Bovine mammary gland and the paradigm of sterility: a metagenomic perspective.

• Grant number: 21/13873-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: March 05, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Alice Maria Melville Paiva Della Libera
• Grantee: José Augusto Ferronatto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/01259-2 - Bacterial translocation as a source of imprinting in the bovine mammary gland: unraveling the enteromammary pathway, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

In recent years, with the advancement of molecular techniques, there has been a growing search for communities of commensal microorganisms, due to the fact that many of these populations have the capacity to prevent or favors many diseases. Thus, no consensus was found about the sterility of the mammary gland. Some authors have assumed that the mammary gland has its own microbiota, while others argued that it is sterile. The hypothesis of this project is based on the existence of an udder microbiome that interacts either physiologically and/or pathologically, with an impact on the efficiency of management actions for bovine mastitis, its microbiological, immunological and breast resilience profile. The importance of bovine mastitis and milk production is known but the knowledge of microbiota is still to be incorporated. Numerous studies are restricted to pathogens and antimicrobial treatments, which are long-term unsustainable. In some countries, the use of antimicrobials is already legally controlled, as well as increase demand on animal welfare and good manufacturing practices. Other studies with a similar objective haven't proved the presence of the microbiota or the "sterility" of the bovine udder. To clarify this fact, the present study aims to investigate the existence of commensal microorganisms in nulliparous animals. For this, eight 12- month-old heifers, will be submitted to the udder biopsy technique. From these, three samples will be collected, of which one will be from the skin (control), and two will be collected from udder tissue at different depths. Subsequently, the samples will be processed for material maceration and treatment with propidium monoazide, as well as DNA extraction and metagenomic analysis.