Faecal Microbiota Analysis of Piglets During Lactation.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Microbiology
• Veterinary Medicine

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global concern, necessitating alternative animal disease control methods.
• Neonatal antimicrobial use in livestock can impact gut microbiome development, potentially contributing to resistance.
• Non-antimicrobial strategies, like fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT), are being explored to manage animal health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of neonatal ceftiofur (CF) treatment on piglet fecal microbiomes.
• To determine if fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) can restore the gut microbiome following CF treatment.
• To gain insights into microbial membership during the lactation period in piglets.

Main Methods:

• Piglets were assigned to four treatment groups: ceftiofur with fresh FMT, ceftiofur with frozen FMT, ceftiofur only, and no treatment.
• Fecal samples were collected at 7, 13, and 18 days of age for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.
• Fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) involved oral administration of pooled donor feces mixed with saline.

Main Results:

• Gut microbiome diversity (alpha and beta) naturally increased with piglet age.
• No significant effects of ceftiofur treatment or FMT were observed on the fecal microbiome at 13 and 18 days of age.
• The study provided data on microbial composition during the critical lactation phase.

Conclusions:

• Neonatal ceftiofur treatment did not lead to detectable alterations in piglet fecal microbiomes by 13-18 days of age.
• Fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) did not appear to correct any potential antibiotic-induced microbiome changes in this study.
• The findings highlight the need for continued research into effective non-antimicrobial strategies for animal health and disease prevention.