Yang Xiaobin, Wang Jianghui, Cheng Jiangbo, Zhang Deyin, Huang Kai, Zhang Yukun, Li Xiaolong, Zhao Yuan, Zhao Liming, Xu Dan, Ma Zongwu, Liu Jia, Huang Zhiqiang, Li Chong, Tian Huibin, Weng Xiuxiu, Wang Weimin, Zhang Xiaoxue
College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
The State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 Feb 14;15:1348873. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1348873. eCollection 2024.
Fecal scores are crucial for assessing the digestive and gastrointestinal status of animals. The Bristol fecal scoring system is a commonly used method for the subjective evaluation of host feces, there is limited research on fecal scoring standards for fattening Hu sheep. In this study, Hu sheep were collected for rumen, rectum, and colon contents for 16S rDNA sequencing. 514 Hu sheep feces were scored based on the Bristol fecal scoring system, and production performance at each stage was measured. Finally, we developed the scoring standard of the manure of Hu sheep in the fattening period (a total of five grades). The result shows that moisture content significantly increased with higher grades ( < 0.05). We analyzed the relationship between fecal scores and production traits, blood indices, muscle nutrients, and digestive tract microorganisms. The growth traits (body weight, body height, body length, average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) during 80-180 days), body composition traits of the F3 group, and the carcass traits were found to be significantly higher ( < 0.05) than those of the F1 and F2 groups. There was no significant difference in gastrointestinal microflora diversity among all groups ( > 0.05). Significant differences were observed in Aspartate aminotransferase, Glucose, Total bilirubin, and Red Blood Cell Count between groups ( < 0.05). The mutton moisture content in group F4 was significantly higher than in the other groups, and the protein content was also the lowest ( < 0.05). The results of the correlation analysis demonstrated that Actinobacteria, , Acidaminococcales, Gammaproteobacteria, and Proteobacteria were the significant bacteria affecting fecal scores. In addition, and were identified as the noteworthy flora affecting growth performance and immunity. This study highlights the differences in production traits and blood indicators between fecal assessment groups and the complex relationship between intestinal microbiota and fecal characteristics in Hu sheep, suggesting potential impacts on animal performance and health, which suggest strategies for improved management.
粪便评分对于评估动物的消化和胃肠道状况至关重要。布里斯托粪便评分系统是一种常用的主观评估宿主粪便的方法，关于育肥湖羊粪便评分标准的研究较少。在本研究中，采集湖羊的瘤胃、直肠和结肠内容物进行16S rDNA测序。基于布里斯托粪便评分系统对514份湖羊粪便进行评分，并测定各阶段的生产性能。最后，我们制定了育肥期湖羊粪便的评分标准（共五个等级）。结果表明，随着等级升高，粪便含水量显著增加（P<0.05）。我们分析了粪便评分与生产性状、血液指标、肌肉营养成分和消化道微生物之间的关系。发现80-180天期间的生长性状（体重、体高、体长、平均日增重（ADG）和平均日采食量（ADFI））、F3组的体组成性状和胴体性状显著高于F1和F2组（P<0.05）。所有组之间的胃肠道微生物多样性无显著差异（P>0.05）。各组之间的天冬氨酸转氨酶、葡萄糖、总胆红素和红细胞计数存在显著差异（P<0.05）。F4组的羊肉含水量显著高于其他组，蛋白质含量也是最低的（P<0.05）。相关性分析结果表明，放线菌、、酸氨基球菌目、γ-变形菌纲和变形菌纲是影响粪便评分的重要细菌。此外，和被确定为影响生长性能和免疫力的值得关注的菌群。本研究突出了粪便评估组之间生产性状和血液指标的差异以及湖羊肠道微生物群与粪便特征之间的复杂关系，提示对动物生产性能和健康的潜在影响，为改进管理提供了策略。
