Comprehensive Cultivation of the Swine Gut Microbiome Reveals High Bacterial Diversity and Guides Bacterial Isolation in Pigs
Xiao‐Fan Wang, Samantha Howe, Xiaoyuan Wei, Feilong Deng, Tsung-Cheng Tsai, Jianmin Chai, Yingping Xiao, Hua Yang, Charles V Maxwell, Ying Li, Jiangchao Zhao
Abstract
The swine gut microbiome has been the focus of many investigations due to the fact that pigs serve as both an excellent biomedical model for human diseases and an important protein source. Substantial progress has been made in swine gut microbiome studies using next-generation sequencing-based culture-independent approaches, but little is known about the culturability of the swine gut microbiota. To understand their roles in swine production, it is critical to culture bacterial strains of interest. In this study, we cultured the gut microbiota from pigs at different growth stages using 53 bacterial cultivation methods with different medium and gas combinations. This study provides evidence that the swine gut microbiota is much more diverse based on a culture-dependent approach than previously known. It provides preliminary guidance for isolating certain bacteria of interest from pigs, which is critical in establishing causal relationships between the gut microbiota and the health status of pigs.