bovine metagenome Metagenome. bovine metagenome

Frothy bloat is an often fatal digestive disorder of cattle grazing on alfalfa pastures. The aim of this study was to investigate ruminal and fecal microbiota dynamics associated with development of alfalfa-induced frothy bloat and to further explore how bloat preventive strategies influence the composition of these microbial communities. In a 3-period crossover experiment, twelve rumen-cannulated steers were sequentially subjected to one of the three treatments: 1) pure alfalfa pasture, 2) pure alfalfa pasture supplemented with Alfasure®, and 3) alfalfa – sainfoin mixed pasture. Rumen and fecal samples were subjected to sequencing of the V3-V4 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene.