Ruminal Microbiome and Lipopolysaccharides

Bovine ruminal acidosis is a serious digestive tract disease caused by the use of highly fermentable feeds to boost productivity (Khafipour et al., 2009). When a ruminant consumes large amounts of readily fermentable carbohydrates (RFCs) in a short period of time, or when the period of adaptation to RFCs is insufficient, RFCs are suddenly fermented and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulate, causing the rumen pH to drop below 5.5 for an extended period of time and resulting in the condition of fermentative acidosis (Ding and Xu, 2003).

 Lactic acid-producing bacteria, such as Streptococcus bovis and Lactobacillus spp., proliferate in this condition, resulting in an accumulation of lactic acid, which is known as lactic acidosis (Gozho et al., 2007). It is a common gastrointestinal disorder that causes significant economic losses to the dairy industry due to a significant decrease in milk yield and a high mortality rate in acute cases (Patil et al., 2008). Ruminants of all ages, breeds, and sexes are prone to grain and carbohydrate overeating (Radostitis et al., 2007).