Altered rumen microbial composition following short-term consumption of mycotoxin contaminated grass silage with mycophenolic acid, in late-lactation dairy cows

Through in-vitro experiments, the antimicrobial properties of grass silage mycotoxins have been suggested to lead to a depletion in key rumen microbial populations vital to the metabolic efficiency of the dairy cow. Potentially resulting in reduced animal performance and susceptibility to illness. However there are limited in-vivo¬ studies that have evaluated the impact of grass silage mycotoxins on the rumen microbial communities. Study objectives were to determine effects of short-term consumption of a grass silage high (S) or low (C) in mycotoxins, exclusion or addition (SM, CM) of mycophenolic acid (MPA), and a commercially-available mycotoxin binder (SMB), on the rumen microbiome, performance and haematology of late-lactation dairy cows.