Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (8): 3455-3465.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.08.030

• PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of Microbial Diversity in Nasal Cavity of Sheep with Respiratory Disease and Their Environment

ZHANG Ying1,2, JIN Hua1,2, HAN Yang1,2, SUI Dan3, XIAO Xin4, HAO Xiujing1,2*, LI Min1,2*   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in the Western, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    2. College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    3. Ningxia Zhongmu Yilin Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    4. Ningxia Agricultural Survey and Design Institute, Yinchuan 750021, China
  • Received:2023-02-09 Online:2023-08-23 Published:2023-08-22

Abstract: This experiment was conducted to understand the microbial diversity of the nasal cavity of sheep with respiratory disease and the surface deposits of their house, and analyze the relationship between the respiratory diseases of sheep and the microbial community composition of their environment. Our study is expected to provide references for prevention and treatment of sheep respiratory diseases. We collected the nasal swabs of sheep and the surface deposits of their house from a sheep farm in Yinchuan, Ningxia. Then, control with nasal swabs and surface deposits of the healthy sheep, 16S rRNA gene sequencing were performed, and the microbial community composition of the nasal cavity and the environment of healthy sheep with respiratory disease were analyzed by bioinformatics. The results showed that the diversity and richness of microbial flora in the nasal cavity and their environment of sheep with respiratory diseases were reduced compared with those healthy sheep. The microbial community composition of the nasal cavity in healthy sheep was significantly different from those sheep with respiratory diseases (P<0.01). Stenotrophomonas is the main genus in the nasal cavity of healthy sheep. Moraxella, Bergeyella and Filobacterium are the predominant genus in the nasal cavity of sheep suffering from respiratory diseases. The microbial community composition in the surface deposits of house between the healthy and the sheep with respiratory diseases also had a significant difference (P<0.05). Firmicutes was the most prominent phyla in diseased sheep. It is concluded that the microbial community composition and relative abundance were changed in the nasal cavity and their environment of sheep with respiratory diseases, but the environment microbial community is not directly related to the respiratory disease of sheep. The imbalance of microbial flora and the increased relative abundance of bacterial pathogens such as Moraxella, Bergeyella, and Filobacterium in diseased sheep may be important factors leading to respiratory diseases in sheep.

Key words: respiratory disease of sheep, nasal microbial community, surface deposits of sheep house, diversity

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