Effect of a Lactobacillus Species on Incidence of Diarrhea in Calves and Change of the Microflora Associated with Growth

Research Progress of Biological Feed in Beef Cattle

Biological feed is a feed product developed through bioengineering technologies such as fermentation engineering, enzyme engineering, protein engineering, and genetic engineering. It possesses functional characteristics of high nutritional value and good palatability that can improve feed utilization, replace antibiotics, enhance the health level of livestock and poultry, improve the quality of livestock products, and promote a better breeding environment. A comprehensive review is provided on the types of biological feed, their mechanism of action, fermenting strains, fermenting raw material resources, and their current status in animal production to facilitate in-depth research and development of applications.

Properties of a New Probiotic Candidate and Lactobacterin-TK2 Against Diarrhea in Calves

Calf diarrhea is an important problem that can result in death and which leads to economic losses. Probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract can be effective for the prevention of diarrhea. In this study, some strains were isolated from traditional fermented dairy products (Shubat and Kumiss) and the feces of Holstein calves and heifers. Some probiotic properties were determined using a total of 124 isolates and Lactobacterin-TK². Most of the isolates and Lactobacterin-TK² were adversely affected by pH 2.0; however, they maintained their viability at pH 4.0 and 0.3% bile salt. The most effective antifungals on yeast strains were nystatin, voriconazole, and ketoconazole; however, they were resistant to itraconazole and amphotericin B. The majority of LAB strains and Lactobacterin-TK² were susceptible to penicillin and tetracycline, whereas they were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Bacillus spp. strains were susceptible to enrofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and gentamicin but resistant to penicillin. Also, 71% of lactobacilli have high hydrophobicity, whereas other strains have low hydrophobicity or had no hydrophobicity. Antagonistic properties of some selected strains against pathogenic bacteria were examined. All of the LABs inhibited at least one pathogen. The inhibitory effect of yeast strains on pathogens could not be determined. Then, five of the LAB strains were genotypically identified as Enterococcus faecium, one as Lactobacillus casei, and the yeast strains were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Clavispora lusitaniae. L. casei K2 and S. cerevisiae S430b were selected as superior strains. These strains are capable of being used as a new probiotic candidate following in vivo trials.

Influence of three microbial feed additives of Megasphaera elsdenii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus sp. on ruminal methane and carbon dioxide production, and biofermentation kinetics

AIMS

This study was performed to investigate the effects of Megasphaera elsdenii (Me), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) and lactic acid bacteria (FP-Lactobacillus fermentum plus Lactobacillus plantarum) alone or in combination on biogas production and ruminal biofermentation parameter in a heterofermenter system.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Eight treatments were evaluated; (i) control (without additive; CON); (ii) Me; (iii) SC; (iv) FP; (v) Me plus SC (MSC); (vi) Me plus FP (MFP); (vii) SC plus FP (SCFP) and (viii) Me plus SC plus FP (MSCFP). Doses of FP, Me and SC were 1·5 × 10⁸ (CFU per ml), 1·5 × 10⁸ (CFU per ml) and 1·4 × 10⁷ (CFU 0·002^-1  g), respectively. Biogas production in all time increased (P < 0·05) by MSCFP than CON additive. The proportional methane (CH₄ ) decreased (P < 0·05) in MSCFP and FP, while carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) was decreased (P < 0·05) by SC compared MSCFP and MSC. The proportional CO₂ decreased (P < 0·05) by MSCFP and FP additive. The mean concentration of NH₃ -N was not affected by treatments. Concentration of total volatile fatty acids and the percent of acetate and propionate was not affected by treatments. The highest (P < 0·05) percent of butyrate and valerate were observed in MSCFP additive. The experiment showed that microbial additives of FP, SCFP and MSCFP reduced proportional CH₄ and CO₂ .

CONCLUSIONS

Microbial additives of MFP and MSCFP had a sustainable positive efficiency on pH and volatile fatty acids and mitigate CH₄ and CO₂ .

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The use of microbial additives control on the ruminal pH (MFP) and improve VFA such as butyrate (MSC, MSCFP) and valerate (MSCFP) and reduce the greenhouse gases production showed a reduced risk of ruminal acidosis.

