Multi-omics revealed the long-term effect of ruminal keystone bacteria and the microbial metabolome on lactation performance in adult dairy goats

Summary

This longitudinal cohort study tracked 99 dairy goats from youth through first lactation to establish links between early-life rumen microbiome composition and adult lactation performance. High-growth-rate young goats exhibited enriched carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism functions, driven by keystone bacteria including Streptococcus, Candidatus Saccharimonans, and Succinivibrionaceae UCG-001, which correlated with higher propionate and butyrate production. The study suggests that specific ruminal bacterial taxa established early in life persistently influence feed fermentation efficiency and lactation outcomes in adulthood, potentially enabling targeted microbiome manipulation to improve dairy production efficiency.

Regional applicability

The findings are applicable to UK dairy goat production systems, as microbiome principles are species-independent. However, the relevance depends on whether UK dairy goat operations face similar growth and lactation challenges; adoption would require validation in UK-specific management, feeding, and environmental conditions.

Key measures

Rumen fluid microbiome composition (metagenomics), rumen metabolome profiling, average daily gain (ADG) in young goats, lactation performance metrics in adult goats, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolic function, volatile fatty acid production (propionate, butyrate, acetate), methane production, co-occurrence network analysis, random forest machine learning prediction

Outcomes reported

The study monitored 99 goats from youth to first lactation, profiling rumen microbiome and metabolome in high and low average daily gain (ADG) animals to determine how early-life microbial composition predicts adult lactation performance. Key findings identified keystone bacterial taxa and their associated metabolites that correlate with growth rates and lactation efficiency.

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