The Early Life Microbiota Is Not a Major Factor Underlying the Susceptibility to Postweaning Diarrhea in Piglets
Martín Beaumont, Corinne Lencina, Allan Bertide, Lise Gallo, Céline Barilly, Christelle Marrauld, Laurent Cauquil, Arnaud Samson, Sylvie Combes
Abstract
This study shows that the fecal microbiota composition and metabolic activity are similar in suckling piglets (13 days after birth) that either later develop post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) or not, which is a major threat for animal welfare that also causes important economic losses and antibiotic treatments in pig production. The aim of this work was to study a large cohort of piglets raised in separates environments, which is a major factor influencing the early life microbiota. One of the main findings is that, although the fecal concentration of trimethylamine in suckling piglets was associated with the later development of PWD, this gut microbiota-derived metabolite did not disrupt the epithelial homeostasis in organoids derived from the pig colon. Overall, this study suggests that the gut microbiota during the suckling period is not a major factor underlying the susceptibility of piglets to PWD.