Abstract
ObjectiveThe gastrointestinal tract of sheep contain complex microbial communities that influence numerous aspects of the sheep’s health and development. The objective of this study was to analyze the composition and diversity of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract sections (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon, and rectum) of sheep.MethodsThis analysis was performed by 454 pyrosequencing using the V3-V6 region of the 16S rRNA genes. Samples were collected from five healthy, small tailed Han sheep aged 10 months, obtained at market. The bacterial composition of sheep gastrointestinal microbiota was investigated at the phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species levels.ResultsThe dominant bacterial phyla in the entire gastrointestinal sections were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. In the stomach, the three most dominant genera in the sheep were Prevotella, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, and Butyrivibrio. In the small intestine, the three most dominant genera in the sheep were Escherichia, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcus. In the large intestine, the three most dominant genera in the sheep were Ruminococcus, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, and Prevotella. R. flavefaciens, B. fibrisolvens, and S. ruminantium were three most dominant species in the sheep gastrointestinal tract. Principal Coordinates Analysis showed that the microbial communities from each gastrointestinal section could be separated into three groups according to similarity of community composition: stomach (rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum), small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum), and large intestine (cecum, colon, and rectum).ConclusionThis is the first study to characterize the entire gastrointestinal microbiota in sheep by use of 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing, expanding our knowledge of the gastrointestinal bacterial community of sheep.
Highlights
A huge number of various microorganisms live in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, about ten times their body’s own cells in number
Higher bacterial richness and diversity were obwww.ajas.info 107 served in the stomach and large intestine than in the small intestine, which was previously observed in the dairy cattle and the Brazilian Nelore breed of cattle [4,5]
The principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) plot in the present study is in agreement with on the Nelore cattle [4] and shows that the samples from adjacent gastrointestinal tract segment harbor microbial communities more similar than from other segments
Summary
A huge number of various microorganisms live in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, about ten times their body’s own cells in number. Sheep is a ruminant animal where the gut is a fermentative chamber for a complex and dynamic microbial population. Symbiotic bacterial community is crucial for the host health in many aspects, such as in balancing the immune response, digesting the nutrients, and mediating the host physiology. Symbioses between microbiota and host can facilitate the development of the latter’s gastrointestinal tract. Bacteria in the ruminant gut play a major role in the biological degradation of dietary fibers. Ruminant digestion relies on the bulk of cellulose hydrolysis bacteria. The microbiota composition and diversity are affected by many factors, such as diet composition, host genetics, and environment, and so on. It is recognized that a better and sufficient understanding of the composition and diversity of
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