Random Forest Classification And Timecourse Analysis Identifies Unique Dynamics Of Microbial Content In Buccal Swab Samples

Comprehensive analysis of the cow microbiome, as well as host genetic influences on the establishment and colonization of the rumen microbiota, is critical for development of strategies to manipulate rumen function towards more efficient and environmentally friendly milk production. To this end, the development and validation of noninvasive methosd to sample rumen microbiota at scale is required. Here, we employed next-generation sequencing to evaluate and optimize the analysis of buccal swab samples as a proxy for the microbiota of liquid- and solid-phase samples taken from the rumen. This includes data from a time-course analysis study, as well as two other disparate sampling times.