Development and testing of a method for transferring symbiofauna of cattle

Comprehensive studies of the rumen microbiocenosis in cattle revealed significant interbreed variations, with the native Yakut cattle exhibiting a distinctly unique status. It was established that Yakut animals harbor an exceptionally rich and diverse community of endobiontic ciliates, comprising 36 species belonging to 12 genera. This figure substantially exceeds the corresponding indices recorded for Simmental and crossbred animals. Qualitative analysis identified unique symbionts present only in Yakut cattle, including the rarely encountered species Charonina ventriculi and a previously undescribed morphotype of Metadinium sp. Quantitative parameters of ciliate abundance varied from 200 thousand to 2 million cells per milliliter, confirming a direct correlation with the type and nutritional value of the diet. Of particular scientific interest are the significant morphometric differences identified. A detailed analysis demonstrated that ciliates of the species Eudiplodinium maggii, Metadinium medium, and Isotricha prostoma inhabiting the rumen of Yakut cattle were statistically significantly larger (p < 0.001) compared to those found in other studied breeds. Low values of the Jaccard-Malyshev similarity coefficient objectively confirmed the hypothesis of a specific symbiocenosis formation in native animals, resulting from long-term adaptation to local feeding and maintenance conditions. A key practical outcome of this work was the development, standardization, and testing of a symbiofauna transplantation technique. Testing of the method under production conditions demonstrated 100% efficacy. Oral transplantation of the prepared inoculum to 18 recipients (5 Yakut, 3 Simmental, and 10 crossbred lactating cows) resulted in successful symbiont engraftment. Control microscopic analysis of samples collected 7 days post-procedure confirmed the presence and activity of the transplanted ciliates in the rumen of the recipient animals.

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