Abstract
BACKGROUND: The bacterial population in the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in animal health and productivity. Despite this importance, the establishment and development of a microbial community in the Saanen dairy goat during the early stages of life have not been thoroughly quantified or functionally investigated. Therefore, the present study considered the initial establishment of the gut microbiota in the goat kids and the role of maternal factors, including goat milk and maternal gut microbiota as a source of these microorganisms. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 81 samples were collected from healthy dairy goats, consisting of 27 milk samples and 54 fecal samples (27 from maternal goats and 27 from their kids). The samples were collected on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 postpartum, with 5-6 samples taken each day from milk, maternal feces, and kid feces. To analyze microbial communities, 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was performed. The maternal milk exhibited significantly higher microbial richness and diversity compared to fecal samples. Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct microbial compositions between maternal fecal and kids' meconium samples on the day of birth. Significant microbial sharing was observed in meconium, with taxa such as Atopostipes suicloacalis (p ≤ 0.01), and Escherichia, Turicibacter sanguinis, and Romboutsia sedimentorum (p ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest that the maternal gut and the kids' meconium have distinct microbial compositions on the day of birth, despite sharing some dominant bacterial families. According to taxonomy data, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Bacteroidaceae were the most prevalent bacterial groups in all maternal milk and maternal and kid feces. In addition, maternal milk and gut microbiota significantly influenced the composition of kids' gut microbiota in early life. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide valuable insights into the microbial dynamics during the early stages of life and highlight the significant role of maternal factors, such as milk and gut microbiota, in shaping the microbial communities of offspring.