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Faecal microbiota composition associates with systemic inflammatory marker and cytokine profiles in periparturient dairy cattle

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The period around calving is challenging for dairy cattle, as many diseases and metabolic issues manifest, alongside major endocrine changes. A plethora of physiological modifications have been described at this time, including hormonal, metabolic, immunological and even gut microbiota-related changes. Nevertheless, there is little evidence regarding the potential relationships between these factors. The objective of the present study was to provide a comprehensive description of the immune status and responsiveness, whilst also exploring the possible associations with the faecal microbiota. To achieve this objective, blood and faecal samples were collected from a cohort of 411 dairy cows across 25 dairy farms before and after parturition. Whole blood was stimulated ex vivo with lipopolysaccharide, and cytokine secretion was assessed using a 15-plex cytokine and chemokine assay. Faecal microbiota was assessed using 16 S rRNA metabarcoding. The study identified four distinct cytokine-based profiles that were associated with the cytokine production around calving. The four cytokine-based clusters did not demonstrate a clear distinction based on microbiota. However, the variability in expression of individual cytokines could be explained in part by the microbiota (up to 9.4% for CCL3). Several individual cytokines, including IL-17 A, IL-1α and IL-1β, were identified as being associated with different microbial taxa. Furthermore, higher levels of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 were associated with elevated IL-17 A levels, while lower levels of Monoglobus were associated with elevated IL-1α levels. These findings support the hypothesis that the pre-calving gut microbiota may contribute to shaping post-calving inflammatory responses and highlight its potential as a source of early microbial indicators of immune challenge during the transition period.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-64969-9