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.