Pre-weaning Piglets Research Articles

Characteristics of gut microbiota and metabolomic of Hainan Tunchang pigs at various growth stages

Numerous gut microorganisms residing in the gut tract and their metabolites play an important role in animal growth. Diet, as the main factor, affects the changes of gut microbiota, and host genetics also have a significant impact on gut microbiota, including growth stages. However, the differences of gut microbiota and its metabolites at various growth stages in local pig breed remains unclear. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics to investigate the fecal microbiota and metabolites in different developmental stages of Hainan Tunchang pigs. The relative proportions of dominant bacteria Firmicutes and Spirochaetes increased, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria decreased with the development. As age increased, different physiological states led to structural and functional changes in animal nutrition metabolism and immune needs, as well as changes in gut microbiota and its metabolites. We have detected several statistically different microbial and metabolic biomarkers at different growth stages. Meanwhile, through correlation analysis between differential bacteria and metabolites, it was found that the bacteria forming networks with their significant related metabolites were different at various growth stages, Holdemanella, Sharpea, Subdoligranulum, and uncultured_bacterium_o_Bacteroidales were enriched between preweaning piglets and weaning piglets, and they all positive correlated with related metabolites. We also found that the differential bacteria were significantly related to short-chain fatty acid. These findings might provide new insights into the developmental changes of gut microbiota in local pig breeds and the interaction mechanism between the body, and improve pig growth performance and efficiency by regulating the composition of gut microbiota and metabolites.

Acute and persistent effects of oral glutamine supplementation on growth, cellular proliferation, and tight junction protein transcript abundance in jejunal tissue of low and normal birthweight pre-weaning piglets.

Breeding for higher fertility has resulted in a higher number of low birthweight (LBW) piglets. It has been shown that LBW piglets grow slower than normal birthweight (NBW) littermates. Differences in growth performance have been associated with impaired small intestinal development. In suckling and weaning piglets, glutamine (Gln) supplementation has been associated with improved growth and intestinal development. This study was designed to examine the effects of oral Gln supplementation on growth and small intestinal parameters in LBW and NBW suckling piglets. At birth (day 0), a total of 72 LBW (1.10 ± 0.06 kg) and 72 NBW (1.51 ± 0.06) male piglets were selected. At day 1, litters were standardized to 12 piglets, and experimental piglets supplemented daily with either Gln (1 g/kg BW) or isonitrogenous amounts of Alanine (Ala) as control (1.22 g/kg BW) until day 12. Creep feed was offered from day 14 onward. Subgroups of piglets were euthanized at days 5, 12, and 26 for the analyses of jejunal morphometry, cellular proliferation, glutathione concentration and transcript abundance of tight junction proteins. From age day 11 to 21, Gln supplemented LBW (LBW-Gln) piglets were heavier than Ala supplemented LBW (LBW-Ala) littermates (P = 0.034), while NBW piglets were heavier until age day 26 compared to LBW littermates. Villus height was higher in LBW-Gln compared to LBW-Ala on age day 12 (P = 0.031). Sporadic differences among supplementation and birthweight groups were detected for jejunal cellular proliferation, cellular population and glutathione concentration, whereas age was the most dominant factor. These results show that Gln supplementation improved the growth of LBW piglets compared to LBW-Ala beyond the termination of Gln supplementation, but this was not associated with consistent effects on selected parameters of jejunal development.

Role of Pre-Farrow Natural Planned Exposure of Gilts in Shaping the Passive Antibody Response to Rotavirus A in Piglets.

