Characteristics of the Jejunal Microbiota in 35-Day-Old Saba and Landrace Piglets

Abstract

The balanced microbiological system is a significant hallmark of piglet health. One of the crucial factors affecting intestinal microbiota is the host’s genetics. This study explored the difference in the diversity of jejunal microbiota between Saba (SB) and Landrace (LA) piglets. Nine Saba and nine Landrace piglets were fed with sow’s milk until day 35. Jejunal contents were harvested for 16S rRNA sequencing. The birth weight, body weight, and average daily gain of Saba piglets were lower than those of Landrace piglets (p < 0.01). Firmicutes were the main phylum in Saba and Landrace piglets, and the Saba piglets had a higher (p < 0.05) abundance of Bacteroidetes compared with Landrace piglets. The two most abundant genera were Lactobacilli and Clostridium XI in the jejunum of Landrace and Saba piglets. Compared with Landrace piglets, the Saba piglets had significantly lower (p < 0.05) abundance of Veillonella, Streptococcus, and Saccharibacteria genera incertae sedis. The functional prediction showed that “d-glutamine and d-glutamate metabolism” and “one carbon pool by folate” pathways were enriched in Saba piglets, while “limonene and pinene degradation”, “tryptophan metabolism”, and “sulfur relay system” pathways were enriched in Landrace piglets. In summary, the growth performance was higher for Landrace piglets compared with Saba piglets due to their genetic characteristics. The rich diversity and fewer infection-associated taxa were observed in Saba piglets, partially accounting for their higher adaptability to environmental perturbations than Landrace piglets. Furthermore, different pig breeds may regulate their health through different metabolic pathways.

Association of gut microbiota and SCFAs with finishing weight of Diannan small ear pigs

“…In addition, the biosynthesis pathway of folate seems to have a positive role in weight gain (Del Chierico et al, 2018). Recently, the research highlighted that one carbon pool by folate was enriched in Saba pigs with low body weight (Gao et al, 2020), which was in line with our study.…”

“…More importantly, the study pointed out that Lactobacillus spp. colonized the intestinal tract could elevate porcine growth hormone levels, antioxidation, and immunity, ultimately helping to fight stress (Yang et al, 2020). These investigations help explain why Lactobacillus spp.…”

Correlation analysis between jejunum metabolites and immune function in Saba and Landrace piglets

“…Albin et al also showed that intestinal barrier function is higher in local pigs than in Yorkshire pigs ( 31 ). Gao et al found a higher proportion of Lactobacillus with anti-inflammatory functions in the jejunal microbiota of SB piglets than in that of LA piglets ( 32 ). These findings suggest that SB piglets may exhibit stronger disease resistance and that local pigs may have better digestive capacity and intestinal barrier function than commercial pigs.…”

Comparative Analyses of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Jejunum Microbiota of Pigs in Different Areas

“…At different growth stages, the content of ARGs in pigs is different, among which the content of ARGs in pig manure is the highest (Tong et al, 2021), while the composition and content of antibiotic resistance genes in piglet jejunum are rarely reported. Jejunal microbial diversity in piglets may differ among different breeds (Gao et al, 2020a), more importantly, environment can also affect the intestinal microbial composition of the host (Su et al, 2021). However, whether these factors affect the AMR in jejunal microorganisms remains unclear.…”