Piglet gut microbial shifts early in life:causes and effects

The gut microbiome has long been known to play fundamentally important roles in the animal health and the well-being of its host. As such, the establishment and maintenance of a beneficial gut microbiota early in life is crucial in pigs, since early gut colonizers are pivotal in the establishment of permanent microbial community structures affecting the health and growth performance of pigs later in life. Emphasizing this importance of early gut colonizers, it is critical to understand the factors impacting the establishment of the piglet gut microbiome at weaning. Factors include, among others, diet, in-feed antibiotics, probiotics and prebiotic administration. The impact of these factors on establishment of the gut microbiome of piglets at weaning includes effects on piglet gut microbial diversity, structure, and succession. In this review, we thoroughly reviewed the most recent findings on the piglet gut microbiome shifts as influenced by weaning, and how these microbiome changes brought about by various factors that have been shown to affect the development of microbiota in piglets. This review will provide a general overview of recent studies that can help to facilitate the design of new strategies to modulate the gut microbiome in order to enhance gastrointestinal health, growth performance and well-being of piglets.     

幼龄反刍动物瘤胃微生物定植及其营养调控研究进展

生命早期消化道中的微生物定植可影响动物机体，且具有长期健康效应，详细了解早期瘤胃微生物的定植状况对动物健康及生长发育有重要意义。反刍动物自出生后开始与外界微生物接触，其瘤胃微生物菌群结构发生剧烈变化，且易受动物日龄、品种以及饮食结构的影响。反刍动物瘤胃含有复杂的微生物菌群，主要由厌氧细菌、古生菌、真菌和原虫构成。本文综述了反刍动物幼龄阶段瘤胃细菌、古生菌、真菌和原虫的定植组成及其变化，同时阐述了饲粮组成和饲料添加剂对幼龄反刍动物瘤胃微生物菌群的影响，旨在为幼龄反刍动物实现分阶段的营养调控提供理论基础。     

Dietary polyphenols in lipid metabolism: A role of gut microbiome

Polyphenols are a class of non-essential phytonutrients, which are abundant in fruits and vegetables. Dietary polyphenols or foods rich in polyphenols are widely recommended for metabolic health. Indeed, polyphenols (i.e., catechins, resveratrol, and curcumin) are increasingly recognized as a regulator of lipid metabolism in host. The mechanisms, at least in part, may be highly associated with gut microbiome. This review mainly discussed the beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols on lipid metabolism. The potential mechanisms of gut microbiome are focused on the effect of dietary polyphenols on gut microbiota compositions and how gut microbiota affect polyphenol metabolism. Together, dietary polyphenols may be a useful nutritional strategy for manipulation of lipid metabolism or obesity care.     

饲料添加剂调节畜禽肠道菌群及其生长性状的研究进展

肠道菌群影响畜禽生长发育以及相关多个重要经济性状。就多种饲料添加剂调节畜禽肠道菌群及其生长性状的研究进展进行综述。从生物学机制出发,介绍了饲料添加剂对畜禽肠道菌群及其生长性状的影响和菌群移植影响宿主生长性状的研究进展,总结了通过饲料添加剂影响畜禽肠道菌群、改善畜禽生长性能的应用实践。     

