Comparison of bacterial communities in faeces of beef cattle fed diets containing corn and wet distillers’ grain with solubles

Abstract

Aim: The mammalian intestinal microflora has been shown to impact host physiology. In cattle, intestinal bacteria are also associated with faecal contamination of environmental sources and human illness via foodborne pathogens. Use of wet distillers’ grains with solubles (WDGS) in cattle feed creates a gastrointestinal environment where some bacterial species are enriched. Here, we examine if a diet containing 40% WDGS results in fundamentally different microbial community structures. Methods and Results: The 20 002 16S r‐RNA gene sequences from 20 beef cattle were analysed using Sanger sequencing methods. At the genus level, Prevotella (Gram negative) and Anaerobacter (Gram positive) were the most frequently occurring bacteria in our beef cattle faecal samples. Diet‐associated differences in prevalence were noted for Prevotella but not Anaerobacter. Conclusions: Diet affects community structure. Faecal communities of co‐housed beef cattle are not identical. Significance and Impact of the Study: It is known that a diet of 40% corn‐based WDGS increases the generic Escherichia coli in the faeces and enriches E. coli O157:H7. The results from the current study suggest that in addition to previously observed changes in E. coli, the entire bacterial community structure is different for animals fed 40% corn‐based WDGS compared to a traditional corn‐finishing diet.

The camel faecal metagenome under different systems of management: Phylogenetic and gene-centric approach

“…The results revealed that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the main phyla in the faecal samples of camels maintained in intensive and extensive system of management of Jaisalmer district, respectively. The dominance of Firmicutes phylum of group 1 corroborated with the earlier findings on feral camels of Australia (Samsudin et al, 2011), human stool metagenome (Turnbaugh et al, 2007), cow rumen (Brulc et al, 2009), cattle faeces (Durso et al, 2012) and pig Table 4 Per cent genes assigned to different sub-level functional categories of central carbohydrate metabolism in groups 1 and 2. The data shown below are mentioned considering an e-value of 1 Â 10 À 5 , a minimum identity of 80%, and a minimum alignment length of 30 bp using subsystems database within MG-RAST.…”

Escherichia coli O157:H7 Super-Shedder and Non-Shedder Feedlot Steers Harbour Distinct Fecal Bacterial Communities

“…For example, the abundance of the family Ruminococcaceae of the phylum Firmicutes and the genus Prevotella of the phylum Bacteroidetes were correlated with dietary change [12], [48], [49]. In our study, all steers were fed the same diet suggesting that community structure differences between SS and NS are linked to factors other than just diet composition.…”

“…A large number of studies [11], [12], [38], [49], including this one, have observed a high level of inter-animal variability in microbial intestinal communities. This phenomenon coincides with the possibility that conditions within intestinal microbial communities that are conducive to the shedding of high numbers of E. coli O157:H7 only occur in a limited number of cattle within a herd.…”

Effect of ensiled mulberry leaves and sun-dried mulberry fruit pomace on the fecal bacterial community composition in finishing steers

“…This distinction indicates that the fecal microbial community structure in cattle is greatly affected by diet [37]. Durso et al indicated that Pervotella was commonly found in cattle feces and associated with dietary differences [38]. Prevotella is believed to play an important role in starch degradation.…”