Effect of Artemisia absinthium (Asteraceae) and Cobalt Supplementation on Rumen Bacterial Community in Cattle

Abstract

Background: One of the key tasks of livestock development is to reduce the amount of feed needed for raising and fattening cattle, as well as increase the efficiency of feed use. A possible solution to these problems are plant-based feed additives containing various phytochemical compounds, both individually and together with metallic trace elements, to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract of animals. The aim of the study was to assess the effect on the microbiota of the cattle rumen of the vegetable feed components Artemisiae absinthil (bitter plant A. absinthium) and CoCl2 (cobalt II chloride). Methods: Study the effect of the herb Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium) and CoCl2 (cobalt II chloride) on the microbiome of cattle rumen. The studies were conducted on a cannula animal model, Bos taurus (Kazakh white-headed cattle), after feeding an experimental feed additive, A. absinthium, either alone or in combination with CoCl2. The experiment was carried out in four repetitions using a 4 × 4 Latin square. Animals in the I experimental group were additionally given A. absinthium at a dose of 2.0 g/kg of dry matter (DM); in the II experimental group, A. absinthium at a dose of 2.0 g/kgDM with additional CoCl2 (1.5 mg/kgDM); and in the III experimental group, only CoCl2 (1.5 mg/kgDM). The contents of the scar were collected for further analysis, which was performed by high-performance sequencing (NGS) of 16S rRNA gene ampicons. Result: There was difference in the microbiome of the rumen of cattle between the control and experimental groups, both at the level of the phylum’s and at the genus level. The dominant phylum in all groups were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. A study of the microbiome of the rumen revealed groups of microorganisms capable of producing carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZyms) and destroying structural hydrocarbons. In the group using A. absinthium, a symbiotic link was established for the genus Akkermansia and the unclassified Bacteroidales linear regression (R2 = 0.93, p = 0.0435) and for the unclassified Ruminococcaceae and the genus Akkermansia (R2 = 0.75, p = 0.05).