Lactobacillus plantarum GB LP-1 as a direct-fed microbial for neonatal calves

Direct-fed microbial feed additives with potential to enhance growth performance, gut health, and immunity have gained considerable popularity in neonatal calf production. Lactobacillus plantarum GB LP-1 (LP) produced by a proprietary fermentation process could be a viable direct-fed microbial feed for neonatal calves. The hypothesis was that feeding LP may ease transitioning from milk replacer (MR) to calf starter (CS) by improving gut health and appetite, while minimizing health challenges from pathogens and stress to improve growth performance. The experimental objective was to evaluate LP in an MR feeding program at 3 inclusion rates. Fifty-one 2- to 5-d-old Holstein bull calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments using a randomized complete block design. Treatments were (1) Control (LP0): LP fed at 0 g/d; (2) LP4: LP fed at 4 g/d; and (3) LP8: LP fed at 8 g/d. Calves were fed MR at 0.57 kg/d for 14 d via bucket, which was increased to 0.85 kg/d until 35 d, and were then fed once daily at 0.425 kg/d with weaning after d 42 of the 56-d experiment. Calves were fed at 0630 and 1800 h in equal allotments, with access at all times to free-choice water and a pelleted CS with 25.5% crude protein. Calves demonstrated a linear growth response to increasing LP inclusion rate: calves fed LP8 gained more body weight (33.0, 36.9, and 37.7 kg for LP0, LP4, and LP8, respectively) than calves fed LP0, with calves fed LP4 being intermediate and similar. The 0-to-42-d (MR feeding phase) average daily gain (ADG; 562.9, 595.9, and 655.7 g/d) and 0-to-56-d ADG (588.6, 658.4, and 673.0 g/d) demonstrated linear responses, with calves fed LP8 having greater ADG than calves fed LP0, and calves fed LP4 being intermediate and similar. Total CS intake was similar among calves fed all treatments (66.3, 69.0, and 72.5 kg/56 d), which resulted in a quadratic response in feed efficiency (0.50, 0.53, and 0.52 kg of gain/kg of dry matter) for calves fed LP4 compared with calves fed LP0, with calves fed LP8 being intermediate and similar. Fecal scores improved linearly with increasing LP inclusion rate. These data demonstrate that feeding Lactobacillus plantarum GB LP-1 to neonatal calves improves gut health to increase growth performance at 4 and 8 g/d, while feed efficiency was greatest at 4 g/d.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 affects health, growth, and fecal microbiota in milk-fed veal calves

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of one specific strain of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 (SCB), on the growth performance, health, and fecal bacterial profile of veal calves. A total of 84 animals were enrolled in an experiment at a commercial veal farm for a total of 7 wk. Calves were fed twice a day with a milk replacer meal during the entire experiment and were randomly assigned to receive daily either SCB supplementation (10 × 10⁹ cfu/d) or a placebo (CON). Individual feed intake and body weight were monitored on a daily and weekly basis, respectively. Fecal samples were collected at arrival to the veal facility (wk 0) and additional samples were taken on d 14 (wk 2) and d 49 (wk 7). These samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using Illumina MiSeq (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) to examine the bacterial profiles and real-time quantitative PCR to quantify Saccharomyces cerevisiae and specific bacterial groups. The significant increase of S. cerevisiae in the feces of SCB calves at wk 2 and 7 compared with wk 0 (respectively 1.7 × 10⁷, 1.2 × 10⁷, and 2.2 × 10⁵ copy number of S. cerevisiae/g of feces) indicates a good survival of that yeast strain along the gastrointestinal tract. Supplementation of SCB did not improve overall growth performance with regard to average daily gain (ADG), final body weight, and feed intake. Nevertheless, a total of 69.1% of nonsupplemented calves had diarrhea and 28.6% experienced severe diarrhea, whereas 50.0% of the calves supplemented with SCB had diarrhea and 9.5% experienced severe diarrhea. With respect to antibiotic use, 89.7% of the diarrheic calves recorded in the CON group were treated, whereas only 66.7% of the SCB diarrheic calves received an antibiotic. In addition, diarrheic calves supplemented with SCB maintained an ADG similar to nondiarrheic animals, whereas the CON diarrheic calves had a significantly lower ADG in comparison with nondiarrheic CON calves. Fecalibacterium was the most predominant bacterial genus in fecal samples of nondiarrheic and diarrheic calves supplemented with SCB, whereas fecal microbiota was predominated by Collinsella in diarrheic calves from the CON group. Live yeast supplementation in milk replacer led to a decrease of diarrhea in milk-fed veal calves and the fecal microbiota of diarrheic calves maintained a healthy community similar to nondiarrheic animals, with Fecalibacterium being the predominant genus.

Effect of Modified Pulsatilla Powder on Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli O101-Induced Diarrhea in Mice

MPP can be effective in the treatment of E. coli O101-induced diarrhea in mice. MPP can improve the weight loss caused by diarrhea, increase spleen and thymus indices, and reduce the diarrhea index. MPP can reduce the number of WBC, regulate the level of cytokines, and regulate the intestinal microbial flora. These data suggest that MPP is a promising candidate for treatment of E. coli-induced diarrhea in humans and animals.

Effect of Lactobacillus Strains on Intestinal Microflora and Mucosa Immunity in Escherichia coli O157:H7-Induced Diarrhea in Mice

This study investigated the effects of KLDS 1.8701 and AD1 administrations by gavage on intestinal microflora and mucosal immunity in diarrhea mice infected by Escherichia coli O157:H7 compared to normal mice. The levels of E. coli, Enterobacteria, and Enterococcus decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while viable counts of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium increased in diarrhea mice. Moreover, KLDS 1.8701 and AD1 improved secretion of secretory immunoglobulin A and enhanced the levels of interferon-γ and interleukin. Results indicate that KLDS 1.8701 and AD1 could effectively alleviate diarrhea in mice via modulation of intestinal microflora and improve the function of immune system. The study on the effect of KLDS1.8701 and AD1 supplementation in human flora-associated animal models was recommended.