Natural planned exposure (NPE) remains one of the most common methods in swine herds to boost lactogenic immunity against rotaviruses. However, the efficacy of NPE protocols in generating lactogenic immunity has not been investigated before. A longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the dynamics of genotype-specific antibody responses to different doses (3, 2 and 1) of Rotavirus A (RVA) NPE (genotypes G4, G5, P[7] and P[23]) in gilts and the transfer of lactogenic immunity to their piglets. Group 1 gilts received three doses of NPE at 5, 4 and 3 weeks pre-farrow (WPF), group 2 received two doses at 5 and 3 WPF, group 3 received one dose at 5 WPF, and group 4 received no NPE (control group). VP7 (G4 and G5) and truncated VP4* (P[7] and P[23]) antigens of RVA were expressed in mammalian and bacterial expression systems, respectively, and used to optimize indirect ELISAs to determine antibody levels against RVA in gilts and piglets. In day-0 colostrum samples, group 1 had significantly higher IgG titers compared to the control group for all four antigens, and either significantly or numerically higher IgG titers than groups 2 and 3. Group 1 also had significantly higher colostrum IgA levels than the control group for all antigens (except G4), and either significantly or numerically higher IgA levels compared to groups 2 and 3. In piglet serum, group 1 piglets had higher IgG titers for all four antigens at day 0 than the other groups. Importantly, RVA NPE stimulated antibodies in all groups regardless of the treatment doses and prevented G4, G5, P[7] and P[23] RVA fecal shedding prior to weaning in piglets in the absence of viral challenge. The G11 and P[34] RVA genotypes detected from pre-weaning piglets differed at multiple amino acid positions with parent NPE strains. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the group 1 NPE regimen (three doses of NPE) resulted in the highest anti-RVA antibody (IgG and IgA) levels in the colostrum/milk, and the highest IgG levels in piglet serum.

The prebiotic potential of RS-3 preparations for pre- and post-weaning piglets

Piglets undergo stress during the weaning period, resulting in an imbalance in gut microbial composition and activity, and potentially post-weaning diarrhoea. Supporting maturation of gut microbiota is a strategy preparing piglets for weaning, and could be achieved by providing dietary fibres such as resistant starch (RS) in the creep feed. We investigated the prebiotic potential of four well-characterised retrograded starches (RS-3 preparations) for pre- and post-weaning piglets. These RS-3 preparations were in vitro fermented using pooled faecal inoculum of 3-week-old (pre-weaning) and 7-week-old (post-weaning) piglets. RS-3 preparations containing a high amount of digestible starch (≥ 75 %) were fully fermented by both faecal inocula within 48 h. Such substrates generated mostly butyrate when fermented by pre-weaning piglet faecal inoculum, whereas mostly propionate was found during fermentation by post-weaning inoculum. Bacterial genera Prevotella and Megasphaera increased in relative abundance after fermentation by both inocula, whereas Streptococcus and Selenomonas increased in relative abundance only when fermented by pre-weaning or post-weaning piglet faecal inocula, respectively. Highly resistant or so-called intrinsic RS-3 (≥ 80 % RS) was hardly degraded by pre-weaning inoculum, whereas it was slowly fermented by post-weaning piglet faecal microbiota, leading to an increase in relative abundance of specific Prevotella and Roseburia phylotypes (amplicon sequence variants). This study shows that partially resistant RS-3 preparations might be beneficial dietary fibres for pre-weaning piglets by promoting short-chain fatty acids production, while intrinsic RS-3 was hardly fermentable. Intrinsic RS-3 substrates might have prebiotic potential for post-weaning piglets by stimulating potential health-beneficial Prevotella and Roseburia.

13 (P1-9). Maternal sow feed and hygiene influence their offspring. 1 – Swine Inflammatory and Necrotic Syndrome assessment on pre-weaning piglets

13 (P1-9). Maternal sow feed and hygiene influence their offspring. 1 – Swine Inflammatory and Necrotic Syndrome assessment on pre-weaning piglets

Infection characteristics of porcine circovirus type 2 in different herds from intensive farms in China, 2022.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary etiological agent of porcine circovirus diseases (PCVD), which are widespread in most pig herds, causing huge economic losses in the global pig industry. Therefore, it is critical to assess the infection characteristics of PCV2 in different swine herds to develop effective strategies against PCVD. In this study, routine diagnostic and monitoring protocols were used to collect 12,714 samples from intensive farms in China, and PCV2 was tested for by qPCR to determine positivity rates and viral loads in samples from different herds and materials. PCV2 was found to be prevalent throughout China, and fattening farms had higher positivity rates than breeding farms. The PCV2 positivity rates in breeding farms in Southern China were higher than those in Northern China. Growing-finishing pigs demonstrated the highest positivity rate in the tested samples, while pre-weaning piglets and adult sows had the lowest. Meanwhile, samples with viral loads exceeding 106 copies/mL in growing-finishing pigs had 27.2% positivity, compared to 1.9% and 3.3% in sows and piglets, respectively. The results of the viral loads in the serum samples followed a similar trend. The findings reveal that PCV2 circulates in different herds from intensive farms, with positivity increasing from pre-weaning to growing-finishing herds. It is urgent to develop effective strategies to reduce PCV2 positivity in growing-finishing herds and prevent viral circulation among pigs.

