Comprehensive Milk Microbiome Profiling
The Microbiome Insight Powering Healthier Herds
GTx-Milk empowers dairy farmers, veterinarians, herd managers, and dairy industry researchers and scientists with actionable microbiome insights to enable early mastitis detection, reduce recurrence, improve treatment strategies, and protect long-term herd productivity.
Sample Requirements:
- Sample Type: Alveolar milk, typically collected at the end of milking. Samples are often composite (mixed from all quarters) or individual quarter samples (Quarter: a distinct lobe or section of the cow's udder).
- Volume: Approximately 5–10 mL (alveolar milk) or 15–20 mL (general milk sample)
- Collection Procedure: Requires strict aseptic conditions. The first few streams of milk must be discarded, and teat ends should be thoroughly disinfected (e.g. with 70% ethanol).
- Storage: Samples must be transported and stored immediately at low temperatures (e.g., −20 °C or −80 °C) prior to DNA extraction.
Key Features:
- High-Resolution Milk Microbiome Analysis: High-throughput profiling of bacterial communities in milk samples using 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to deliver detailed, accurate microbial insights, including virulence, antibiotic resistance, and metabolic activities.
- Mastitis State Stratification: Accurately distinguishes between healthy, subclinical, clinical, and recurrent clinical mastitis to support precise diagnosis and monitoring.
- Early Detection of Subclinical Mastitis: Identifies microbial shifts in asymptomatic animals, enabling intervention before productivity losses occur.
- Pathogen & Signature Marker Identification: Detects key microbial species, genera, and community patterns associated with mastitis susceptibility or healthy status.
- Virulence & Antibiotic Resistance Insights: Screens for virulence factor genes (VFGs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) linked to disease severity, treatment failure, and recurrence.
- Functional Microbiome Analysis: Predicts metabolic and functional pathways altered during disease progression, including nutrient and carbohydrate metabolism (e.g. TCA cycle).
- Advanced Bioinformatics & Databases: Powered by validated pipelines and curated databases (e.g. VFDB, ResFinder, KEGG/SEED) for clinically and biologically meaningful interpretation.
- Optional Absolute Quantification: Flow cytometry integration enables conversion of relative abundances into absolute bacterial counts for improved accuracy over time.
- Flexible Sequencing Approaches: Supports both targeted metagenomics (16S / ITS) and whole metagenome shotgun sequencing based on study depth and objectives.
- Actionable Reporting: Translates complex microbiome data into clear, interpretable insights for veterinarians, researchers, and herd managers.
How it Works?
Step 1: Sample Collection
- Alveolar milk collected aseptically at end of milking (composite or quarter samples).
- Samples are chilled immediately to preserve microbial DNA integrity.
Step 2: DNA Extraction
- Efficient isolation of microbial DNA.
- Optimized for high purity and yield.
Step 3: Whole Metagenome Sequencing / Targeted Metagenomics
- Comprehensive or targeted microbial sequencing.
- Identifies key organisms and functional markers.
Step 4: Data Analysis
- Advanced bioinformatics for microbial insights.
- Assesses quality, safety, and performance indicators.
Step 5: Personalized Report
- Clear, actionable results tailored to your production system.
- Supports informed quality and productivity decisions.
Unlock Milk Microbiome Insights
Get in touch to explore high-resolution microbiome profiling and actionable reports tailored to your herd or research needs.
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