Human milk oligosaccharides modulate the duration of rotavirus‐induced diarrhea, colonic microbiota and intraluminal environment in piglets

Abstract

The impact of diarrheal disease and prebiotics was studied in piglets fed with formula (FF), or formula with 4 g/L human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) or prebiotics (PRE; 9:1 of short chain galactooligosaccharides and long chain fructooligosaccharides). At d10, approximately half of the piglets were infected with 5×106 focus‐forming units of group A porcine RV stain OSU. Stool consistency was monitored 3 times daily. Ascending (Asc) and descending (Dsc) colonic contents were collected at 5 d postinfection, and pH, dry matter (DM) and SCFA concentrations were measured. Asc microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. HMO and PRE groups had shorter duration of RV‐associated diarrhea than FF. RV infection increased the pH and lowered the DM of Asc and Dsc contents vs. non‐infected pigs. HMO groups had higher Dsc pH than FF and PRE, while DM of HMO and PRE groups was lower than FF. Infection increased Asc propionate concentration independent of diet. Redundancy analysis showed that microbial structure differed among infected and diet groups. Bacteroides was increased in infected pigs, and unclassified Lachnospiraceae was enriched in HMO groups. In conclusion, the intraluminal environment and microbiota were altered by RV infection and HMO supplementation. HMO and prebiotics reduced the duration of RV‐induced diarrhea, likely in part by modulating gut environment and microbiota. (Funded by R01 HD061929)Grant Funding Source: NIH