Exploring the effect of the microbiota on the production of duck striped eggs.

The microbiota has received plenty of attention in recent years due to its influence on host health and productivity. The striped eggs have reduced hatching performance and resulted in economic loss. The reasons are still unknown. Microbiota is one of the potentially important factors contributing to striped egg formation. This study investigates the relationship between the microbiota and striped eggs. The litter samples, feed samples, and cloacal swab samples of female ducks that produce striped eggs and normal eggs were performed for microbial diversity and composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that there was no significant difference between feed microbiota and cloacal swab microbiota by alpha diversity, whereas, the number of microorganisms in the litter samples of female ducks that produced striped eggs was less than those of female ducks with normal eggs. There were compositional differences in litter microbiota of female ducks between the striped egg and the normal eggs. Among them, the abundance of Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Brevibacterium in the litter of female ducks that produced striped eggs was significantly higher than that produced normal eggs. And these differential bacteria maybe affect the health of female ducks and cause abnormalities in the formation process of duck eggs. Therefore, the reduction of harmful bacteria may protect the reproductive health of female ducks and decrease the proportion of striped eggs. It provides an important reference to explore why female ducks produce striped eggs.

Genome-wide association study identified the candidate genes associated with angel wing trait in Pekin duck.

Angel wing is a developmental wing deformity that can influence breeding and reproduction in the commercial duck industry. The nutrition foundation of angel wing trait was initially explored, but the genetic basic remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified candidate genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with angel wing trait in Pekin ducks using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and selective sweep analysis. The GWAS results showed that nine SNPs across five chromosomes were significantly correlated with the angel wing trait. In total, 468 selection signals were shown between the angel wing ducks and normal ducks, and these signals harbored 154 genes, which were enriched in the nervous system and metabolism. This study provides the new insights into the genetic factors that may influence duck angel wing.