Effect of propionate on bovine gut microbial diversity

The rumen microbial ecosystem, comprising bacteria, protozoa, fungi and viral particles, enables the digestion of cellulose compounds by ruminants. Increased levels of ruminal propionate have been shown to improve overall bovine metabolic efficiency. However, the response to propionate by ruminal microbes that affects this change remains poorly characterized. The rumen microbiota and its response to sodium propionate intake was studied using metagenomics. Genomic DNA was harvested from two rumens, one control sample and a treatment sample (propionate-administered) and sequence data was produced using an Illumina Genome Analyzer instrument. Understanding the bovine rumen microbiota has important implications for animal agriculture. The SRA data is available using the Projects link.