Short communication: Comparison of the fecal bacterial communities in diarrheic and nondiarrheic dairy calves from multiple farms in southeastern Pennsylvania

Abstract

Diarrhea is a major cause of illness and death in preweaned calves and causes significant economic losses to producers. A better understanding of the fecal microbiota in diarrheic and nondiarrheic calves could lead to improved treatment and prevention strategies. The purpose of this study was to compare the fecal microbiota of diarrheic and nondiarrheic calves to improve our understanding of what constitutes a healthy fecal microbiota in preweaned calves. At each of 7 farms, fecal samples were obtained from 1 to 3 diarrheic Holstein dairy calves (2 to 17 d old at sampling time) and age-matched (within 5 d) nondiarrheic controls for a total of 20 samples. Calves were fed either acidified bulk milk, pasteurized or unpasteurized waste milk, or milk replacer depending on farm. Fecal samples were extracted for genomic DNA, PCR-amplified for the V1-V2 region of the 16S rRNA bacterial gene, sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) platform, and analyzed using QIIME2. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant phyla in both groups; Fusobacteria was numerically more abundant in the diarrheic group, whereas Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were numerically more abundant in the nondiarrheic group. At the genus level, Bacteroides was the most abundant genus in both groups and was numerically more abundant in the nondiarrheic group. Results from the mixed-effects regression model showed that Faecalibacterium and Butyricimonas were more abundant in the nondiarrheic calves, whereas Clostrid-ium and Peptostreptococcus were more abundant in the diarrheic calves. Our results indicate that commensal bacteria acquired in the neonatal period may have been replaced with potential pathogens in diarrheic calves, which may have contributed to the incidence of diarrhea either directly or indirectly.

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

“…In addition, FMT has been reported to alleviate the inflammatory response in individuals experiencing other GIT disorders [ 56 , 57 ] as well as in cases of necrotizing enterocolitis via regulation of the oxidative stress response using mouse models [ 22 , 58 ]. In this study, the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes across all calves was consistent with what has been reported as a healthy fecal microbiota composition of preweaned dairy calves [ 59 ]. Interestingly, the alpha diversity of the microbial communities increased from pre- (week 1) to post-FMT (week 5) in the feces of calves that received FMT.…”

Fecal microbiome profiles of neonatal dairy calves with varying severities of gastrointestinal disease

“…gallolyticus when compared with bright sick and healthy Holstein calves ( Fig 5 ). The genus Streptococcus has been reported to be almost five times more enriched in diarrheic calves than healthy calves [ 18 ]. As with Lactobacillus , Streptococcus species produce lactic acid that can lower intestinal pH levels [ 56 ], inhibiting the growth of organisms such as E .…”

“…It has been suggested that the microbial colonization of the GI tract of neonatal calves begins even before birth, and it changes rapidly during the first weeks of life [ 15 , 16 ]. Furthermore, host-microbe interplay has been implicated in regulating different aspects of health [ 17 ], and for that reason studies are exploring how GI disorders are linked with alterations in the fecal microbial community structure of dairy calves [ 12 , 18 ]. However, without additional insight into disease phenotypes including breed-specific differences in the progression of disease and microbial signatures across different gradients of GI disease, it is difficult to 1) clarify the full diversity of underlying pathophysiologic processes that manifest as diarrhea, 2) implement appropriate preventative options, 3) accurately assess the associated costs, and 4) evaluate the efficacy of therapies including antimicrobials.…”

An Overview of Waste Milk Feeding Effect on Growth Performance, Metabolism, Antioxidant Status and Immunity of Dairy Calves

“…and Peptostreptococcus spp. in the gut of ASM and PSM calves ( 80 ). A study reported that adding sodium humate and glutamine to MR significantly increased the abundance of calves' intestinal beneficial microbiota ( 81 ).…”