Study on nutrient metabolism,serum biochemical indexes,and gut microbiota diversity in camel calves with wool-eating pica
LUO Shengjin
FAN Xinli
MAIMAITI Yusupu
LI Wen
Abstract：This experiment aimed to investigate the characteristics of nutritional metabolism,serum biochemical indexes,and gut microbiota diversity in camel calves with wool-eating pica.10 healthy camel calves(Ctrl group)and 10 camel calves with wool-eating pica(Pica group)were selected,all aged nine months with a body weight of(150.0±20.5)kg.The serum mineral elements,amino acid content,biochemical indexes and gut microbiota composition were determined,and correlation analysis was performed using Pearson's method.The results showed that in the Pica group,the serum calcium-phosphorus ratio(0.82)was imbalanced,the sodium content was significantly higher than in the Ctrl group(P＜0.05),while the phosphorus and potassium concentrations were extremely higher than in the Ctrl group(P＜0.01).The methionine(Met)content in the Pica group was significantly higher than that in the Ctrl group(P＜0.05),while the concentrations of other amino acids showed no significant difference(P＞0.05).The activities of alanine transaminase(ALT)and aspartate transaminase(AST)in the Pica group were significantly higher than those in the Ctrl group(P＜0.05),whereas the albumin(ALB)content and albumin to globulin ratio(A/G)were extremely lower than those in the Ctrl group(P＜0.01).α diversity analysis of gut microbiota revealed that the Ace index,Chaol index,and Shannon index in the Pica group were significantly higher than those in the Ctrl group(P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference in βdiversity(P＞0.05).At the family level,the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobiaceae in the Pica group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae was significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the relative abundance of Peptostreptococcaceae was extremely increased(P＜0.01).Correlation analysis indicated that serum Met content was significantly positively correlated with the relative abundance of Peptostreptococcaceae(P＜0.05).The study indicates that the occurrence of wool-eating pica in camel calves is closely associated with mineral metabolism disorders,abnormal Met levels,changes in liver function indexes,and alterations in gut microbiota structure.Effective prevention of this behavior can be achieved by regulating the calcium-phosphorus ratio in the diet of dam camels,maintaining amino acid balance,and improving gut health.
Keywords：camel calveswool-eating picanutrient metabolismserum biochemical indexesgut microbiota
Publication Date：2025-10-16
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-09(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 30-36 )