Abstract
Frothy bloat is an often fatal digestive disorder of cattle grazing alfalfa pastures. The aim of this study was to investigate ruminal and fecal microbiota dynamics associated with development of alfalfa-induced frothy bloat and to further explore how bloat prevention strategies influence the composition of these microbial communities. In a 3 × 3 crossover experiment, twelve rumen-cannulated steers were sequentially subjected to: (1) pure alfalfa pasture, (2) pure alfalfa pasture supplemented with the pluronic detergent ALFASURE, and (3) alfalfa – sainfoin mixed pasture. Eleven out of 12 steers in pure alfalfa pasture developed clinical bloat, whereas ALFASURE treatment prevented the development of bloat in all 12 steers and alfalfa – sainfoin prevented bloat in 5 out of 11 steers. Development of bloat was associated with considerable shifts in the microbiota profile of rumen contents. In particular, the microbiota of solid rumen contents from bloated steers contained higher species richness and diversity. Streptococcus, Succinivibrio and unclassified Myxococcales were enriched in the rumen microbiota of bloated steers, whereas Fibrobacter and Ruminococcus were overrepresented in the rumen contents of non-bloated steers. Our results provide novel insights into bloat-associated shifts in the composition and predicted functional properties of the rumen microbiota of cattle grazing alfalfa pasture.
Highlights
Frothy bloat is an often-fatal digestive disorder of cattle grazing on highly digestible legumes or wheat pastures[1]
The main objectives of our study were to (a) determine changes in the composition and functional properties of the rumen microbiota underlying the development of alfalfa-induced frothy bloat, (b) explore the response of rumen microbiota to dietary interventions to prevent bloat, including the grazing of alfalfa-sainfoin mixed pastures and the addition of the pluronic detergent ALFASURE, and (c) to investigate the degree that fecal microbiota can be influenced by these bloat prevention strategies
Whereas only slight differences existed between the fecal microbiota of bloated versus non-bloated steers, we observed that the development of frothy bloat was associated with dramatic shifts in the diversity of rumen microbiota, those associated with the solid fraction of rumen contents
Summary
Frothy bloat is an often-fatal digestive disorder of cattle grazing on highly digestible legumes or wheat pastures[1]. Legume forages contain high concentrations of digestible proteins, which upon release into the rumen result in the rapid proliferation of ruminal microbes and an increase in fermentative activities and gas production[1]. Pitta et al.[16] used high-throughput sequencing to explore the association of the rumen microbiome with development of frothy bloat in steers grazing vegetative wheat pastures. The main objectives of our study were to (a) determine changes in the composition and functional properties of the rumen microbiota underlying the development of alfalfa-induced frothy bloat, (b) explore the response of rumen microbiota to dietary interventions to prevent bloat, including the grazing of alfalfa-sainfoin mixed pastures and the addition of the pluronic detergent ALFASURE, and (c) to investigate the degree that fecal microbiota can be influenced by these bloat prevention strategies
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