ARS | Publication request: Probiotics cultures in animal feed: Effects on ruminal fermentation, immune responses, and resistance to infectious diseases

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: December 1, 2012
Publication Date: March 19, 2012
Citation: Osman, M.A., Stabel, J.R., Hostetter, J.M., Nettleton, D., Dowd, S.E., Onda, K., Kreikemeier, W., Ware, D., Beitz, D.C. 2012. Probiotics cultures in animal feed: Effects on ruminal fermentation, immune responses, and resistance to infectious diseases [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science 90,Suppl. 2/J. Dairy Science 95, Suppl. 1:38.

Technical Abstract: We evaluated the effects of probiotics included in dairy cattle and mice feed on ruminal fermentation, immune responses, and resistance to Johne’s disease. To unveil the underlying mechanisms, dairy cattle were either fed Bovamine (1.04 x 10**9 cfu of Lactobacillus acidophilus NP51 plus 2.04 x 10**9 cfu Probionibacterium freudenreichii NP24) or lactose carrier top-dressed onto a total mixed ration for 6 weeks. Feeding Bovamine advantageously modified the digestive system microbiome as determined by the bacterial tag encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing technique compared with that of the control cows fed the lactose carrier. Ruminal Firmicutes: Bacteroides tended (P = 0.06) to increased, indicative of increased energy harvest in rumen. As a result, concentrations of VFA significantly (P < 0.005) increased in the rumen. Also, in the murine model of Johne’s disease, viable or heat-killed NP51 (VNP51 or HNP51, respectively) fed at 1 x 10**6 cfumouse-1day-1 to Balb/c mice challenged with 10**8 cfu of either viable or heat-killed Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (VMAP or HMAP, respectively), the causative agent of Johne’s disease differentially stimulated the adaptive immunity and decreased (P < 0.05) tissue MAP burden and fecal MAP shedding. With VMAP as the inoculum, both VNP51 and HNP51 stimulated CD8+ immune cell-mediated immunity and decreased the humoral immunity. With HMAP as the inoculum, VNP51 stimulated the CD8+ immune cell-mediated immunity only. Overall, feeding NP51 to mice alleviated symptoms of Johne’s disease and feeding NP51 along with NP24 (Bovamine) to dairy cattle increased ruminal VFA concentrations and thus dietary energy capture via favorably transforming their digestive system microbiome.