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. 2021 Sep 18;11(9):2734.
doi: 10.3390/ani11092734.

The Level of Selected Bacterial Phyla on the Skin Surface of Small Ruminants According to the Breed and Species

Paulina Cholewińska  1 , Paulina Nazar  2 , Andrzej Junkuszew  2 , Jakub Smoliński  1 , Katarzyna Czyż  1 , Anna Wyrostek  1
Affiliations

The Level of Selected Bacterial Phyla on the Skin Surface of Small Ruminants According to the Breed and Species

Paulina Cholewińska et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

For decades, skin has been assigned the main role of an insulator of the inside of the body from the external environment, but it also plays a role in maintaining homeostasis. In this study, the level of selected bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria) was assessed in three sheep breeds (Świniarka sheep, Uhruska sheep and BCP line (synthetic sheep breed; n = 6) and in two breeds of goats (Boer, Saenian; n = 6) living in the same environment and fed on the same feed, where the aim was to identify differences in terms of race, species and individual differences. Significant differences were found in Firmicute, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla (p ≤ 0.05). Statistically significant and positive correlations were demonstrated between Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The obtained results suggest that the species and racial differences in the level of the studied bacterial phyla may also result from the physicochemical differences of the skin surface, as they could exacerbate the variations in humidity, temperature, composition of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) and lipid content. In addition, individual differences were observed, which indicate a similar effect of an individual on the microbiological composition of its organism.

Keywords: BCP line; Boer goat; Sanaan goat; Uhruska sheep; goats; microbiome; sheep; skin; Świniarka sheep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Arrangement of animals in the building (arrangement of pens in the building).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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