When fed a cocktail of four strains of beneficial gut bacteria, newborn calves appeared to be more protected against common disease-causing bacteria, with few falling ill.
Maddison Degenshein’s research is the first to test particular bacterial strains derived directly from bovines. It builds the understanding of how probiotics could shield calves from disease until their natural immunity kicks in.
Source: The Bullvine, May 6, 2022. Link. The bacteria Degenshein worked with were grown from healthy gut microbes collected from day-old dairy calves and fed to them as a probiotic in milk supplements.
. . . this bacteria is what healthy cows already have in their guts. The calves would eventually develop it anyway, but with the probiotic, they’ll have it sooner, and it works with their natural physiology.”