PRRSV Elimination in a Farrow-to-Finish Pig Herd Using Herd Closure and Rollover Approach.

It is well established that PRRSV elimination is an effective strategy for PRRS control, but published reports concerning successful PRRSV elimination cases in farrow-to-finishing herds are rare. Here, we have reported a successful PRRSV elimination case in a farrow-to-finish herd by employing a "herd closure and rollover" approach with some modifications. Briefly, the introduction of pigs to the herd was stopped and normal production processes were maintained until the herd reached a PRRSV provisional negative status. During the herd closure, strict biosecurity protocols were implemented to prevent transmission between nursery pigs and sows. In the current case, introducing gilts before herd closure and live PRRSV exposure were skipped. In the 23rd week post-outbreak, the pre-weaning piglets started to show 100% PRRSV negativity in qPCR tests. In the 27th week, nursery and fattening barns fully launched depopulation. In the 28th week, nursery and fattening houses reopened and sentinel gilts were introduced into gestation barns. Sixty days post-sentinel gilt introduction, the sentinel pigs maintained being PRRSV antibody negative, manifesting that the herd matched the standard of the provisional negative status. The production performance of the herd took 5 months to bounce back to normal. Overall, the current study provided additional information for PRRSV elimination in farrow-to-finish pig herds.

Protective efficacy of a recombinant enterotoxin antigen in a maternal immunization model and the inhibition of specific maternal antibodies to neonatal oral vaccination

ETEC (enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli) infection is the leading cause of profuse watery diarrhea in mammals, especially among pre-weaning and post-weaning piglets in swine industry. Maternal immunization is a current rational strategy for providing protection to susceptive piglets and reducing the incidence of ETEC-associated diarrhea. Here we evaluated the protective efficiency of a recombinant antigen (MBP-SLS) fused by major enterotoxin subunits (STa-LTB-STb) via a maternal immunization model, and the impacts of maternal antibodies to neonatal oral vaccination were also investigated in the neonates. The high titers of specific IgG and sIgA in pups shown that the maternal antibodies could be transferred passively. Furthermore, the increases of IL-6 and IL-10 cytokines in breast milk and pup serum indicated that immunization on mother could effectively boost the immune system of neonates. Newborn rats from immunized mothers showed a 70% survival rate after ETEC infection. However, the mucosal immune responses of neonates were inhibited by the high level of maternal specific antibodies. Among the oral-vaccinated neonates, born from mock-immunized rats reached the highest survival after ETEC challenge. Collectively, the fusion MBP-SLS antigen could effectively induce strong immune responses in rats during pregnancy and the pups could receive passive protection through specific antibodies transferred via milk and placenta. However, the specific maternal antibodies exhibited an inhibition effect on the mucosal immune responses in offspring.

An increased weaning age and liquid feed enhances weight gain compared to piglets fed dry feed pre-weaning

Increasing age and providing liquid creep feed could potentially increase the solid feed intake in pre-weaning piglets, which may in turn promote gut maturation and post-weaning feed intake, possibly lessening the severity of the growth-check associated with the suckling-to-weaning transition. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate if feeding dry- versus liquid creep feed (DF vs. LF) and weaning in week 4 or 5 (4W or 5W) could accelerate maturational changes to the small intestines of pre-weaning piglets by increasing digestive and absorptive capacity. In a 2 × 2 factorial study the effect of weaning age (WA) and feeding strategy (FS) on weaning weight, pre-weaning accumulated gain (AG), and average daily gain was measured for 12 923 piglets. A subpopulation of 15 piglets from each treatment group (4WDF, 4WLF, 5WDF and 5WLF; n = 60) were sacrificed to assess the effects of WA and FS on weight of digestive organs, activity of maltase, lactase and sucrase, and gene expression level of sodium-glucose linked transporter 1 (SGLT-1), glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) and peptide transporter 1 (PepT1) in the proximal part of the small intestine (SI). No interactions were found but average weaning weight was affected by WA (P < 0.001) and FS (P < 0.001), where 5W were heavier than 4W and LF were heavier than DF. Correspondingly, the average daily gain (ADG) was affected by both WA (P = 0.003) and FS (P < 0.001). Only WA affected the relative weight of the digestive organs, where stomach weight, weight of SI and colon weight were heavier in 5W piglets compared to 4W. Lactase activity tended to decrease with age (P = 0.061), but there was no difference in the activity of maltase or sucrase between any of the treatment groups. Similarly, there was no differences in gene expression level of SGLT1, GLUT2 or PepT1 between neither the two ages nor feeding strategies. In conclusion, both WA and FS affect weaning weight and weight gain of piglets in the pre-weaning period.

