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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1465992
This article is part of the Research Topic Unveiling the Potential of Microbiome in Semi-Wild and Wildlife Animals: Exploring Opportunities for Disease Mitigation and Animal Health across Ecological Zones View all articles

Impact of Weight Variation on the Microbiome of Yak Dams and Calves

Provisionally accepted
Wang Hongzhuang Wang Hongzhuang *Wangdui Basang Wangdui Basang Zhandui Pingcuo Zhandui Pingcuo Nan Jiang Nan Jiang Guangming Sun Guangming Sun Yangji Cidan Yangji Cidan Yang Liu Yang Liu Yanbin Zhu Yanbin Zhu Dunzhu Luosang Dunzhu Luosang
  • Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Limited information exists regarding the microbiome composition of yak calves of varying weights. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the microbiomes of mother-calf pairs with different weight profiles. Fecal and blood samples were collected from both lower-weight (CB) and higher-weight (HB) yak calves, along with their corresponding female yaks (CA, HA). The results revealed significantly higher levels of T-AOC (total antioxidant capacity) and GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase) in HB animals (p<0.001). Sequencing yielded 652,181 and 643,369 filtered reads in female and calf yaks, respectively. Alpha diversity analysis indicated that Chao1, Faith_pd, and Observed species were significantly higher in CA compared to HA (p<0.01). Furthermore, nine genera were notably different between HA and CA yaks, including Avispirillum, Fimenecus, CAG-1031, Odoribacter 865974, and Jeotgalicoccus A 310962. Compared to CB yaks, CA animals exhibited significant differences in one phylum and six genera, including CAG-485 (p<0.05), CAG-83 (p<0.01), Copromorpha (p<0.01), Phocaeicola A 858004 (p<0.05), and UBA2253 (p<0.05). In summary, higher-weight yak calves demonstrated increased oxidative resistance, and weight profiles were linked to the microbiomes of both female yaks and their calves. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing yak breeding practices in high-altitude regions.

    Keywords: Yak, calf, weight, microbiota, Oxidative resistance

    Received: 17 Jul 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hongzhuang, Basang, Pingcuo, Jiang, Sun, Cidan, Liu, Zhu and Luosang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wang Hongzhuang, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa, China

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