Metagenome analyses reveal the role of Clostridium perfringens in alfalfa silage anaerobic deterioration. Issue 8 (19th March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zheng, Mingli; Niu, Dongze; Jiang, Di; Li, Rongrong; Meng, Lin; Xu, Chuncheng
• Is Part Of: FEMS microbiology letters. Volume 367:Issue 8(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-03-19
• Subjects: alfalfa silage -- clostridial fermentation -- Clostridium perfringens -- high-throughput sequencing -- microbial community; Microbiology -- Periodicals; 579
• DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnaa052
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0378-1097

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The clostridial fermentation caused by the outgrowth of Clostridia was mainly responsible for the silage anaerobic deterioration. Our previous results showed that Clostridium perfringens dominated the clostridial community in poor-fermented alfalfa silage. This study was conducted to further examine the role of C. perfringens in silage anaerobic deterioration through fermentation products and the microbial community analyses. Direct-cut alfalfa was ensiled with C. perfringens contamination (CKC) or with the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum, sucrose and C. perfringens (LSC). Contamination with C. perfringens enhanced the clostridial fermentation in CKC silage, as indicated by high contents of butyric acid, ammonia nitrogen and Clostridia, while LSC silage was well preserved. The genera Bifidobacterium, Garciella and Clostridium dominated the bacterial community in CKC silage, while predominate genus was replaced by Lactobacillus in LSC silage. The clostridial community in CKC silage was dominated by Garciella sp. (26.9 to 58.1%) and C. tyrobutyricum (24.4 to 48.6%), while the relative abundance of C. perfringens was below 5.0%. Therefore, the effect of Clostridia contamination on ensiling fermentation was dependent on the ensilability of the silage material. Garciella sp. and C. tyrobutyricum, rather than C. perfringens, played dominant role in the clostridial fermentation in CKC silage. Abstract : Clostridium perfringens contamination promoted the growth of Garciella sp. and Clostridium tyrobutyricum, then enhanced the clostridial fermentation of alfalfa silage.