幼龄反刍动物瘤胃微生物的定植过程与调控措施

反刍动物是畜牧业中的重要支柱，研究瘤胃微生物在幼龄反刍动物上的定植过程，并利用其中的定植规律采取科学的早期调控措施，以此提高反刍动物的生产效率，对于维持畜牧业高效、健康、可持续发展具有重要意义。瘤胃微生物的定植过程伴随着幼龄反刍动物瘤胃的发育和饮食结构的巨大变化。在幼龄反刍动物哺乳时，瘤胃由于食管沟反射的存在而不发挥功能，发育缓慢，此时只有部分功能菌群逐渐定植；随着日龄的增长，幼龄反刍动物大量摄入固体饲料，瘤胃在固体饲料的刺激下迅速发育直至成熟，此时大量菌群定植，瘤胃发酵逐渐活跃，且优势菌及其丰度与前期相比发生较大变化。同时，大量瘤胃发酵产物的积累又进一步刺激了瘤胃的发育。反刍动物在幼龄阶段经历了从非反刍到反刍的生理过渡，是其最敏感和可塑性最强的时期，可以在此阶段对反刍动物瘤胃微生物采取人工调控措施，以保证机体的健康和后续生长发育。作者综述了反刍动物瘤胃早期发育过程、瘤胃内微生物的种类、来源及其在幼龄反刍动物瘤胃中的定植过程，阐明瘤胃微生物在反刍动物消化代谢、生产性能以及畜体健康方面的重要功能，并归纳了常用的瘤胃微生物调控技术，从而为生产中对幼龄反刍动物的饲养管理、营养调控提供参考。     

Insights into host-microbe interaction:What can we do for the swine industry?

Recent discoveries have underscored the cross-talk between intestinal microbes and their hosts. Notably, intestinal microbiota impacts the development, physiological function and social behavior of hosts. This influence usually revolves around the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA). In this review, we firstly outline the impacts of the host on colonization of intestinal microorganisms, and then highlight the influence of intestinal microbiota on hosts focusing on short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and tryptophan metabolite-mediated MGBA. We also discuss the intervention of intestinal microbial metabolism by dietary supplements, which may provide new strategies for improving the welfare and production of pigs. Overall, we summarize a state-of-the-art theory that gut microbiome affects brain functions via metabolites from dietary macronutrients.     

Gut health,stress, and immunity in neonatal dairy calves: the host side of host-pathogen interactions

The cumulative evidence that perinatal events have long-lasting ripple effects through the life of livestock animals should impact future nutritional and management recommendations at the farm level. The implications of fetal programming due to malnutrition, including neonatal survival and lower birth weights, have been characterized,particularly during early and mid-gestation, when placental and early fetal stages are being developed. The accelerated fetal growth during late pregnancy has been known for some time, while the impact of maternal stressors during this time on fetal development and by extent its postnatal repercussions on health and performance are still being defined.Maternal stressors during late pregnancy cannot only influence colostrogenesis but also compromise adequate intestinal development in the fetus, thus, that further limits the newborn's ability to absorb nutrients, bioactive compounds, and immunity(i.e., immunoglobulins, cytokines, and immune cells) from colostrum. These negative effects set the newborn calf to a challenging start in life by compromising passive immunity and intestinal maturation needed to establish a mature postnatal mucosal immune system while needing to digest and absorb nutrients in milk or milk replacer. Besides the dense-nutrient content and immunity in colostrum, it contains bioactive compounds such as growth factors, hormones, and cholesterol as well as molecular signals or instructions [e.g., microRNAs(miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)] transferred from mother to offspring with the aim to influence postnatal gut maturation. The recent change in paradigm regarding prenatal materno-fetal microbiota inoculation and likely the presence of microbiota in the developing fetus intestine needs to be addressed in future research in ruminants. There still much to know on what prenatal or postnatal factors may predispose neonates to become susceptible to enteropathogens(e.g., enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli), causing diarrhea. From the host-side of this host-pathogen interaction, molecular data such as fecal RNA could, over time, help fill those gaps in knowledge. In addition, merging this novel fecal RNA approach with more established microbiome techniques can provide a more holistic picture of an enteropathogenesis and potentially uncover control points that can be addressed through management or nutrition at the farm level to minimize preweaning morbidity and mortality.     

