Assessing the microbiota of recycled bedding sand on a Wisconsin dairy farm.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sand is often considered the preferred bedding material for dairy cows as it is thought to have lower bacterial counts than organic bedding materials and cows bedded on sand experience fewer cases of lameness and disease. Sand can also be efficiently recycled and reused, making it cost-effective. However, some studies have suggested that the residual organic material present in recycled sand can serve as a reservoir for commensal and pathogenic bacteria, although no studies have yet characterized the total bacterial community composition. Here we sought to characterize the bacterial community composition of a Wisconsin dairy farm bedding sand recycling system and its dynamics across several stages of the recycling process during both summer and winter using 16S rRNA gene

SUBMITTER: Pilch HE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8582206 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature