The validation of the existence of the entero-mammary pathway and the assessment of the differences of the pathway between first and third parity sows

Abstract

Forty sows (PIC Camborough 1050) from a single farm were randomly selected at 112 days of gestation to evaluate if gut bacteria transverse the blood system of the sow to deposit gut microbiota into colostrum for piglet gut inoculation via the entero-mammary pathway. Fourteen first-parity gilts and twenty third-parity sows were used for the study. At the time of farrowing, colostrum, fecal samples and blood samples were collected to evaluate the presence of bacteria in each sample. Colostrum and blood samples were processed via centrifugation to separate the immune cell fraction. Total deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from fecal, colostrum and white blood cell fractions. 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing was conducted at the Iowa State University DNA Facility (Ames, IA) to further characterize the bacterial and archaeal taxa present within each sample. Data were analyzed using Mothur and using R v4.0.3 (R Core Team, 2020). The experimental unit was the sow. Tables were generated to demonstrate the relative abundances of bacteria and archaea present in each type of sample and also identify organisms differentially abundant between sample types. Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum in colostrum and fecal samples and Tenericutes had the greatest abundance in blood comparative to other phyla. Further evaluation of the classification of bacteria present demonstrated that a few genera of bacteria are present in all three samples. Clostridum_sensu_stricto 1 was present in high relative abundance in colostrum and in moderate abundance in the feces while also being present within the blood. Other genera present in all three sample types includes Ruminococcus and Mycoplasma. In conclusion, the data suggest that there are bacteria present in all three locations of the sow at the time of farrowing and that first parity sows have different microbial populations than third parity sows.

Bacterial profiles of the oral, vaginal, and rectal mucosa and colostrum of periparturient sows

“…Consistent differences included a significantly higher RA of Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Romboutsia, and Lachnospiraceae_UCG_007 and lower RA of Prevotella in multiparous compared with primiparous sows. Higher RA of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 in third parity sows compared with first parity sows has also been reported earlier [23]. Clostridium species are commensal bacteria known as butyrate producers in the gut [64].…”

“…Christensenellaceae _R−7_group, Prevotella , Turicibacter , and Rikenellaceae _RC9_gut_group were also present in high relative abundances. These genera were also among the most abundant in other recent studies on sows from several geographically distinct locations and varying study designs [15-17, 19-21, 23, 27, 61, 62]. There is variation across studies in the genera reported as the most abundant in sow fecal or rectal samples, with Clostridium as the most abundant in some studies [19, 23, 62], including ours, and Prevotella , Treponema , or both in others [17, 20, 21].…”

“…These genera were also among the most abundant in other recent studies on sows from several geographically distinct locations and varying study designs [15-17, 19-21, 23, 27, 61, 62]. There is variation across studies in the genera reported as the most abundant in sow fecal or rectal samples, with Clostridium as the most abundant in some studies [19, 23, 62], including ours, and Prevotella , Treponema , or both in others [17, 20, 21]. However, all the genera defined as the minimal common fecal core in growing pigs by Holman et al [63] ( Prevotella , Clostridium , Alloprevotella , Ruminococcus , and the RC9 gut group) were among the most abundant both in our study and in the other sow studies.…”

Changes in Fecal Microbiome Associated with Parity in Lactating Bactrian Camels

“…However, the fecal levels of Akkermansia muciniphila in the infant gut ten days after birth were associated with both primiparous and maternal parity in pigs [42]. Further, Ruminococcaceae abundance was higher in fecal samples from first parity sows as compared to maternal parity sows, and a higher abundance of Clostridium was observed in the fecal samples of third parity sows compared to first parity sows [43]. Interestingly, in the present study, the abundance of Clostridium was highest in third parity lactating camels, while Ruminococcus was significantly higher in fifth parity than in other lower parity lactating camels.…”

Determinants of microbial colonization in the premature gut

“…An analysis of 16 subjects demonstrated that there is a “core” microbiome in HBM composed of nine operational taxonomic units, including Staphylococcus , Streptococcus , Serratia , Pseudomonas , Corynebacterium , Ralstonia , Propionibacterium , Propionibacterium , Sphingomonas , and Bradyrhizobiaceae (Hunt et al 2011 ). The GM can be transmitted vertically from mother to infant via lactation (Jost et al 2014 ; Valles-Colomer et al 2023 ; Zhong et al 2022 ), and the HBM microbiota may originate from the maternal gastrointestinal tract (Greiner et al 2022 ). Dendritic cells send dendrites out of the epithelium via tight junctions (Rescigno et al 2001 ), and dendritic cells carrying bacteria migrate to the mesenteric lymph nodes (Macpherson and Uhr 2004 ), lactate mammary glands, and ultimately into milk (Greiner et al 2022 ; Perez et al 2007 ).…”