早期营养干预对幼龄反刍动物瘤胃微生物区系发育的影响

正常稳定的瘤胃微生物区系是反刍动物瘤胃健康的重要指标,且在瘤胃结构形态发育、微生物定植模式、免疫功能调节及抵御外源致病因子侵袭等方面发挥着重要积极作用。最近研究表明,新生反刍动物瘤胃微生物组成相对单一,但随着早期瘤胃发育过程中不同微生物群落相继开始定植并占据不同的生态位,此时的营养干预可能会形成特定的微生物群落组合并产生持久影响,这为进一步提高反刍动物生产性能和健康水平提供了更好的长期策略。本研究主要从3个方面详细综述了早期营养干预对瘤胃微生态系统发育的最新研究成果,包括探索幼龄反刍动物瘤胃形态及功能发育、寻找影响早期瘤胃微生物群落定植的因素及最佳调控“窗口期”的选择,并对宿主与微生物群落间的免疫互作进行简要剖析,以期为通过早期营养干预调控瘤胃微生物区系,提高反刍动物生产性能来应对全球畜牧业挑战,并为提高秸秆纤维利用率及抑制甲烷排放提供理论依据。     

Comparative aspects of plant tannins on digestive physiology,nutrition and microbial community changes in sheep and goats: A review

Comparative aspects of plant tannins on digestive physiology, nutrition and microbial community in sheep and goats are discussed in the context of differences due to feed intake, digestibility, utilization of nutrients and microbial community. The purpose of this review was to present an overview of the potential benefits of tannin‐containing diets for sheep and goats and specie differences in their response to tannins. It is well established that moderate level of tannins in the diet (3%–4% tannins DM) can precipitate with soluble proteins and increase protein supply to the sheep, but comparative aspects of tannin‐containing diets in sheep and goats on animal performance, digestive physiology, rumen microbial changes and potential benefits to sustainable animal production by those compounds have received little attention. In addition, developing plant‐based tannin‐containing diets for control of rumen microbiota and rumen fermentation (e.g., methane gas) would be expected to have a greater impact on the ruminant health, productivity and emission of greenhouse gasses. The positive impacts of the plant tannin compounds mainly depend on their influence on the gut microbiome diversity and ability to generate fermentation end products (short‐chain fatty acids) that have diverse biological roles. Diets which contain optimal levels of tannins have potential benefits for sustainability of small ruminant production systems. However, there is a need for an improved understanding of the utilization of tannin‐containing forages to improve their management. This implies investigations of animal responses to tannin‐containing forages or browse species and, in particular, a better understanding of the interactions that can arise between sheep and goats on digestion, DMD, rumen fermentation and microbial community changes. This knowledge could help to improve current feeding systems in terms of efficiency of feed use and environmental impacts (reduce methane gas production) and thus contribute to the development of a sustainable sheep and goat production.     

The dynamics of the piglet gut microbiome during the weaning transition in association with health and nutrition

Background: Understanding the composition of the microbial community and its functional capacity during weaning is important for pig production as bacteria play important roles in the pig's health and growth performance. However,limited information is available regarding the composition and function of the gut microbiome of piglets in early-life.Therefore, we performed 16 S rRNA gene and whole metagenome shotgun sequencing of DNA from fecal samples from healthy piglets during weaning to measure microbiome shifts, and to identify the potential contribution of the early-life microbiota in shaping piglet health with a focus on microbial stress responses, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism.Results: The analysis of 16 S rR NA genes and whole metagenome shotgun sequencing revealed significant compositional and functional differences between the fecal microbiome in nursing and weaned piglets. The fecal microbiome of the nursing piglets showed higher relative abundance of bacteria in the genus Bacteroides with abundant gene families related to the utilization of lactose and galactose. Prevotel a and Lactobacil us were enriched in weaned piglets with an enrichment for the gene families associated with carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. In addition, an analysis of the functional capacity of the fecal microbiome showed higher abundances of genes associated with heat shock and oxidative stress in the metagenome of weaned piglets compared to nursing piglets.Conclusions: Overal, our data show that microbial shifts and changes in functional capacities of the piglet fecal microbiome resulted in potential reductions in the effects of stress, including dietary changes that occur during weaning.These results provide us with new insights into the piglet gut microbiome that contributes to the growth of the animal.     

