In recent years, a boost in the ruminant population has been observed, and consequently, an increase in the animals’ demand for nutrients and methane emissions. Methane emission is generated during the microbial fermentation of feed in the rumen, and a percentage even up to 12% of the energy obtained by this process can be wasted. In addition, the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is being increasingly restricted. restricted. As a result, there is a continuous search for innovative feed additives that can serve as alternatives to antibiotics, and will also be safe for both people and the environment. In the present review article, additives were selected on basis that, according to studies conducted so far, may positively affect the microbiome of the digestive system by improving indicators and/or reducing methane production. Among them, probiotics, prebiotics or their combination—synbiotics are at the forefront of research. However, additives in the form of algae or plant origin are also gaining ground in popularity, such as essential oils, fermented wheat straw or Gelidium amansii, due to their general recognition as safe (GRAS) for both humans and environment.
Aquaculture is the most rapidly growing branch of animal production. The efficiency and quality of the produced food depends on sustainable management, water quality, feed prices and the incidence of diseases. Micro- (MP < 5 mm) and nanoplastic (NP < 1000 nm) particles are among the current factors causing serious water pollution. This substance comes solely from products manufactured by humans. MP particles migrate from the terrestrial to the aquatic environment and adversely affect, especially, the health of animals and humans by being a favorable habitat and vector for microbial pathogens and opportunists. More than 30 taxa of pathogens of humans, aquacutural animals and plants, along with opportunistic bacteria, have been detected in plastic-covering biofilm to date. The mobility and durability of the substance, combined with the relatively closed conditions in aquacultural habitats and pathogens’ affinity to the material, make plastic particles a microbiological medium threatening the industry of aquaculture. For this reason, in addition to the fact of plastic accumulation in living organisms, urgent measures should be taken to reduce its influx into the environment. The phenomenon and its implications are related to the concept of one health, wherein the environment, animals and humans affect each other’s fitness.
Exercise significantly affects the body of both animals and humans, including the composition of the digestive microbiome. This study aimed to determine the changes in the composition of the most numerous bacterial phyla (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, as well as the level of the Lactobacillaceae family) in the digestive system of horses under the influence of physical effort. The study included a group of 17 Thoroughbred racehorses at the age of 3 years, fed the same forage, from whom feces samples were collected individually before and 48 h after physical effort. The obtained samples were subjected to DNA isolation and RT-PCR analysis. The results showed a significant increase in the level of both phyla after exercise compared to the state before physical effort; there were no such differences in the level of facultative aerobes, i.e., the Lactobacillaceae family (although a decreasing tendency was found after exercise). In addition, the analysis of the level of the studied phyla indicates individual differences in horses’ response to the effort.
During pregnancy and parturition, the homeostasis of the body is disturbed, and the immune system is undermined, which is associated with hormonal changes within the body. Recently, it has also been suggested that physiological and hormonal changes associated with pregnancy may affect the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the composition of the microbiome in the third month of pregnancy in sheep in their first and second parity. Eighteen females in total were selected for the experiment, and they were divided into two groups: primiparous (aged 1 year) and multiparous ones (aged 2 years). The animals were fed the same fodder, and did not show any disease symptoms. Fecal samples were collected individually from each female (n = 20), and then bacterial DNA isolation and real-time PCR were performed for the main bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria) and families (Lactobacillaceae and Clostridia). The obtained results showed the differentiation in the microbiome between the primiparous and multiparous ewes with respect to the following groups: Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria—the level was higher in the case of the primiparas. These results suggest that the parity and age of the females may affect the gastrointestinal microbiome, but further studies are recommended.
Mikrobiom układu pokarmowego przeżuwaczy należy do jednych z bardziej skomplikowanych przykładów współdziałania mikroorganizmów i gospodarza. Mikrobiom układu pokarmowego przeżuwaczy niezbędny jest do pozyskiwania energii z pożywienia roślinnego, co nie byłoby możliwe bez jego udziału. Na mikrobiom układu pokarmowego składają się bakterie, archeony, pierwotniaki oraz grzyby. Najbardziej liczną grupą są bakterie, gdzie główne gromady to Firmicutes i Bacteroidetes. Skład mikrobiomu pod względem ilościowym jak i jakościowym zależny jest od czynników tj. dieta, wiek, stan zdrowia, środowisko. Dodatkowo mogą na niego wpływać czynniki genetyczne czy biologiczne (np. płeć). Mikroorganizmy bytujące w układzie pokarmowym przeżuwaczy w znaczącym stopniu wpływają na ich stan zdrowia czy wskaźniki produkcyjne, co z kolei związane jest nie tylko z prawidłowym przyswajaniem substancji odżywczych z pokarmu, ale również z funkcją mikrobiomu jako swoistego układu immunologicznego.
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