Abstract
Sow productivity, that is, the number of weaned piglets per sow per year, depends on their health status. The gut microbiota is considered a crucial factor in the health of pigs and may affect sow productivity. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between productivity and the fecal microbiotas of sows in different farms. Feces of sows were collected from 18 farms (10 samples/farm). A total of 90 fecal samples of high-reproductive performance farms were labeled as group H, and 90 fecal samples from low-reproductive performance farms were labeled as group L. Fecal microbiotas were analyzed by 16S rRNA metagenomics, and the organic acids and putrefactive metabolites of the microbiotas were measured. β-diversity was significantly different between groups H and L (p < 0.01), and the relative abundances of 43 bacterial genera, including short-chain fatty acid-producing and fiber-degrading bacteria such as Ruminococcus, Fibrobacter and Butyricicoccus, significantly differed between groups (p < 0.05). In addition, the concentrations of acetate, propionate and n-butyrate were significantly higher in group H than in group L (p < 0.05). In conclusion, sow productivity in farms was likely associated with the compositions of the fecal microbiotas.
Highlights
The number of piglets produced per sow in a year depends on the sow’s reproductive performance [1]
We aimed to investigate the relationship between sow productivity and the fecal microbiota of pigs in different farms
We investigated the relation between sow productivity and the metabolites in the gut microbiota such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), phenol, indole, skatole and para-cresol, because we theorized that these metabolites may affect the health of sows
Summary
The number of piglets produced per sow in a year depends on the sow’s reproductive performance [1]. The number of weaned piglets per sow in a year, a major productivity parameter, is defined by several factors such as the number of piglets born alive, the number of surviving piglets during suckling, as well as the days of recurrence to estrus and the pregnancy rate of the sow [1]. “the number of weaned pigs/sow/year” is considered a major parameter to evaluate farm productivity [2]. The loss of body condition in sows induces a delay in the recurrence to estrus, and subsequent decreases in the pregnancy rate and the litter size [3]. The health conditions of sows directly affect their reproductive performance
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