Impact of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) adaptation on rumen microbiota in dairy cattle using pyrosequencing

• We evaluated the changes in ruminal microbiota in dairy cattle during SARA.
• Cattle fed a high forage diet or SARA induction diet were included in the study.
• SARA induction resulted in significant alterations of rumen microbiota composition.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in bacterial populations in the rumen of dairy cattle following adaptation to subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Rumen contents were collected from four cattle adapted to either a 40% (control diet, COD) or 70% (SARA induction diet, SAID) concentrate feeds. DNA was extracted from each of the samples. Bacterial 16S rRNA genes of ruminal DNA extracts were PCR amplified with 2 bar coded primer sets and sequenced by 454 pyrosequencing. At a high taxonomic level, the percentage of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were reduced by SAID feeding, whereas Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were more abundant in the SAID than in the COD group. At the genus level, as compared with the COD group, the abundances of Prevotella, Treponema, Anaeroplasma, Papillibacter, Acinetobacter and unclassified populations including unclassified Lentisphaerae, and unclassified bacteria were lower (P < 0.05), while the percentages of Ruminococcus, Atopobium, unclassified Clostridiales and Bifidobacterium were increased (P < 0.05) in the SAID group. Feeding of SAID reduced (P < 0.001) the diversity of the rumen microbial community. Taken together, our findings provide a comprehensive picture of current knowledge of the community structure of the rumen bacterial ecosystem during SARA, and enhance our understanding about the ruminal microbial ecology that may be useful in the prevention of ruminal acidosis.