Abstract
β-glucans has been reported to be associated with many health-promoting and improvements in animal performance, however, information about their effects on the bacterial community remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate how the addition of β-glucans can affect the fecal bacterial community with possible consequences on animal growth and health. For this, newborn Holstein calves (n = 14) were individually housed in tropical shelters and blocked according to sex, date, and weight at birth and randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: (1) Control: milk replacer (14% solids, 24% CP, 18.5% fat); (2) β-glucans: milk replacer supplemented with β-glucans (2 g/d). All calves were bucket fed 6 L/d of milk replacer and received water and starter concentrate ad libitum starting on d 2. To evaluate the bacteriome, fecal samples were collected at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8. The bacterial community was assessed through sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina MiSeq platform and analyzed using the DADA2 pipeline. No differences for Shannon and Chao1 indexes were observed for treatments, but both indexes increased with age (P < 0.001). There were dissimilarities in the structure of the bacterial community during the pre-weaning period (P = 0.01). In a deeper taxonomic level, Collinsella (Actinobacteriota), Prevotella (Bacteroidota), and Lactobacillus (Firmicutes) were the most abundant genera (9.84, 9.54, and 8.82% of the sequences, respectively). β-glucans promoted a higher abundance of Alloprevotella and Holdemanella, which may indicate a beneficial effect of supplementation on dairy calves. The bacterial community was highly correlated with the fecal score at weeks 1 and 2 and with starter concentrate intake at week 8. In conclusion, algae β-glucan supplementation could be beneficial to fecal bacteriome and consequently to the health and performance of dairy calves.
Highlights
Introduction β-glucans (BG) are polysaccharides found in the cell wall of cereals, algae, yeasts, or bacteria, and their use in human and animal nutrition is associated with improved immune function [1,2,3]
This study aimed to investigate if algae β-glucan supplementation affects the fecal bacteriome of dairy calves in the pre-weaning phase
No differences were found in bacterial community structure and diversity, we found an increased abundance of the genera Alloprevotella and Holdemanella associated with BG supplementation
Summary
Introduction β-glucans (BG) are polysaccharides found in the cell wall of cereals, algae, yeasts, or bacteria, and their use in human and animal nutrition is associated with improved immune function [1,2,3]. The BGs are considered natural prebiotics and have several biological functions, such as competing against pathogenic microorganisms for binding sites on the intestinal epithelium [4], as well as preventing inflammatory processes [5]. Few studies have been conducted to understand the effects of prebiotics on ruminants [3]. In nonruminants and humans, the effects are beneficial, such as promoting higher bacterial richness, higher abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, immunomodulation, nutrient absorption effects, and an improved gut barrier [6,7,8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
