Milk microbiome in the first month of lactation and at weaning from ewes supplemented with zinc pre- and postpartum.

Mastitis is an important disease with economic and welfare implications in both clinical and subclinical states. The aim of this research was to sequence the hypervariable V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to describe the microbial diversity and taxonomy of milk from clinically healthy ewes (Rambouillet, WF = 9; Hampshire, BF = 5). Experimental ewes represented a subset of a larger study assessing the impacts of divergent dietary zinc (Zn) concentrations [1 × National Academics of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recommendations = CON or 3 × NASEM recommendations = ZnTRT] throughout late gestation and lactation.

Zinc AA supplementation alters yearling ram rumen bacterial communities but zinc sulfate supplementation does not.

 Despite the body of research into Zn for human and animal health and productivity, very little work has been done to discern whether this benefit is exerted solely on the host organism, or whether there is some effect of dietary Zn upon the gastrointestinal microbiota, particularly in ruminants. We hypothesized that (i) supplementation with Zn would alter the rumen bacterial community in yearling rams, but that (ii) supplementation with either inorganically sourced ZnSO4, or a chelated Zn AA complex, which was more bioavailable, would affect the rumen bacterial community differently. Sixteen purebred Targhee yearling rams were utilized in an 84-d completely randomized design, and allocated to one of three pelleted dietary treatments: control diet without fortified Zn (~1 × NRC), a diet fortified with a Zn AA complex (~2 × NRC), and a diet fortified with ZnSO4 (~2 × NRC).