Influence of Factors on the gastrointestinal microbiota of Pigs

A complete understanding of the dynamic distribution of the intestinal microbiota in pigs is essential because microorganisms play a fundamental role in physiological processes, immunity, and nutrient metabolism by the macroorganism. Disruption of the gut microbiome can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and a cytokine storm. Gut microbiome dysfunction can be caused by short-term or long-term (environmental, nutritional, and stress) factors. The microbial ecosystem of the intestine is fundamental for the pig's proper nutrition, and physiological and immunological functions. However, the composition and function of a healthy microbial ecosystem have yet to be qualitatively and quantitatively determined to be used as a tool to maximize animal health and performance. As efforts are made to reduce the use of antibiotics in pig farming, the ability of the gut microbiota to increase disease resistance must be recognized. Generally, the genera Bacteroides, Escherichia, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Fusobacterium, and Prevotella dominate in pre-weaning piglets. Then Prevotella and Aneriacter become the dominant genera, with Fusobacterium, Lactobacillus and Miscellaneous as relative minors in post-weaning piglets. Specific genera of bacteria, including Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Lactobacillus, can be detected in more than 90 % of pigs and three enterotypes – identified in animals of the same species but of different ages. This suggests the presence of a “core” microbiota in the gut of healthy pigs that may be a potential target for nutritional or health regulation. The scientists' scientific data help to determine the “optimal” gut microbial profile for evaluating or improving the performance and health status of pigs at different stages of growth. Although external and stochastic factors contribute to the individuality of the microbiota, the fundamental principles governing how environmental factors and host genetic factors combine to shape this complex ecosystem are largely unknown and require systematic study.

Spatiotemporal graph convolutional network for automated detection and analysis of social behaviours among pre-weaning piglets

In the pig industry, social behaviors of preweaning piglets are critical indicators of their livability, growth, health, and welfare status, for which there is an urgent need for using precision livestock farming tools. In this study, a novel method based on graph convolutional networks (GCNs) was developed to characterize preweaning piglet social behaviors such as snout–snout as well as snout-body social nosing and snout–snout as well as snout-body aggressive/playing behavior. Using an integrated CNN-based network, the proposed method first detected and tracked individual piglets. After that, a self-adaptive spatial affinity kernel function was used to detect suspected social behaviors and spatiotemporal graphs with high-quality node features (coordinates, node-estimation confidence, distance from each node to the centroid, and node motion) were built for pairwise piglets for further analysis. The spatiotemporal graph sequences were fed into a self-adaptive GCN combined with an attention mechanism to classify the suspected social behaviours. Our method performed well in detecting piglet social behaviours with a recall of 0.9405, a precision of 0.9669, and an F 1 score of 0.9535. In an 8-h video episode, the time budges of snout–snout as well as snout-body social nosing and snout–snout as well as snout-body aggressive/playing behaviour were 33.82%, 38.34%, 13.74%, and 14.10%, respectively. The findings show that detecting body part-associated social behaviours in piglets using a GCN is feasible, yielding practical computer vision technologies for improved piglet behaviour monitoring and management. • Used a graph convolutional network to recognize animal behaviors. • Constructed spatiotemporal and self-adaptive graphs with high-quality node features. • Detected social behaviors among preweaning piglets using computer vision. • Achieved high accuracy in piglet social behavior detection.

Combined Analysis of RRBS DNA Methylome and Transcriptome Reveal Novel Candidate Genes Related to Porcine Clostridium perfringens Type C-Induced Diarrhea.

Clostridium perfringens type C (Cp) is one of the principal microorganisms responsible for bacterial diarrhea in neonatal and pre-weaning piglets. To better understand the molecular effects of Cp infection, we performed a genome-wide comparison of the changes in DNA methylation and gene expression in Cp infected resistant and susceptible piglets. We characterized the pattern of changes in methylation and found 6485, 5968, and 6472 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of piglets infected with Cp in IR vs. IC, IS vs. IC, and IS vs. IR groups, respectively. These methylation changes for genes mainly involved in immune and inflammatory responses, cell adhesion, and activation of transcription factors. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses showed that the differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were associated with negative regulation of transcription, apoptotic processes, protein binding, and kinase activity. In addition, they were enriched in immunity-related pathways, such as MAPK signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. Integrative analysis identified 168, 198, and 7 mRNAs showing inverse correlations between methylation and expression with Cp infection. Altered DNA methylation and expression of various genes suggested their roles and potential functional interactions upon Cp infection, 14 immune-associated mRNAs with differential methylation and transcriptional repression were identified in IS vs. IR, commonly revealing that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) LBP, TBX21, and LCN2 were likely involved in the piglets against Cp infection. The present results provide further insight into the DNA methylation epigenetic alterations of C. perfringens type C infected piglet ileum tissues, and may advance the identification of biomarkers and drug targets for predicting susceptibility to and controlling C. perfringens type C-induced piglet diarrhea.

Assessing the Impact of Diet on the Mucosa-Adhered Microbiome in Piglets Using Comparative Analysis of Rectal Swabs and Colon Content.

Previously, we demonstrated that rectal swabs provide a legitimate alternative to faecal sampling for the assessment of the intestinal microbiota in young piglets. However, we also reported that mucosa-adhered microbial populations were more represented in rectal swabs compared to faecal samples, albeit to a degree that varied per swab-sample. Here, we explored the possibility to exploit this variable enrichment of adhered populations in the rectal swabs to assess the impact of diet on mucosa-adhered microbiota in pre-weaning piglets. Paired samples of rectal swabs and colon luminal contents were collected from piglets just before weaning during two independent but similarly designed animal experiments [n = 28 piglets (experiment 1); n = 16 piglets (experiment 2)], with an early feeding treatment (EF) group that had access to customised fibrous feed in addition to sow’s milk and a control (CON) group exclusively reared on sow’s milk. The intestinal microbiome composition in rectal swabs and colon samples collected at 29 days of age were subjected to metataxonomic analysis. The results identified the genera Escherichia-Shigella, Anaerococcus, Peptostreptococcus, Enterococcus, Trueperella, Actinomyces, and Peptoniphilus as discriminative taxa enriched in rectal swabs compared to colon. Apart from Escherichia-Shigella (10–11% average relative abundance), most of these mucosa-adhered microbial genera display relatively low abundance. Rectal swab microbiota was found to be more variable, which is likely due to variable enrichment of mucosa-adhered microbes. Although almost exclusively driven by one of the experiments, the post-weaning diarrhoea-associated taxa Escherichia-Shigella, was enriched in CON compared to the EF group, suggesting that early life feeding may suppress post-weaning-diarrhoea-related problems in piglets. Our findings demonstrate that rectal swabs allow the investigation of the mucosa-adhered microbial populations as a function of dietary treatment in piglets. This offers opportunities to further study dietary approaches that suppress the abundance of the post-weaning diarrhoea associated adherent microbes like Escherichia-Shigella. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the paired swab-colon microbiota information (obtained from a subset of animals) can predict the mucosa-adhered populations or “mucosity factor” in rectal swab samples, facilitating the analysis of the adhered microbiota in large animal cohort studies using readily obtainable rectal swabs.

Maternal Autogenous Inactivated Virus Vaccination Boosts Immunity to PRRSV in Piglets.

