Comparison of the fecal bacterial communities in diarrheic and non-diarrheic dairy calves from multiple farms in Southeastern PA

Diarrhea is a major
cause of illness and death in dairy calves, and a better understanding of the
microbial communities in diarrheic calves may lead to the development of
improved treatments. We compared the fecal microbiota of diarrheic and
non-diarrheic calves from seven dairy farms and found that some beneficial
microorganisms such as Ruminococcaceae and Faecalibacterium were
lower in diarrheic calves and may have been displaced by opportunistic
microorganisms such as Fusobacterium and Sutterella, which may
directly or indirectly contribute to illness. This work adds to our knowledge
of what constitutes a healthy fecal microbiota in neonatal calves.