Faecal microbiota of Angus cattle with divergent immune competence

Microorganisms inhabiting the gut (gut microbiota) have been shown to influence immune responsiveness of the host in a variety of species. It has also been discovered that specific species of gut microbiota may contribute to immunity in multibreed cattle. In this study, faecal samples were obtained from Angus cattle that were concurrently phenotyped for cell-mediated and antibody mediated immune responsiveness (IR) at weaning. Both IR phenotypes, and an ImmuneDex score, were calculated and used to identify high, medium and low IR cohorts (n=20/group). 16s rRNA gene sequence data was used to infer the relative abundances of different phyla in the sampled animals. A total of 6 phyla were found to significantly differ in relative abundances for at least one of the IR phenotypes. Of these, Bacteroidota, Euryarchaeota and Proteobacteria may be biologically relevant due to their relationship with gut health and disease.