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Comparison of bacterial communities in faeces of beef cattle fed diets containing corn and wet distillers’ grain with solubles
Author(s) -
Durso L.M.,
Wells J.E.,
Harhay G.P.,
Rice W.C.,
Kuehn L.,
Bono J.L.,
Shackelford S.,
Wheeler T.,
Smith T.P.L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2012.03265.x
Subject(s) - feces , biology , prevotella , beef cattle , bacteria , food science , escherichia coli , microbial population biology , host (biology) , zoology , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Aim: The mammalian intestinal microflora has been shown to impact host physiology. In cattle, intestinal bacteria are also associated with faecal contamination of environmental sources and human illness via foodborne pathogens. Use of wet distillers’ grains with solubles (WDGS) in cattle feed creates a gastrointestinal environment where some bacterial species are enriched. Here, we examine if a diet containing 40% WDGS results in fundamentally different microbial community structures. Methods and Results: The 20 002 16S r‐RNA gene sequences from 20 beef cattle were analysed using Sanger sequencing methods. At the genus level, Prevotella (Gram negative) and Anaerobacter (Gram positive) were the most frequently occurring bacteria in our beef cattle faecal samples. Diet‐associated differences in prevalence were noted for Prevotella but not Anaerobacter . Conclusions: Diet affects community structure. Faecal communities of co‐housed beef cattle are not identical. Significance and Impact of the Study: It is known that a diet of 40% corn‐based WDGS increases the generic Escherichia coli in the faeces and enriches E. coli O157:H7. The results from the current study suggest that in addition to previously observed changes in E. coli , the entire bacterial community structure is different for animals fed 40% corn‐based WDGS compared to a traditional corn‐finishing diet.