Disentangling the causal relationship between rabbit growth and cecal microbiota through structural equation models.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The effect of the cecal microbiome on growth of rabbits that were fed under different regimes has been studied previously. However, the term "effect" carries a causal meaning that can be confounded because of potential genetic associations between the microbiome and production traits. Structural equation models (SEM) can help disentangle such a complex interplay by decomposing the effect on a production trait into direct host genetics effects and indirect host genetic effects that are exerted through microbiota effects. These indirect effects can be estimated via structural coefficients that measure the effect of the microbiota on growth while the effects of the host genetics are kept constant. In this study, we applied the SEM approach to infer causal relationships betw

SUBMITTER: Mora M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9762025 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature