The composition and stability of the faecal microbiota of Merino sheep

Mamun, M. A. A.; Sandeman, Mark; Rayment, Phil; Brook-Carter, Phillip; Scholes, Emily; Kasinadhuni, Naga; Piedrafita, David; Greenhill, Andrew R.

doi:10.1111/jam.14468

Cited by 25 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…2). Similar to our results, age-related change was also detected in the Verrucomicrobiaceae family in sheep, where this microbial family was persistent for over 5 months after birth 49 . Since this bacterial family was previously associated with bovine milk consumption 18,50 , it is reasonable to find it in high relative abundance early in life and to decline when there is an increase in consumption of plant-based feed (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Stochasticity constrained by deterministic effects of diet and age drive rumen microbiome assembly dynamics

et al. 2020

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How complex communities assemble through the animal's life, and how predictable the process is remains unexplored. Here, we investigate the forces that drive the assembly of rumen microbiomes throughout a cow's life, with emphasis on the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes. We analyse the development of the rumen microbiome from birth to adulthood using 16S-rRNA amplicon sequencing data and find that the animals shared a group of core successional species that invaded early on and persisted until adulthood. Along with deterministic factors, such as age and diet, early arriving species exerted strong priority effects, whereby dynamics of late successional taxa were strongly dependent on microbiome composition at early life stages. Priority effects also manifest as dramatic changes in microbiome development dynamics between animals delivered by Csection vs. natural birth, with the former undergoing much more rapid species invasion and accelerated microbiome development. Overall, our findings show that together with strong deterministic constrains imposed by diet and age, stochastic colonization in early life has long-lasting impacts on the development of animal microbiomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Stochasticity constrained by deterministic effects of diet and age drive rumen microbiome assembly dynamics

et al. 2020

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“…Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, which together make up~80% of the total population in both the high-and low-burden groups, dominated the faecal microbiota of sheep in this study. These results are in line with the recent study of sheep faecal microbiota [10] and are supported by our recent findings [32]. However, there was a significant difference in relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (higher in high-burden sheep) and Firmicutes (lower in high-burden sheep) between highand low-burden sheep.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Samples collected over eight sampling events: four prior to infection and four after infection (80 samples) were analysed by ARISA. Details of data analysis for ARISA were discussed in our previous manuscript [32], and also provided in the supplementary material (Additional file 1).…”

Section: Faecal Bacteria Community Profilingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ANOSIM produces a statistic, R, taking a value usually between 0 and + 1. The statistical significance of R under the null hypothesis of no separation among groups was also tested [32]. Significant differences (cut-off: p ≤ 0.05) in egg counts, microbial diversity and abundances were tested using t-test, Mann Whitney test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test in GraphPad Prism version 6.0.…”

Section: Ecological and Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in gut bacterial composition is associated with Haemonchus contortus parasite infection of sheep

et al. 2020

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Background: One of the greatest impediments to global small ruminant production is infection with the gastrointestinal parasite, Haemonchus contortus. In recent years there has been considerable interest in the gut microbiota and its impact on health. Relatively little is known about interactions between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal tract pathogens in sheep. Thus, this study was undertaken to investigate the link between the faecal microbiota of sheep, as a sample representing the gastrointestinal microbiota, and infection with H. contortus. Results: Sheep (n = 28) were experimentally inoculated with 14,000 H. contortus infective larvae. Faecal samples were collected 4 weeks prior to and 4 weeks after infection. Microbial analyses were conducted using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A comparison of pre-infection microbiota to post-infection microbiota was conducted. A high parasite burden associated with a relatively large change in community composition, including significant (p ≤ 0.001) differences in the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes following infection. In comparison, low parasite burden associated with a smaller change in community composition, with the relative abundances of the most abundant phyla remaining stable. Interestingly, differences were observed in pre-infection faecal microbiota in sheep that went on to develop a high burden of H. contortus infection (n = 5) to sheep that developed a low burden of infection (n = 5). Differences observed at the community level and also at the taxa level, where significant (p ≤ 0.001) in relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (higher in high parasite burden sheep) and Firmicutes (lower in high parasite burden sheep). Conclusions: This study reveals associations between faecal microbiota and high or low H. contortus infection in sheep. Further investigation is warranted to investigate causality and the impact of microbiome manipulation.

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“…The obtained results may suggest that although the Romanov sheep as a breed was in the past formed and selected for desirable traits in Russia and was then subject to conditions prevailing in this country, this could have affected the composition of its current microbiome. Despite being maintained in Poland, this could still contain the features of the microbiome from the time of breed formation in Russia [ 6 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Changes in the Levels of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes Phyla of Sheep Feces Depending on the Breed

Cholewińska

Wołoszyńska

Michalak

et al. 2020

Animals

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Studies carried out so far have indicated the effect of the microbiome on the composition of ruminant products. Recent studies have shown that not only diet, but also genetic factors can affect the microbiological composition of the digestive system. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in the levels of selected bacterial phyla in terms of breed differences. Three sheep breeds, i.e., Olkuska, Romanov, and old-type Polish Merino, differing in their use (meat–wool, meat, prolificacy) and country of breed origin were included in the study. Sheep at the same age and of the same sex were kept for a period of 3 months in the same environmental conditions and fed the same feed in the same proportions. The study included real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) analysis of feces collected before the slaughter and measurements of body weight and chilled carcasses. The obtained results showed significant differences between the breeds in the levels of bacterial populations tested. There were also differences in body weight between the breeds during the first weight measurements, however, the final results did not show any differences—after three months of maintenance all of them reached similar body weights, despite differences in fecal microbiological composition. The study suggests that in addition to diet and environmental conditions, the microbiology can also be influenced by breed.

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The composition and stability of the faecal microbiota of Merino sheep

Cited by 25 publications

References 49 publications

Stochasticity constrained by deterministic effects of diet and age drive rumen microbiome assembly dynamics

Stochasticity constrained by deterministic effects of diet and age drive rumen microbiome assembly dynamics

Variation in gut bacterial composition is associated with Haemonchus contortus parasite infection of sheep

Evaluation of Changes in the Levels of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes Phyla of Sheep Feces Depending on the Breed

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