The cells lining cattle’s digestive tracts have two seemingly contradictory functions: they need to absorb nutrients while also acting as a barrier to prevent disease causing organisms from entering the bloodstream.
Nutrient absorption has not been studied in great detail in ruminants, and barrier function even less so. The interplay between these two functions also raises the possibility that nutritional disruptions may also affect how well the gut can act as a barrier to pathogens.
Research currently underway, funded by the National Check-off and Canada’s second Beef Science Cluster, is working to better understand Continue reading