Influence of spray-dried rumen fluid supplementation on performance, blood metabolites and cytokines in suckling Holstein calves

Effects of inoculation with active microorganisms derived from adult goats on growth performance, gut microbiota and serum metabolome in newborn lambs

This study evaluated the effects of inoculation with adult goat ruminal fluid on growth, health, gut microbiota and serum metabolism in lambs during the first 15 days of life. Twenty four Youzhou dark newborn lambs were selected and randomly distributed across 3 treatments (n = 8/group): autoclaved goat milk inoculated with 20 mL sterilized normal saline (CON), autoclaved goat milk inoculated with 20 mL fresh ruminal fluid (RF) and autoclaved goat milk inoculated with 20 mL autoclaved ruminal fluid (ARF). Results showed that RF inoculation was more effective at promoting recovery of body weight. Compared with CON, greater serum concentrations of ALP, CHOL, HDL and LAC in the RF group suggested a better health status in lambs. The relative abundance of Akkermansia and Escherichia-Shigella in gut was lower in the RF group, whereas the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group tended to increase. Metabolomics analysis shown that RF stimulated the metabolism of bile acids, small peptides, fatty acids and Trimethylamine-N-Oxide, which were found the correlation relationship with gut microorganisms. Overall, our study demonstrated that ruminal fluid inoculation with active microorganisms had a beneficial impact on growth, health and overall metabolism partly through modulating the gut microbial community.

Gut microbiome colonization and development in neonatal ruminants: Strategies, prospects, and opportunities

Colonization and development of the gut microbiome is a crucial consideration for optimizing the health and performance of livestock animals. This is mainly attributed to the fact that dietary and management practices greatly influence the gut microbiota, subsequently leading to changes in nutrient utilization and immune response. A favorable microbiome can be implanted through dietary or management interventions of livestock animals, especially during early life. In this review, we explore all the possible factors (for example gestation, colostrum, and milk feeding, drinking water, starter feed, inoculation from healthy animals, prebiotics/probiotics, weaning time, essential oil and transgenesis), which can influence rumen microbiome colonization and development. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of potential strategies used to manipulate gut development and microbial colonization to improve the production and health of newborn calves at an early age when they are most susceptible to enteric disease. Moreover, we provide insights into possible interventions and their potential effects on rumen development and microbiota establishment. Prospects of latest techniques like transgenesis and host genetics have also been discussed regarding their potential role in modulation of rumen microbiome and subsequent effects on gut development and performance in neonatal ruminants.