Assessing the Impacts of Dairy Farm Antimicrobial Use on the Bovine Fecal Microbiome.

ABSTRACT: Rising rates of antimicrobial-resistant infections have prompted increased scrutiny on antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock agriculture. Dairy farms primarily use antimicrobials to maintain animal health and welfare by treating and preventing infectious diseases. However, the impact of dairy farm AMU practices on the cattle fecal microbiome remains largely unclear, partly due to difficulties in quantifying AMU. This study leveraged quantitative AMU data from 40 large commercial dairy farms to identify farms with low (n = 4) and high (n = 4) AMU. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we compared the fecal bacterial communities of dairy calves and cows (healthy, cull, sick) by both AMU designation (high/low) and by individual farm AMU, summarized by animal defined daily dose (DDD) and mg/

SUBMITTER: Steinberger AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12189718 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature