Fine-tuning of post-weaning pig microbiome structure and functionality by in-feed zinc oxide and antibiotics use

This study used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to investigate the environmental and faecal microbiota on 10 farms using (Treated) or not using (ZnO-free) in-feed antibiotics and ZnO during the first 14 days post-weaning (dpw). Environmental samples from clean pens were collected at weaning day (0dpw), and faecal samples at 0, 7 and 14dpw. Diarrhoeic faecal samples were collected at 7dpw when available.ResultsThe analysis of data revealed that the faecal microbiota composition and its functionality was impacted by the sampling time point (microbiota maturation after weaning) but not by the farm environment. Treatment with antibiotics and ZnO showed no effects on diversity indices while the analyses of microbiota taxonomic and functional profiles revealed increased abundance of taxa and metabolic functions associated with Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens or different species of Prevotella spp. on the Treated farms, and with Megasphaera elsdenii and Escherichia coli on the ZnO-free farms. The analysis of diarrhoea samples revealed that the treatment favoured the microbiota transition or maturation from 0dpw to 14dpw in Treated farms, resembling the composition of healthy animals, when compared to diarrhoea from ZnO-free farms, which were linked in composition to 0dpw samples.DiscussionThe results provide a comprehensive overview of the beneficial effects of ZnO and antibiotics in PWD in the microbiota transition after weaning, preventing the overgrowth of pathogens such as pa...
Source: Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research