Potential relevance of pig gut content transplantation for production and research

It is becoming increasingly evident that the gastrointestinal microbiota has a significant impact on the overall health and production of the pig. This has led to intensified research on the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota, factors affecting it, and the impact of the microbiota on health, growth performance, and more recently, behavior of the host. Swine production research has been heavily focused on assessing the effects of feed additives and dietary modifications to alter or take advantage of select characteristics of gastrointestinal microbes to improve health and feed conversion efficiency. Research on faecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) as a possible tool to improve outcomes in pigs through manipulation of the gastrointestinal microbiome is very recent and limited data is available. Results on FMT in humans demonstrating the transfer of phenotypic traits from donors to recipients and the high efficacy of FMT to treat Clostridium difficile infections in humans, together with data from pigs relating GI-tract microbiota composition with growth performance has likely played an important role in the interest towards this strategy in pig production. However, several factors can influence the impact of FMT on the recipient, and these need to be identified and optimized before this tool can be applied to pig production.There are obvious inherent biosecurity and regulatory issues in this strategy, since the donor's microbiome can never be completely screened for all possible non-desirable microorganisms. However, considering the success observed in humans, it seems worth investigating this strategy for certain applications in pig production. Further,FMT research may lead to the identification of specific bacterial group(s) essential for a particular outcome, resulting in the development of banks of clones which can be used as targeted therapeutics, rather than the broader approach applied in FMT. This review examines the factors associated with the use of FMT, and its potential application to swine production, and includes research on using the pig as model for human medical purposes.     

Dietary mitigation of enteric methane emissions from ruminants: A review of plant tannin mitigation options

Methane gas from livestock production activities is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which have been shown to influence climate change. New technologies offer a potential to manipulate the rumen biome through genetic selection reducing CH₄ production. Methane production may also be mitigated to varying degrees by various dietary intervention strategies. Strategies to reduce GHG emissions need to be developed which increase ruminant production efficiency whereas reducing production of CH₄ from cattle, sheep, and goats. Methane emissions may be efficiently mitigated by manipulation of natural ruminal microbiota with various dietary interventions and animal production efficiency improved. Although some CH₄ abatement strategies have shown efficacy in vivo, more research is required to make any of these approaches pertinent to modern animal production systems. The objective of this review is to explain how anti-methanogenic compounds (e.g., plant tannins) affect ruminal microbiota, reduce CH₄ emission, and the effects on host responses. Thus, this review provides information relevant to understanding the impact of tannins on methanogenesis, which may provide a cost-effective means to reduce enteric CH₄ production and the influence of ruminant animals on global GHG emissions.     

日粮蛋白质和中性洗涤纤维水平对幼龄反刍动物生长发育影响的研究进展

幼龄阶段是反刍动物生长中非常重要的阶段,这一时期的营养供应、生长发育状况和瘤胃发育程度决定了其成年后的生产性能和繁殖效率。由于幼龄阶段消化代谢系统发育不完善且具有极强的可塑性,此阶段日粮的营养水平,尤其是蛋白质和中性洗涤纤维（NDF）水平,在反刍动物发育过程中发挥着非常重要的作用。在生产实践中,营养供给不足或超量供给都会影响幼畜的生长发育及健康状况,这种情况甚至会伴随其一生。而幼龄反刍动物日粮中蛋白质和纤维水平对生长性能和胃肠道发育的调节具有决定性的作用。适量提高日粮中蛋白质水平,可提高幼龄反刍动物的生长发育程度,并由于饲料中瘤胃微生物可利用氮浓度的提高而提高了营养物质消化率和瘤胃的发育。在保证精饲料充足的情况下,提高日粮中NDF水平可提高幼龄反刍动物开食料的采食量,提高生长性能和促进瘤胃发育,同时也伴随着营养物质消化率的提高。但由于试验动物或原料来源不同,在相关试验中仍存在不同的试验结果。为此,作者针对日粮中不同蛋白质和NDF水平对幼龄反刍动物生长发育、营养物质消化率和瘤胃发育的影响,以及出现不同试验结果的原因进行总结和探讨,以期为解决幼龄反刍动物的饲养管理问题、提高其饲养效率提供理论依据。     

Strategies to modulate the intestinal microbiota and their effects on nutrient utilization,performance, and health of poultry

Poultry is widely produced and consumed meat global y. Its demand is expected to continue increasing to meet the animal protein requirement for ever-increasing human population. Thus, the chal enge that poultry scientists and industry face are to produce sufficient amount of poultry meat in the most efficient way. In the past, using antibiotics to promote the growth of poultry and manage gut microbiota was a norm. However, due to concerns over potential fatalistic impacts on food animals and indirectly to humans, their use as feed additives are banned or regulated in several jurisdictions. In this changed context, several alternative strategies have been proposed with some success that mimics the functions of antibiotics as growth promoters and modulate gut microbiota for their beneficial roles. These include the use of probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, and exogenous enzyme, among others. Gut microbiota and their metabolic products improve nutrient digestion, absorption, metabolism, and overal health and growth performance of poultry. This paper reviews the available information on the effect of feed additives used to modulate intestinal microbiota of poultry and their effects on overal health and growth performance. Understanding these functions and interactions wil help to develop new dietary and managerial strategies that wil ultimately lead to enhanced feed utilization and improved growth performance of poultry. This review wil help future researchers and industry to identify alternative feed ingredients having properties like prebiotics, probiotics, organic acids, and exogenous enzymes.     

益生菌维护肠道健康及抗病毒作用研究进展

动物肠道存在复杂的微生物群落,适宜的微环境有利于多种肠道微生物的定植生长。肠道健康是保证动物机体健康的基础,也是当前国内外学者所关注的热点问题。益生菌是对肠道健康有益的微生物,在改善动物肠道健康领域具有极大的潜力。益生菌对病原微生物侵袭有一定的抑制作用,对部分病毒也具有一定的预防及清除作用,但不同菌株作用效果存在较大差异。作者首先将益生菌对肠道健康的保护概括为益生菌抑制病原菌入侵和定植、改善肠道屏障功能、维持肠道健康菌群、提高机体免疫力4种方式,并探讨了不同菌株的作用方式;其次简述了益生菌抗肠道病毒的作用机制,其中,益生菌通过间接方式调节机体免疫是其抗病毒的主要方式;最后讨论了近年来益生菌在轮状病毒、流行性腹泻病毒和传染性胃肠炎病毒中应用的研究进展,并对益生菌的发展前景进行了展望,以期为益生菌在改善动物肠道健康的研究及产品的开发方面提供一定的参考依据。     

A defined intestinal colonization microbiota for gnotobiotic pigs

Maximising the ability of piglets to survive exposure to pathogens is essential to reduce early piglet mortality, an important factor in efficient commercial pig production. Mortality rates can be influenced by many factors, including early colonization by microbial commensals. Here we describe the development of an intestinal microbiota, the Bristol microbiota, for use in gnotobiotic pigs and its influence on synthesis of systemic immunoglobulins. Such a microbiota will be of value in studies of the consequences of early microbial colonization on development of the intestinal immune system and subsequent susceptibility to disease. Gnotobiotic pig studies lack a well-established intestinal microbiota. The use of the Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF), a murine intestinal microbiota, to colonize the intestines of Caesarean-derived, gnotobiotic pigs prior to gut closure, resulted in unreliable colonization with most (but not all) strains of the ASF. Subsequently, a novel, simpler porcine microbiota was developed. The novel microbiota reliably colonized the length of the intestinal tract when administered to gnotobiotic piglets. No health problems were observed, and the novel microbiota induced a systemic increase in serum immunoglobulins, in particular IgA and IgM. The Bristol microbiota will be of value for highly controlled, reproducible experiments of the consequences of early microbial colonization on susceptibility to disease in neonatal piglets, and as a biomedical model for the impact of microbial colonization on development of the intestinal mucosa and immune system in neonates.     

Swine gut microbiota and its interaction with host nutrient metabolism

Gut microbiota is generally recognized to play a crucial role in maintaining host health and metabolism. The correlation among gut microbiota, glycolipid metabolism, and metabolic diseases has been well reviewed in humans. However, the interplay between gut microbiota and host metabolism in swine remains incompletely understood. Given the limitation in conducting human experiments and the high similarity between swine and humans in terms of anatomy, physiology, polyphagy, habits, and metabolism and in terms of the composition of gut microbiota, there is a pressing need to summarize the knowledge gained regarding swine gut microbiota, its interplay with host metabolism, and the underlying mechanisms. This review aimed to outline the bidirectional regulation between gut microbiota and nutrient metabolism in swine and to emphasize the action mechanisms underlying the complex microbiome–host crosstalk via the gut microbiota–gut–brain axis. Moreover, it highlights the new advances in knowledge of the diurnal rhythmicity of gut microbiota. A better understanding of these aspects can not only shed light on healthy and efficient pork production but also promote our knowledge on the associations between gut microbiota and the microbiome–host crosstalk mechanism. More importantly, knowledge on microbiota, host health and metabolism facilitates the development of a precise intervention therapy targeting the gut microbiota.     

Ruminal microbiota–host interaction and its effect on nutrient metabolism

Rumen microbiota has a close and intensive interaction with the ruminants. Microbiota residing in the rumen digests and ferments plant organic matters into nutrients that are subsequently utilized by the host, making ruminants a unique group of animals that can convert plant materials indigestible by humans into high-quality animal protein as meat and milk. Many studies using meta-omics technologies have demonstrated the relationships between rumen microbiome and animal phenotypes associated with nutrient metabolism. Recently, the causality and physiological mechanisms underpinning the host–microbiota interactions have attracted tremendous research interest among researchers. This review discusses the host–microbiota interactions and the factors affecting these interactions in ruminants and provides a summary of the advances in research on animal husbandry. Understanding the microbiota composition, the functions of key bacteria, and the host–microbiota interaction is crucial for the development of knowledge-based strategies to enhance animal productivity and host health.     

猪肠道微生物及其代谢产物与肠道屏障研究进展

肠道微生物参与营养物质代谢，影响猪的健康和发育，当肠道微生物发生紊乱，会造成猪腹泻并引起炎症反应，因此肠道微生物对猪的健康起着至关重要的作用。本文从肠道微生物在仔猪不同发育阶段的分布、肠道微生物的代谢产物对肠道健康的影响机制和肠道微生物与肠道屏障之间的关系进行阐述，并探讨了目前肠道健康研究的进展以及今后的研究方向，旨在为猪肠道健康调控提供理论参考。     

The animal's microbiome and cancer: A translational perspective

Cancer is a substantial global health problem both in humans and animals with a consistent increase in mortality and incidence rate. The commensal microbiota has been involved in the regulation of several physiological and pathological processes, both within the gastrointestinal system and at distant tissue locations. Cancer is not an exception, and different aspects of the microbiome have been described to have anti- or pro-tumour effects. Using new techniques, for example high-throughput DNA sequencing, microbial populations of the human body have been largely described and, in the last years, studies more focused on companions' animals have emerged. In general, the recent investigations of faecal microbial phylogeny and functional capacity of the canine and feline gut have shown similarities with human gut. In this translational study we will review and summarize the relation between the microbiota and cancer, in humans and companion animals, and compare their resemblance in the type of neoplasms already studied in veterinary medicine: multicentric and intestinal lymphoma, colorectal tumours, nasal neoplasia and mast cell tumours. In the context of One Health, microbiota and microbiome integrative studies may contribute to the understanding of the tumourigenesis process, besides offering an opportunity to develop new diagnostics and therapeutic biomarkers both for veterinary and human oncology.