Comparative Effects of Raw Milk and Milk Replacer Feeding on Gut Microbiota Diversity and Function in Cryptosporidium parvum-Infected Neonatal Dairy Calves on a Japanese Farm.

ABSTRACT: Neonatal diarrhea is a major health concern in the livestock industry, and Cryptosporidium parvum is a key pathogen responsible for this condition in calves. Milk management and gut microbiome regulation may play important roles in preventing cryptosporidiosis symptoms. This study analyzed the gut microbiota of neonatal calves fed raw milk (BM) or milk replacer (MR) using a total of 58 fecal samples collected on the same farm in 2022 and 2024. In milk replacer-fed calves, alpha diversity was significantly higher in C. parvum-positive (P) calves without diarrhea (N) (PN, n = 5) than in C. parvum-positive calves with diarrhea(D) (PD, n = 18) (Shannon p = 0.0358; Chao1 p = 0.0598). Beta diversity also differed between PN and PD (PERMANOVA, R² = 0.

SUBMITTER: Yachida M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12846416 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature