Ruminal acidosis: strategies for its control

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Ruminal acidosis in ruminants is a metabolic disorder of gastrointestinal origin that occurs in animals with a high feed intake of cereal grains diets, which affect the performance. According to clinical manifestations it can be classified as: a) acute lactic acidosis with prolonged exposure to ruminal pH ≤ 5.0, triggering a systemic acidosis, with clinical manifestations and changes in biochemical patterns, starting the first twelve hours of ruminal acidosis and it takes 48 to 120 hours to reestablish, b) subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA), it has no clinical manifestations, rumen pH decreases in a range of 5.5 to 5.0 and is held for 111 to 180 minutes in 24 hours, this decrease causes an imbalance in the ruminal metabolism, as well as the fluid balance. Ruminal acidosis can be prevented by adding sodium bicarbonate to the ration, or zootechnic additives such as Saccharomyces cereviseae and Megasphaera elsdenii as well as essential oils (cinnamaldehyde and eugenol). It is also important to consider the forage/concentrate ratio, the forage particle size, the NDF content of the ration, as well as the cereal's rate of degradation in the rumen. The objective of this review was to address the ruminal acidosis pathophysiology, its effects on animal welfare and control strategies to minimise the detrimental impact on animal production.Key words: metabolic disorder, ruminal subacute acidosis. RESUMEN.La acidosis ruminal es un trastorno metabólico de origen digestivo, que se presenta en los rumiantes al ingerir dietas altas en granos de cereales, y que afecta el rendimiento productivo. Según sus manifestaciones clínicas se clasifica en: a) acidosis láctica aguda en la que hay una exposición prolongada a un pH ruminal ≤ 5,0, lo que desencadena una acidosis sistémica con manifestaciones clínicas, así como cambios en los patrones bioquímicos que se inician en las primeras doce horas de la acidosis ruminal y tardan de 48 a 120 horas en restablecerse, y b) acidosis subaguda ruminal (ASR), donde no hay manifestaciones clínicas, el pH del rumen disminuye en un rango de 5,5 a 5,0 y se mantiene durante 111 a 180 minutos en 24 horas, este descenso provoca un desequilibrio tanto en el metabolismo ruminal como en el balance de líquidos. La acidosis ruminal se puede prevenir por la adición de bicarbonato de sodio, aditivos zootécnicos como la Sccharomyces cerevisiae y Megasphaera elsdenii, y aceites esenciales (cinamaldehído y eugenol). Es importante considerar la relación forraje/concentrado así como el tamaño de partícula del forraje, el contenido de FND de la ración, y la degradación del grano de cereal en el rumen. El objetivo de la presente revisión fue abordar la fisiopatología de la acidosis ruminal, los efectos que esta causa en el bienestar animal y las estrategias para su control, para minimizar su impacto detrimental en la producción animal.Palabras claves: trastorno metabólico, acidosis subaguda ruminal.

Phylogenetic and functional adaption of the gastrointestinal microbiome of goats kept at high altitude (4800 m) under intensive or extensive rearing conditions

“…According to the current literature, this may indicate rumen acidosis, which is a common pathology in high performance ruminant production systems where fermentable ber sources are partially replaced by simple carbohydrate substrates (starch, monosaccharides). It is accompanied with systemic in ammatory processes [35] and has been associated with a drop in brolytic bacteria and an increase in gram-negative bacteria [36]. These reports are in line with our data on the functional annotation of the metagenome, which pointed to increased counts of genes associated with starch breakdown in drylot goats and, in parallel, a decrease in genes involved in the digestion of non-starch polysaccharides.…”

Ingestive behavior of steers finished on soybean hull and/or white oat grain

“…In this case, the low pH is due to a high lactic acid production, which exceeds the absorption capacity of the ruminal epithelium (19) , which leads to a change in acid-base balance and, hence, to a subacute ruminal acidosis. According to López et al (20) , it is the result of a sharp decrease in pH from 5.5 to 5.0 and maintained for 111 to 180 minutes for 24 hours. Subacute ruminal acidosis is a common health and production problem occurring in cattle fed low-fiber diets (21) .…”

Effect of the Use of Tomato Pomace on Feeding and Performance of Lactating Goats

“…peNDF is responsible for increasing the secretion of buffers from saliva, which keeps the ruminal pH at an optimal level, which is directly related to animal health and preservation of milk fat. As a consequence of inadequate peNDF in the diet of ruminants, there is a decrease in rumen pH, a decrease in DM intake, a drop in milk fat content, and an increased risk of metabolic disorders, such as acidosis [28].…”