A preliminary study on farmed and free-ranging mouflons core microbiome.

The digestive tract of ruminants is populated by a diverse microbiome and is also known as a specific ecosystem. The close relationship between the microbiota and the host digestive system influences development and proper health. The rich microflora of ruminants is often altered by the influence of the environment, diet or individual factors, which in turn affects production rates. The most extensive part of the gastrointestinal tract in terms of microbiology is the large intestine, where bacterial levels increase in the caudal direction. The purpose of this study was to compare the core microbiomes of the feces of farmed and free-ranging mouflons, taking into account differences in housing conditions, as well as their diet and individual variability. The most characteristic clusters for ruminants were studied: Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, as well as the families Lactobacillaceae and Clostridiaceae. The material for the study consisted of feces collected from 10 farmed and 10 free-ranging mouflons. The experiment was based on demonstrating changes in the levels of the bacteria tested by means of DNA isolation from feces and real-time PCR analysis, taking into account dietary and environmental differences. The results showed that the levels of the Lactobacillaceae and Clostridiaceae families were significantly higher in free-ranging individuals than in farmed ones (p < 0.01). For the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla, no statistically significant differences were shown. In addition, each mouflon was characterized by an individual composition of the microbiome, which changed through environmental, individual and dietary factors.