Impact of probiotic supplementation in the fecal microbiota of Holstein calves
The impact of probiotics administration on growth, health, and fecal microbiota of Argentine Holstein calves was analyzed. Thirty calves from a commercial dairy farm were divided into two groups. The treated group received a daily oral capsule containing four Lactobacillus strains from day two to day 30 of age, while the control group followed the same protocol but received a placebo capsule instead of the probiotic. Clinical evaluations of diarrhea and calf weight were carried out at 2 and 60 days of age, and the fecal microbiota was characterized at 30 by sequencing the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The occurrence of diarrhea and weight gain were similar between groups. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed no differences in the bacterial community structure between groups. In contrast to other reports, the proposed probiotic treatment did not have growth or health effects neither induced changes in microbial community compositions.