Comparative Study of Bacterial Microbiota Differences in the Rumen and Feces of Xinjiang Brown and Holstein Cattle.

Simple Summary: Xinjiang Brown cattle are a unique and widely distributed breed of dual-purpose cattle in Xinjiang, the People's Republic of China. It is known that this cattle breed has different milk production performance compared to Holstein cattle. However, the microbiota differences between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle are not well known. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the bacterial community composition of the rumen and feces of these two cattle breeds under the same dietary and management conditions using 16s rRNA sequencing. This study identified microbiota with different relative abundance between these two cattle breeds and their biological functions might be related to milk synthesis. Our study increases the understanding of the differences in bacterial microbiota between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle. Xinjiang Brown cattle are a unique and widely distributed breed of dual-purpose cattle in the Xinjiang area of China, whose milk production performance differs from Holstein cattle. It has been known that variations in bacterial species of the gastrointestinal tract influence milk protein, fat, and lactose synthesis. However, the microbiota differences between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle are less known. This study aims to compare the bacterial community composition of the rumen and feces of these two cattle breeds under the same dietary and management conditions. The 16s rRNA sequencing data and milk production of 18 Xinjiang Brown cows and 20 Holstein cows on the same farm were obtained for analysis. The results confirmed differences in milk production between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle. Microbiota with different relative abundance between these two cattle breeds were identified, and their biological functions might be related to milk synthesis. This study increases the understanding of the differences in microbiota between Xinjiang Brown and Holstein cattle and might provide helpful information for microbiota composition optimization of these dairy cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]