Comparison of gut viral communities in diarrhoea and healthy dairy calves

Calf diarrhoea has been a major cause of economic losses in the global dairy industry. Many factors, including multiple pathogen infections, can directly or indirectly cause calf diarrhoea. This study compared the faecal virome between 15 healthy calves and 15 calves with diarrhoea. Significantly lower diversity of viruses was found in samples from animals with diarrhoea than those in the healthy ones, and this feature may also be related to the age of the calves. Viruses belonging to the families Astroviridae and Caliciviridae that may cause diarrhoea in dairy calves have been characterized, which revealed that reads of caliciviruses and astroviruses in diarrhoea calves were much higher than those in healthy calves. Five complete genomic sequences closely related to Smacoviridae have been identified, which may participate in the regulation of the gut virus community ecology of healthy hosts together with bacteriophages. This research provides a theoretical basis for further understanding of known or potential enteric pathogens related to calf diarrhoea.

Automated summary

Calf diarrhoea is a major cause of economic losses in the global dairy industry, with factors such as pathogen infections contributing to the condition. The study found that calves with diarrhoea had significantly lower diversity of viruses compared to healthy calves, with certain viruses being associated with calf diarrhoea. The research identified specific viral families and genomic sequences that may play a role in gut virus community ecology in healthy hosts and provide a theoretical basis for understanding enteric pathogens related to calf diarrhoea.