Recent research on adjusting goat diets can regulate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes
Worker** - Huang Zhewen, reporter of China Labor Network.
Recently, the ruminant nutrition and feed innovation team of the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences revealed the changes of stomach microorganisms and antibiotic resistance genes in young goats, providing a new idea for regulating the spread of drug resistance genes by adjusting the diet of goats. The study was published in the international journal Microbiome.
There are many microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract of livestock, and many of these microorganisms carry antibiotic resistance genes, which can make bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The research team found that the stomach of young goats is like a "storage room", storing many of these antibiotic resistance genes.
To this end, the research team collected stomach samples from births to 84 days of age, and analyzed the composition of microbial and antibiotic resistance genes in these samples using metagenomic sequencing technology. It was found that as goats aged, they had fewer types of antibiotic resistance genes in their stomachs. Moreover, when goats are still drinking breast milk, they have several types of antibiotic resistance genes in their stomachs, but when they start eating solid feed, only one type of antibiotic resistance gene remains.
The research team also found that there is a strong link between the microbes in the goat's stomach and antibiotic resistance genes – when the type and number of microorganisms change, so do the antibiotic resistance genes. Moreover, the antibiotic resistance genes in the stomach of goats of different ages are also different. This means that age and diet are important factors influencing antibiotic resistance genes in the goat's stomach.
According to reports, this study provides a new perspective and method for understanding and controlling gastrointestinal microbes and antibiotic resistance genes in livestock. By adjusting the diet of goats, they can influence the microbes in their stomachs and antibiotic resistance genes. For example, goats can be fed some food that is good for microorganisms, so that more "good" microorganisms grow in their stomachs, thereby reducing the number of "bad" microorganisms and antibiotic resistance genes. In this way, the risk of transmission of resistance genes can be reduced.
Worker: Worker client.