Maternal microbiota in relation to mortality, culling, and offspring survival in rabbits
[EN] Mortality and culling in rabbits, particularly among breeding does and their offspring, present significant challenges by reducing longevity, productivity, and profitability. This study investigates whether fecal microbiota composition varies depending on whether the female will experience deat...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) |
| Repositorio: | RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/232656 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/232656 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Culling Microbiota Mortality Offspring survival Rabbits |
| Sumario: | [EN] Mortality and culling in rabbits, particularly among breeding does and their offspring, present significant challenges by reducing longevity, productivity, and profitability. This study investigates whether fecal microbiota composition varies depending on whether the female will experience death, culling, or remain healthy and how it correlates with the proximity of the event. Additionally, it examines whether disruptions in the maternal microbiota, transferred naturally to offspring, is associated with their survival. To do so, does were categorized based on their fate: death (D, deceased naturally during productive lifespan), culled for reproductive reasons (CR), or healthy controls (C). Soft fecal samples were collected for V3-V4 16S rRNA sequencing to assess microbial diversity and composition. The results revealed that does approaching death or reproductive culling exhibited lower microbial richness, particularly near the event, with significantly higher values observed in the control group compared to the CR and D groups. Classification models using metataxonomic ASVs data accurately classified fate outcomes, with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.99 when samples were collected close to the event (similar to 50 d). The deceased group had the highest recall rates (0.80-0.99), suggesting that their microbiota profiles are the most distinct, potentially because of dysbiosis. However, performance decreased as time to the event increased. Concerning offspring survival, first, we found that maternal fate significantly impacted kit survival, with offspring from deceased does showing a 9% lower survival rate at weaning and those from reproductive culls showing a 5% reduction. Additionally, maternal microbiota composition has accounted for a significant portion of the variability in kit survival. Different taxa were found to influence both maternal fate and kit survival, such as Clostridia UCG-014, Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae R-7 group, and uncultured Eubacteriaceae. These findings highlight the potential of microbiota-based biomarkers for predicting mortality and reproductive culling risks in rabbits, improving management practices, and enhancing offspring survival. Furthermore, the results emphasize the critical link between maternal health, microbiota composition, and offspring survival, underscoring the importance of maintaining maternal microbiota stability for improving both welfare and productivity.; Mortality and early removal of breeding female rabbits reduce farm productivity and animal welfare. We tracked the fecal microbiota in does, comparing healthy females with those that later died or were culled for infertility. We also followed how a mother's mortality/culling and microbiota might affect the survival of her kits. Microbiota information was obtained from soft feces samples and analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Females that were close to death or culling showed a drop in microbial richness. Using microbial information, we could classify a female's future fate with up to 99% accuracy (Area Under the Curve), especially when samples were collected within two months of the event (death or culling). Maternal health mattered to the next generation: kits from does that later died had 9% lower survival at weaning than healthy ones, and much of this difference can be explained by the mother's microbiota profile. These findings position the rabbit fecal microbiota as a non-invasive biomarker to flag high-risk does early and to guide management that improves longevity and litter survival.; Analyzing the microbiome of breeding rabbits allowed us to apply classification models that describe associations between microbiota profiles and the risk of death or culling and revealed that these profiles could be associated with differences in kit survival at birth and weaning. |
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