Abstract

The communities of bacterial species present within a sheep gut microbiota can have varying effects on general host health. It is thought that the microbiota carried by ewes can transfer to offspring and influence their microbial communities, which then could potentially affect the health and production of the animal. Antibiotic resistance has become a major issue worldwide and commensal bacteria can also harbour antibiotic resistance genes. Therefore, transfer of microbiota from ewes to lambs could also transfer resistance, further increasing the problem. There are limited studies monitoring transfer and resistance of bacteria within sheep, even though the processes could have an economic impact on farmers. In this study, faecal samples from 65 ewes and 109 lambs were collected. There were 11 different species of bacteria isolated from the faeces. These species showed most resistance to tetracycline (bacterial species isolated from 77% of ewes and 79% of lambs showed tetracycline resistance)and the blaTEM-1 resistance gene was the most prevalent(found in 25% of the isolated bacteria). The species present as part of the gut microbiota and their resistance levels, in both ewes and lambs, were compared to deduce whether transfer from mother to offspring was likely. The bacterial species in lambs were also measured at repeat sample collections within the first two months of birth, to try and determine whether gut microbiota changed with age. A significant relationship was found between resistance levels of the bacteria isolated and the age of lambs. Similarities could be seen in the composition of gut microbiota in ewes and lambs, suggesting possible transmission of species from ewe to their offspring, however the relationship was not significant. Further analysis, including isolating bacteria from affecting factors other than the ewes, would need to be undertaken to prove direct microbial transfer from mother to offspring.