Abstract
The importance of the gut microbiota (GM) of animals is widely acknowledged because of its pivotal roles in metabolism, immunity, and health maintenance. The level of health can be reflected by the dynamic distribution of GM. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was used to compare the microbial populations from feces in healthy and diarrheic kids, which reflected the dynamic shift of microbiota in kids and investigated differences from adult healthy goats. Healthy kids and goats not only displayed higher species richness but also exhibited higher bacterial diversity than diarrheic kids based on the results of the operational taxonomic unit analysis, alpha diversity, and beta diversity. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the most dominant phyla in all samples. At the genus level, the differences in diversity and abundance between diarrheic kids and the other two groups were gradually observed. In the diarrheic kid intestine, Bacteroides remained the dominant species, and the proportion of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Paeniclostridium increased, whereas Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group were significantly reduced. The results showed the differences of GM in diarrheic kids and healthy kids were significant while in kids and goats were not obvious. Differences in the composition of intestinal microbiota may not be the cause of diarrhea, and some changes of bacterial richness may guide our interpretation of diarrhea. This study is the first to investigate the distribution of GM in Boer goats with different ages and health states. Furthermore, this study will provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a prevention and treatment system for goat diarrhea.
Highlights
As the largest and most complex mammalian micro-ecosystem, the gut microbiota (GM) regulates body health and plays an important bridging role between diet and host (Turnbaugh et al, 2006; Wu and Wu, 2012)
A total of 338 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified from all samples, of which 249 exist in all groups defined as core OTUs (Figure 1)
2 OTUs were uniquely identified in both C and G groups, and 10 unique OTUs were found in group GF
Summary
As the largest and most complex mammalian micro-ecosystem, the gut microbiota (GM) regulates body health and plays an important bridging role between diet and host (Turnbaugh et al, 2006; Wu and Wu, 2012). The GM serves as a central or contributing cause of many diseases, affecting both near and far organ systems (Ley et al, 2006; Mai and Draganov, 2009; Smith et al, 2011). This is especially true for ruminants, which have demonstrated their unique digestive properties and microbial groups that help to adapt to high fiber content foods, and make them susceptible to a variety of diseases and conditions (Russell and Rychlik, 2001). GM in ruminants play a more prominent role in various physiological states compared to most other mammals (Chaucheyras-Durand and Durand, 2010; Rosenberg et al, 2010)
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