Abstract
Enterococcus faecium HDRsEf1 (HDRsEf1) was identified to reduce the incidence of diarrhea in weaned piglets, but the mechanism has not been elucidated yet. Based on the fact that gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating inflammatory responses, the effects of HDRsEf1 on microbiota across the intestinal tract in weaned piglets were investigated. Microbiota from the luminal contents and the mucosa of the ileum, cecum, and colon of HDRsEf1-treated piglets were explored by 16S rRNA sequencing and qPCR. It was demonstrated that microbiota in different gut niches responded specifically to HDRsEf1, with major alterations occurring in the ileum and cecum. The total bacterial load of microbiota in ileal luminal contents and the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella in the ileal mucosa was significantly down-regulated by HDRsEf1 administration, while the relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria (including Clostridiaceae-1, Rumencoccidae, and Erysipelotrichaceae) in cecal luminal contents was significantly up-regulated. Moreover, the utilization of HDRsEf1 improved intestinal morphological development and reduced the inflammatory response, which were negatively correlated with the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella in the ileal mucosa and butyrate-producing bacteria in cecal luminal contents, respectively. Collectively, this study suggests that the administration of HDRsEf1 alters gut microbiota, thereby alleviating inflammation and improving intestinal morphological development in weaned piglets.
Highlights
The α diversity indices were significantly increased in the colonic luminal contents and cecal luminal contents compared with the ileal luminal contents, while no significant difference of α diversity index was found in the corresponding mucosa (Figure S1A,B)
The sob index in ileal luminal contents was significantly decreased by HDRsEf1 administration, while other niches were not affected (Figure 1A,B)
To further investigate whether the changes of inflammatory responses were correlated with the change of gut microorganisms, we studied the correlation between inflammatory cytokine expression, the height of intestinal villi, daily body weight gain, and gut microorganisms that were significantly affected by HDRsEf1 from the phylum to genus level
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In the pig rearing industry, early weaning stress of piglets often leads to an increased diarrhea rate and growth retardation [1]. Since the 1850s, a subclinical dose of antibiotics has been used in animal husbandry, especially in piglet breeding, to reduce the diarrhea rate and promote the growth of piglets [2]. Ever since the ban on antibiotic as growth promoters in animal production, the application of probiotics as alternatives to antibiotics has progressively started [4]. Our previous studies have shown that HDRsEf1 could promote growth and reduce the incidence of diarrhea in piglets; the protective mechanism still needs to be investigated [6].
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