Maternal-derived immunity is a critical component for the survival and success of offspring in pigs to protect from circulating pathogens such as Type 2 Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV-2). The purpose of this study is to investigate the transfer of anti-PRRSV immunity to piglets from gilts that received modified-live virus (MLV) alone (treatment (TRT) 0), or in combination with one of two autogenous inactivated vaccines (AIVs, TRT 1+2). Piglets from these gilts were challenged with the autogenous PRRSV-2 strain at two weeks of age and their adaptive immune response (IR) was evaluated until 4 weeks post inoculation (wpi). The systemic humoral and cellular IR was analyzed in the pre-farrow gilts, and in piglets, pre-inoculation, and at 2 and 4 wpi. Both AIVs partially protected the piglets with reduced lung pathology and increased weight gain; TRT 1 also lowered piglet viremia, best explained by the AIV-induced production of neutralizing antibodies in gilts and their transfer to the piglets. In piglets, pre-inoculation, the main systemic IFN-γ producers were CD21α+ B cells. From 0 to 4 wpi, the role of these B cells declined and CD4 T cells became the primary systemic IFN-γ producers. In the lungs, CD8 T cells were the primary and CD4 T cells were the secondary IFN-γ producers, including a novel subset of porcine CD8α−CCR7− CD4 T cells, potentially terminally differentiated CD4 TEMRA cells. In summary, this study demonstrates that maternal AIV vaccination can improve protection of pre-weaning piglets against PRRSV-2; it shows the importance of transferring neutralizing antibodies to piglets, and it introduces two novel immune cell subsets in pigs—IFN-γ producing CD21α+ B cells and CD8α−CCR7− CD4 T cells.

Piglets can secrete acidic mammalian chitinase from the pre weaning stage

Fishmeal substitutes (such as insect-based feeds) in pig diets can promote sustainable pork production. Insect powders contain chitin, a nitrogen-containing indigestible material, and pigs must have the capacity to secrete chitin-degrading enzymes to benefit from these diets. The chitin-degrading enzyme (acidic mammalian chitinase; AMCase) and its gene expression have been detected in the stomach tissue of approximately 6-month-old fattening pigs; however, it remains unclear from which stage chitin-degrading enzymes are secreted. In the present study, the stomach tissue of piglets was collected from the suckling stage (14 d old) to 56 d to evaluate chitin-degrading enzymes and associated gene expression. AMCase mRNA and protein expression was detected in the stomach tissue of all piglets from days 14 to 56. AMCase secretion might increase with the increase in stomach tissue weight as piglets grow. Insect powders can therefore be used in the diets of pre-weaning piglets. The gastric AMCase level was approximately 30% that of fattening pigs. The appropriate inclusion of insect meals in the diets of pigs at different growth stages still needs to be determined.

Gel protein supplementation enhanced serum IGF-1 concentration in pre-weaning piglets

Gel protein supplementation enhanced serum IGF-1 concentration in pre-weaning piglets

Combined Analysis of DNA Methylome and Transcriptome Reveal Novel Candidate Genes Related to Porcine Escherichia coli F4ab/ac-Induced Diarrhea.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) that express F4 (K88) fimbriae are the principal microorganisms responsible for bacterial diarrhea in neonatal and pre-weaning piglets. To better understand the molecular effects of ETEC F4ab/ac infection, we performed a genome-wide comparison of the changes in DNA methylation and gene expression in ETEC F4ab/ac infected porcine intestinal epithelial cells. We characterized the pattern of changes in methylation and found 3297 and 1593 differentially methylated regions in cells infected with F4ab and F4ac, respectively. Moreover, 606 and 780 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ETEC F4ab and F4ac infected cells were detected and these genes were highly enriched in immune/defense response related pathways. Integrative analysis identified 27 and 10 genes showing inverse correlations between promoter methylation and expression with ETEC F4ab/ac infection. Altered DNA methylation and expression of various genes suggested their roles and potential functional interactions upon ETEC F4ab/ac infection. Further functional analyses revealed that three DEGs (S100A9, SGO1, and ESPL1) in F4ab infected cells and three DEGs (MAP3K21, PAK6, and MPZL1) in F4ac infected cells are likely involved in the host cells response to ETEC infection. Our data provides further insight into the epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations of ETEC F4ab/ac infected porcine intestinal epithelial cells, and may advance the identification of biomarkers and drug targets for predicting susceptibility to and controlling ETEC F4ab/ac induced diarrhea.

