Diversity Analysis of Fecal Microbiota in Goats Driven by White Blood Cell Count

TL;DR

This study explores how white blood cell counts in Hainan black goats relate to gut microbiota diversity, finding significant associations that could help assess goat health.

Contribution

The study identifies WBC-associated microbial biomarkers in Hainan black goats, linking gut microbiome composition to host immune regulation.

Findings

High WBC group showed the greatest fecal microbiota richness compared to Lower and Middle groups.

Bacillota and Bacteroidota were dominant phyla across all WBC groups.

WBC counts correlated positively with genera like unclassified_f_Oscillospiraceae and unclassified_c_Clostridia.

Abstract

The Leizhou goat is a vital indigenous breed, yet its disease resilience can complicate early health monitoring. The white blood cell (WBC) count is a key indicator of immune status, but its relationship with the gut microbiota remains uncharacterized in this breed. This study aimed to characterize the fecal microbiota of Hainan black goats stratified based on their WBC counts. The goats were stratified into Lower, Middle, and High WBC groups based on peripheral WBC counts to compare their fecal microbiota and identify potential associations with systemic immunity. Significant differences in microbial alpha- and be-ta-diversity were observed among the groups, with the High WBC group showing the greatest richness. The microbiota was dominated by Bacillota and Bacteroidota at the phylum level. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) identified specific taxa en-riched in each group, such as Ruminococcusin the High WBC group. Critically, Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between WBC counts and the relative abundance of genera like unclassified_f_Oscillospiraceae and unclassi-fied_c_Clostridia. These findings demonstrate that WBC counts are significantly associated with distinct shifts in the gut microbial community structure of Hainan black goats. The identified WBC-associated microbial biomarkers suggest a link between the gut microbi-ome and host immune regulation, providing a foundation for future research on microbi-ota-mediated health assessment in goats.

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