Comparative metagenomics reveal the effect of diet on the fecal virome and the associations with production traits of beef cattle

Authors: Zhang, Yujie; Liao, Yen-Te; LIU, FANG - Ocean University Of China; Li, Robert; Wu, Vivian

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Grain-fed and grass-fed methods are the most common types of cattle feeding in the beef industry. Different cattle feeding methods could affect the gut microbiota compositions and subsequently change microbial adaptation and cattle metabolism. However, there is limited information regarding the association between cattle gastrointestinal virome and its physiological traits. The objectives of this study were to examine the composition of fecal virome from grain-fed and grass-fed beef cattle and to identify unique virome features to understand the relationship between different feeding types and cattle physiological traits. Six grain-fed and six grass-fed Angus beef cattle were weighted, and their fecal samples were collected for viral metagenomic sequencing. The difference in animal growth revealed a higher post-weaning weight of grain-fed cattle than that of the grass-fed cattle after day 56. Approximately 795 and 1,266 predicted viral sequences were obtained from the grain-fed and grass-fed fecal viromes, respectively. Additionally, the taxonomic classification showed that viruses belonging to the order Caudovirales, mostly bacteriophages, dominated the cattle virome in both groups, followed by the orders Cremeviriles and Petitvirales. At the family level, there were 13 and 16 viral families detected in the grain-fed and grass-fed groups, respectively. The comparative analysis of virome features showed that the viral population from the kingdom Bamfordvirae had a significantly higher abundance in the grain-fed group than in the grass-fed cattle virome. In contrast, the kingdom Heunggongvirae had a significantly higher abundance in the grass-fed group than in the grain-fed cattle virome. Moreover, the viruses under the order Caudovirales and the family Podoviridae had significantly higher abundances in the grass-fed virome than in the grain-fed virome. The findings indicate the influence of animal feeds on the changes in gastrointestinal viral compositions and their potential association with cattle weight gain. The current outcome could contribute to further understanding phage-bacterial interactions and their underlying mechanisms regulating the animal host’s metabolism and feed efficiency.