Feasibility of pooled oral fluid collection from pre-weaning piglets using cotton ropes

Collection of pooled oral fluid (OF) by allowing pigs to chew on a cotton rope is an alternative to blood sampling. However, little is known about the applicability of this method to suckling piglets. The objectives of the present study were to describe the spontaneous interaction of suckling piglets with a rope and to investigate the influence of a rope pre-exposure on the success rate of sampling. We studied the interaction dynamics of 21 and 28 days-old suckling piglets with a cotton rope presented for 30 min. Ropes were manually wrung out inside plastic bags to release the oral fluid. A total of 49 litters were included. Percentages of success of pooled OF collection for 28-day-old, 21-day-old and 21-day-old pre-exposed litters were 82%, 62% and 100%, respectively. The mean volume collected did not differ between groups. Without pre-exposure, 84.7% and 95% of piglets interacted spontaneously with the rope at 21 and 28 days of age, respectively. The latency between rope presentation and interaction was highly variable between piglets within litters: from < 10 s to 30 min. Among piglets having interacted with the rope, the interaction lasted for at least 60 s for 90% and 91.4% of 21 and 28-day-old piglets, respectively. Pooled OF collection is achievable prior to weaning in piglets of at least 21 days of age. Pooled OF sampling is representative at litter level if collection is successful. In order to improve the success rate of collection, pre-exposing the piglets with a rope one day prior to sampling is effective.

Effect of nutritional supplementation on biochemical profile of neonatal pig during pre-weaning period

The present study was conducted to know the effect of nutritional supplementation of neonatal pig on biochemical profile during pre-weaning period. A total of 72 number of Large White Yorkshire nursing piglets were utilized. Animals were randomly assigned into 4 equal groups; T1, T2, T3 & C (control). Weaning was done on day 28. The nutritional supplement containing bovine colostrum, egg yolk, probiotic, zinc oxide, chelated iron, dextrose powder etc. was fed orally twice daily with a gap of 6 hours up to 7 days to the piglet @ 2, 4, 6 ml/kg body wt./piglet of group T1, T2 and T3 respectively. The control group was not fed any nutritional supplementation. Blood samples of piglets were analysed for Glucose, Total Protein (TP), Albumin, Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) at 7th, 14th, & 28th day of experiment. The mean±SE of biochemical parameters in pre-weaning piglets were in normal ranged in group T1, T2 and T3 and control group and significance difference were observed in glucose level on day 7 and albumin level on day 14 of pre-weaning. However, overall biochemical level at 28th day was in normal range which indicates that supplementation of nutritional supplement during pre-weaning stage did not influence the biochemical parameters in pre-weaning pigs.

Age-based dynamic changes of phylogenetic composition and interaction networks of health pig gut microbiome feeding in a uniformed condition

BackgroundThe gut microbiota impacts on a range of host biological processes, and the imbalances in its composition are associated with pathology. Though the understanding of contribution of the many factors, e.g. gender, diet and age, in the development of gut microbiota has been well established, the dynamic changes of the phylogenetic composition and the interaction networks along with the age remain unclear in pigs.ResultsHere we applied 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, enterotype-like clustering (Classification of the gut microbiome into distinct types) and phylogenetic co-occurrence network to explore the dynamic changes of pig gut microbiome following the ages with a successive investigation at four ages in a cohort of 953 pigs. We found that Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are two predominant phyla throughout the experimental period. The richness of gut microbiota was significantly increased from 25 to 240 days of age. Principal coordinates analysis showed a clear difference in the gut microbial community compositions between pre-weaning piglets and the pigs at the other three age groups. The gut microbiota of pre-weaning piglets was clearly classified into two enterotypes, which were dominated by Fusobacterium and p-75-a5, respectively. However, Prevotella and Treponema were the main drivers of the enterotypes for pigs at the age of 80, 120 and 240 days. Besides the piglets, even some adult pigs switched putative enterotypes between ages. We confirmed that the topological features of phylogenetic co-occurrence networks, including scale, stability and complexity were increased along with the age. The biological significance for modules in the network of piglets were mainly associated with the utilization of simple carbohydrate and lactose, whereas the sub-networks identified at the ages of 80, 120 and 240 days may be involved in the digestion of complex dietary polysaccharide. The modules related to the metabolism of protein and amino acids could be identified in the networks at 120 and 240 days. This dynamic change of the functional capacities of gut microbiome was further supported by functional prediction analysis.ConclusionsThe present study provided meaningful biological insights into the age-based dynamic shifts of ecological community of porcine gut microbiota.