Effect of TASCO, a seaweed extract on rumen functions of ruminants: microbial diversity and activities in sheep

改善动物的生产和健康对提高加拿大畜牧业的可持续性至关重要。瘤胃是一个大容量的胃前厌氧发酵室，维持丰富的微生物群落，迅速定植和消化饲料颗粒。瘤胃及其复杂的微生物群落以挥发性脂肪酸和微生物蛋白的形式为宿主的代谢功能提供能量，发挥着重要作用。因此，改善瘤胃功能对显著提高反刍动物生产效率具有重要作用。此外，最近在阿尔伯塔省的一个饲养场肉牛加工厂爆发的大肠杆菌O157:H7表明，这种致病菌在动物GIT中的定植以及对受污染动物GIT部位的处理可能是污染工厂的过程之一。因此，减少该致病菌在牛胃肠道中的定植，可以显著降低该细菌在植物中的污染发生率。

Improvement of animal's production and health is vital to enhance the sustainability of Canadian livestock industry. The rumen is a capacious pre-gastric anaerobic fermentation chamber sustaining a rich community of microorganisms that rapidly colonize and digest feed particles. The rumen and its complex microbial community play a major role in providing energy in the form of volatile fatty acids and microbial protein for the metabolic function of the host. Therefore, improve the rumen function may play an essential role to significantly enhance the production efficiency of ruminants. In addition, recent outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in a feedlot beef cattle processing plant in Alberta reveals the colonization of this pathogenic bacteria in GIT of animals and handling of the GIT parts of contaminated animals may be one of the courses to contaminate the plant. Therefore, reducing the colonization of this pathogenic bacterium in the GIT of cattle can significantly reduce the incidence of the contamination of this bacterium in the plant.