Associations between the postpartum uterine and vaginal microbiota and the subsequent development of purulent vaginal discharge varies with dairy cow breed and parity

The objective of this study was to characterize the species composition and functional potential vaginal uterine microbiota at 1 wk postpartum in dairy cows diagnosed with or without purulent discharge (PVD) 3 postpartum. hypothesis that differences between (PVD+) (PVD−) PVD were dependent on parity breed. Cytobrush samples vagina uterus collected from 36 Holstein-Friesian (7 primiparous 29 multiparous) Jersey (10 19 cows. Microbial DNA isolated each sample processed for shotgun metagenomic sequencing. odds multiparous being as PVD+ less compared (OR = 0.21). Neither α-diversity nor β-diversity associated but different breeds parities. In cows, PVD− minor, had greater relative abundance Fusobacterium necrophorum, Trueperella pyogenes, Porphyromonas levii, amino acid protein synthesis, energy metabolism, growth lesser Bacteroides heparinolyticus microbiota, included cellulose biosynthesis fucose catabolism gram-negative cell wall synthesis negative regulation tumor necrosis factor signaling Caviibacter abscessus whereas Catenibacterium mitsuokai, Finegoldia magna, Klebsiella variicola, Streptococcus anginosus spermidine reduced summary, findings suggest alternative strategies may be required treat parities cow.