Early Weaning and Milk Substitutes Affect the Gut Microbiome, Metabolomics, and Antibody Profile in Goat Kids Suffering From Diarrhea

Abstract

Early weaning and milk substitutes increase the incidence of diarrhea in young ruminants, which may modify their gut microbiota, metabolism, immunity, and health. The aim of the study was to determine if early weaning and milk substitutes affect the gut microbiota, metabolism, and immunological status of goat kids suffering from diarrhea. The 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequencing in feces and serum metabolomics of early-weaned and artificially reared goat kids suffering from diarrhea (DK group) and healthy goat kids reared by their mothers (HK group) were analyzed. The serum biochemistry and immunoglobulin concentration were also determined. Several probiotics, such as Streptococcus and Lactobacillus, were higher in the feces of the DK group than in feces of the HK group. Ruminococcus sp. was elevated in the feces of HKs, likely being a biomarker for goat health. Taking all the carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) families into consideration, 20 CAZyme families were different between the groups. Compared with the DK group, the relative quantity of glycoside hydrolases (GH) and glycosyltransferase (GT) families in the HK group decreased. GT70 was only identified in HK kids participating in the activity of β-glucuronosyltransferase during the carbohydrate metabolism. Overall, 24 metabolites were different between the groups, which were mainly involved in protein digestion and absorption, cyanoamino acid metabolism, and cholesterol metabolism. The concentrations of immunoglobulins G and M were significantly lower in the DK than in the HK group. In conclusion, our study characterized the fecal microbiota, metabolism, and immunological status of early-weaned and artificially reared goat kids suffering from diarrhea.

Diarrhea in suckling lambs is associated with changes in gut microbiota, serum immunological and biochemical parameters in an intensive production system

“…Other studies have also shown that Muribaculaceae is beneficial to lipid metabolism ( Zhang et al, 2021 ), which might explain the lower concentration of TC in DL lambs than in HL lambs. We found that Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the prominent bacteria of intestinal microflora in lambs, in agreement with studies in goat kids and steers ( de Oliveira et al, 2013 ; Zhong et al, 2022 ). Firmicutes are closely related to energy acquisition and immune response regulation of the body ( Zhang et al, 2015 ), while Bacteroidetes are one of the anaerobic bacteria in the intestinal tract related to polysaccharide absorption ( Bjursell et al, 2006 ; Le Huerou-Luron et al, 2010 ).…”

“…The breast milk replacer likely provided adequate conditions in the gut for lactic acid bacteria to grow, increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus. In a previous study of our research group, we also found that Streptococcus and Lactobacillus were more prominent in the feces of weaned goats that received milk substitutes and suffered from diarrhea (Zhong et al, 2022). In this sense, the consumption of unpasteurized milk is associated with increased Frontiers in Microbiology frontiersin.org lactobacillus abundance in the human gut microbiome (Butler et al, 2020).…”

“…The blood samples were centrifuged immediately after collection at 3000 r/min for 10 min, and the serum was separated and stored at −20°C. An automatic biochemical analyzer (Model 7020, Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) was used to determine the contents of IgG, IgM, total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), Urea, total protein (TP), glucose (Glu), and albumin (Alb) according to a previous study ( Zhong et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Diarrhea produces changes in total serum proteins (TP), glucose (Glu), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and immunoglobulins G and M, as well as in the intestinal microbiome, which is required for the health development of the young ( Sobiech et al, 2013 ; El-Deeb et al, 2020 ; Choi et al, 2021 ). In fact, several probiotics, such as Streptococcus and Lactobacillus , are more prominent in the feces of goat kids suffering from diarrhea than in healthy kids’ feces ( Zhong et al, 2022 ). In mammals, including suckling ruminants, the gut is essential for digestion and absorption, colonized by a large number of microorganisms.…”

Research on the Gut Microbiota of Hainan Black Goat

“…In addition, we found that most of the microorganisms in the cecum were anaerobes, so the high relative abundance of Ruminococcus in the cecum may also be related to the anaerobic environment of the cecum. In general conditions, Ruminococcaceae are capable of degrading cellulose and starch, which has a beneficial effect on the host’s intestinal health [ 35 ]; remarkably, Ruminococcus could be a biomarker for goat health [ 36 ]. In this study, the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 was significantly higher in the cecum than in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum ( p < 0.05).…”