Maternal influences on oral and faecal microbiota maturation in neonatal calves in beef and dairy production systems.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The dam is considered an important source of microbes for the calf; consequently, the development of calf microbiota may vary with farming system due to differences between the contact the calf has with the dam. The objective of this study was to characterise the early changes in the composition of oral and faecal microbiota in beef and dairy calves (N = 10) using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbiota of calves was compared to selected anatomical niches on their dams which were likely to contribute to the vertical transfer of microbes.

Results

A total of 14,125 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were identified and taxonomically assigned. The oral microbiota of calves and their dams were composed of more similar microbes after the first 4

SUBMITTER: Barden M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7807724 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature