 g MSP/calf/day) groups. The experimental period was 56 days. Feed intake and health scoring were recorded every day until the end of the experiment. Fecal contents and blood samples were sampled at WK2, WK4, WK6, and WK8. Growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, and total serum concentrations (IgA, IgG, and IgM) were analyzed. Bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS genes were high-throughput sequenced for fecal microbiota. The relationships among the populations of the principal fecal microbiota at WK2 and the growth performance or serum immunoglobulin concentrations were analyzed using Pearson’s rank correlation coefficients. The MSP supplementation reduced the incidence of diarrhea in the first 4 weeks of life, and serum IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations increased between WK2 and WK8 in the T3 group. There was an increase in growth performance and reduction in the incidence of diarrhea until WK4 after birth in T3 group, compared with the control, T1, and T2 groups. The results of fecal microbiota analysis showed that Firmicutes and Bacteroides were the predominant phyla, with Blautia, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, norank_f__Muribaculaceae, Bacteroides, Subdoligranulum, and Bifidobacterium being the dominant genera in calf feces. Aspergillus, Thermomyces, and Saccharomyces were the predominant fungal phyla. Compared with the control, in T1 and T2 groups, the MSP supplementation reduced the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Collinsella, and Saccharomyces at WK2 in group T3. Thus, the fecal microbial composition and diversity was significantly affected by the MSP mixture during the first 2 weeks of the calves’ life. MSP mixtures reduced the incidence of diarrhea in pre-weaning calves (during the first 4 weeks of life). There was a significant improvement in growth performance, reduction in calf diarrhea, balance in the fecal microbiota, and an overall improvement in serum immunity, compared with the control group. We, therefore, recommend adding 2 g/day of multispecies probiotic mixture supplementation in diets of dairy calves during their first 4 weeks of life before weaning.

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