Comparison of Fecal Microbiota Communities between Primiparous and Multiparous Cows during Non-Pregnancy and Pregnancy

• Published in: Animals (Basel) 2023-02, Vol.13 (5), p.869
• Main Authors: Jia, Xianbo, He, Yang, Kang, Zhe, Chen, Shiyi, Sun, Wenqiang, Wang, Jie, Lai, Songjia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 16S rRNA sequencing; Adaptation; Analysis; Animals; Biological diversity; Cattle; Composition; cow; Discriminant analysis; Dysbacteriosis; Energy metabolism; fecal microbiota; Fecal microflora; Feces; Fetuses; Hormones; Intestinal microflora; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolism; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Physiology; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; primiparous and multiparous; Probiotics; Reproductive disorders; RNA; rRNA 16S; Ruminococcaceae; Taxonomy; Transplantation; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani13050869

Imbalances in the gut microbiota composition may lead to several reproductive disorders and diseases during pregnancy. This study investigates the fecal microbiome composition between primiparous and multiparous cows during non-pregnancy and pregnancy to analyze the host-microbial balance at different stages. The fecal samples obtained from six cows before their first pregnancy (BG), six cows during their first pregnancy (FT), six open cows with more than three lactations (DCNP), and six pregnant cows with more than three lactations (DCP) were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing, and a differential analysis of the fecal microbiota composition was performed. The three most abundant phyla in fecal microbiota were (48.68%), (34.45%), and (15.42%). There are 11 genera with more than 1.0% abundance at the genus level. Both alpha diversity and beta diversity showed significant differences among the four groups ( < 0.05). Further, primiparous women were associated with a profound alteration of the fecal microbiota. The most representative taxa included , , , , , , , , which were associated with energy metabolism and inflammation. The findings indicate that host-microbial interactions promote adaptation to pregnancy and will benefit the development of probiotics or fecal transplantation for treating dysbiosis and preventing disease development during pregnancy.