Efficacy of the direct-fed microbial Enterococcus faecium alone or in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Lactococcus lactis during induced subacute ruminal acidosis

This study aimed at investigating Enterococcus faecium, alone or E. faecium in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Lactococcus lactis during a subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) challenge. Four ruminally fistulated Holstein dairy cows were assigned to the following treatments in a 4 x 4 Latin square design: (1) control (CON); (2) E. faecium (EF); (3) EF + S. cerevisiae (EFSC); (4) EF + L. lactis DSM 11037 (EFLL). Each experimental period consisted of 18 d of adaptation to the respective direct-fed microbial, 3 d of SARA challenge, and 7 d of rest. Rumen pH was recorded every 10 min over 24 h on d 17 of adaptation, d 2 of SARA, and d 6 of rest. On the last day of adaptation, SARA, and rest, samples of rumen content (0 and 3 h after feeding) were taken for volatile fatty acids, lactate, vitamin B-12, rumen microbes, and lipopolysaccharides determination. Blood samples (0 and 6 h after feeding) were taken for the measurement of acute-phase proteins. Dry matter intake and milk yield were recorded daily. During SARA, mean rumen pH with EFSC (5.94) was not different from that of EFLL (5.95) and tended to be higher than with CON (5.82) or EF (5.82). Postfeeding vitamin B-12 concentrations in the rumen were greater with EFSC (134.5 ng/g) than with EF (99.6 ng/g) and tended to be greater when compared with CON (101.2 ng/g) or EFLL (104.9 ng/g). During rest, prefeed vitamin B-12 was greater with EFSC (166.5 ng/g) compared with CON (132.3 ng/g). The EFSC treatment did better than EF alone on pH characteristics during adaptation and SARA and on maintenance of ruminal vitamin B-12 status during SARA. Milk yield drop from d 1 to 3 of SARA was smaller with EFSC (-0.8 kg/d), EF (-0.9 kg/d), or EFLL (-0.9 kg/d) compared with CON (-7.5 kg/d).