Gut microflora transfer from mother cows to their calves

October 7, 2025

Administrating a medium-chain fatty acid to mother cows regulates their gut bacteriome and improves their calves’ feed efficiency

An industry-university joint study by researchers from Kyushu University, the RIKEN Center for Integrated Medical Science (IMS), the RIKEN CSRS, the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP), Kanematsu Agritech Co., Ltd., and the Chiba University-originated venture Sermas Co., Ltd. has demonstrated the potential control of calves’ gut environment by regulating the gut microflora in mother cows.

One of the challenges in growing Japanese black calves is growth deficiency associated with diarrhea. To control calves’ gut bacteriome, attempts have been made, including the administration of probiotics and prebiotics directly to calves. The researchers of this study previously found a strong association between the gut bacteriomes in mother cows and in their postweaning calves. In this study, they examined whether the calves’ gut environment could be controlled by regulating the dams’ gut bacteriome. They administered octanoate, a medium-chain fatty acid, to dams from 60 days before the expected parturition date to 3 days after parturition. Then, they conducted a comprehensive analysis of fecal bacteriome in their calves at 30 days of age during the suckling period and at 180 days of age during the growing period. The study group found that, in the calves born from the dams that had been given octanoate, the positive association with the genus Bacteroides, a producer of short-chain fatty acids, at 30 days old and the negative association with the genus Candidatus Stoquefichus, which is involved in inflammatory bowel disease, at 180 days old are significant causal indicators. These findings suggest that nutritional intervention for dams could control the gut environment in their calves. This approach is expected to be a future strategy to complement and enhance direct interventions for calves through the use of probiotics and other measures.

 

Original article

Scientific Reports　doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-18490-0

H. Yamano, H. Horike, Y. Taguchi, Y. Inabu, H. Miyamoto, A. Kurotani, N. Suzuki, S. Moriya, T. Nakaguma, C. Ishii, M. Matsuura, N. Tsuji, T. Etoh, Y. Shiotsuka, R. Fujino, S. Wada, J. Kikuchi, H. Ohno, H. Takahashi,

"Maternal administration of octanoate, a medium-chain fatty acid, improves feed efficiency of Japanese black calves through influencing gut bacteriome structure".

Contact

Jun Kikuchi
Team Director
Environmental Metabolic Analysis Research Team