Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Is Associated With Reduced Morbidity and Mortality in Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease

Abstract

Porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD) is a term used to describe the multi-factorial disease syndromes caused by porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2), which can be reproduced in an experimental setting through the co-infection of pigs with PCV-2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The resulting PCVAD-affected pigs represent a subpopulation within the co-infected group. In co-infection studies, the presence of increased microbiome diversity is linked to a reduction in clinical signs. In this study, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was investigated as a means to prevent PCVAD in pigs co-infected with PRRSV and PCV-2d. The sources of the FMT material were high-parity sows with a documented history of high health status and robust litter characteristics. The analysis of the donated FMT material showed the absence of common pathogens along with the presence of diverse microbial phyla and families. One group of pigs (n = 10) was administered the FMT while a control group (n = 10) was administered a sterile mock-transplant. Over the 42-day post-infection period, the FMT group showed fewer PCVAD-affected pigs, as evidenced by a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality in transplanted pigs, along with increased antibody levels. Overall, this study provides evidence that FMT decreases the severity of clinical signs following co-infection with PRRSV and PCV-2 by reducing the prevalence of PCVAD.

Role of Cecal Microbiota in the Differential Resistance of Inbred Chicken Lines to Colonization by Campylobacter jejuni

“…Control of Campylobacter infections in poultry remain challenging and, to date, no methods for effective control at the farm level have been developed, other than the application of stringent biosecurity. Previous literature has demonstrated that the intestinal microbiota can play a role in resistance to enteric pathogens in mice (16), chickens (14; 19) and pigs (36). Consequently, we investigated the contribution of caecal microbiota to the differential resistance of inbred chicken lines 6 1 and N to colonization by C. jejuni, which have been demonstrated by experimental inoculation with several C. jejuni strains (6; 7).…”

Repeated Inoculation of Young Calves With Rumen Microbiota Does Not Significantly Modulate the Rumen Prokaryotic Microbiota Consistently but Decreases Diarrhea

“…Diarrhea is also very common among piglets (Song et al, 2015). Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been shown to be effective in lowering the risk of diarrhea in piglets (Bin et al, 2018;Niederwerder et al, 2018). The mechanisms by which FMT decreases diarrhea in piglets remain to be determined, but they are probably multifaceted, such as enhanced beneficial microbes, increased microbiome diversity, and restored normal microbiota (Niederwerder, 2018) and maintenance of gut barrier functions (Cheng et al, 2018;Geng et al, 2018).…”

A Single Faecal Microbiota Transplantation Altered the Microbiota of Weaned Pigs

“…The microbiota within the gastrointestinal tract has been demonstrated to be involved in nutrient metabolism and immune system development and function, and disruptions of the microbiota cause long-term health problems [10]. Some of these problems include necrotising enterocolitis, a reduced immune response following infection and an associated higher susceptibility to disease, reduced growth and diarrhoea in pigs [11][12][13][14]. As such, the development or maintenance of a healthy gut microbiota is important for health and survival.…”