This study measured the potential changes of the microbiota in the
gastrointestinal tract and energy and nutrient digestibility by supplemental
bacteriophages in pigs. Twelve castrated male pigs (initial mean body weight =
29.5 ± 2.3 kg) were surgically cannulated using T-cannula. The animals
were housed individually in pens equipped with a feeder and a nipple waterer.
The pigs were allotted to 1 of 3 experimental diets in a quadruplicated 3
× 2 Latin square design with 3 experimental diets, 2 periods, and 12 pigs
resulting in 8 replicates per diet. The 3 diets were a control mainly based on
corn and soybean meal with no antibiotics or bacteriophages, a diet containing
0.1% antibiotics, and a diet containing 0.2% bacteriophages. On day 5 of the
experimental period, feces were collected and on days 6 and 7, ileal digesta
were collected. Genomic DNA for bacteria were extracted from the ileal digesta
and feces and the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified. The ileal and
fecal digestibility of energy, dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and
fiber was unaffected by dietary antibiotics or bacteriophages. At the phylum
level, the supplemental antibiotic or bacteriophage tended to result in a higher
proportion of
Firmicutes
(
p
= 0.059) and a
lower proportion of
Bacteroidetes
(
p
= 0.099)
in the ileal digesta samples compared with the control group with no difference
between the antibiotic and bacteriophage groups. At the genus level, the
supplemental antibiotic or bacteriophage tended to result in a higher proportion
of
Lactobacillus
(
p
= 0.062) and a lower
proportion of
Bacteroides
(
p
= 0.074) and
Streptococcus
(
p
= 0.088) in the ileal
digesta compared with the control group with no difference between the
antibiotic and bacteriophage groups. In the feces, supplemental antibiotics or
bacteriophages reduced the proportion of
Bifidobacterium
compared with the control group (
p
= 0.029) with no difference
between the antibiotic and bacteriophage groups. Overall, supplemental
antibiotics and bacteriophages showed positive effect on the microbiota of in
the ileal digesta without largely affecting energy or nutrient digestibility,
with no differences between the antibiotic and bacteriophage groups in growing
pigs.