Feeding modes shape the acquisition and structure of the initial gut microbiota in newborn lambs

Early gut microbial colonization is important for postnatal metabolic and immune development. However, little is known about the effects of different feeding modes (suckling versus bottle-feeding) or microbial sources on this process in farm animals. We found that suckled and bottle-fed newborn lambs had their own distinct gut microbiota. Results from 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qPCR showed that, compared with suckling, bottle feeding...