Analysis of swine fecal microbiota at various growth stages

Recent obesity studies in humans and rodents have suggested that host weight gain is significantly associated with energy harvesting efficiency which is regulated by gut microbiota. Antibiotic growth promoters have been banned as feed additives in many countries. In this study, we aimed to provide knowledge of swine fecal microbiota by analyzing bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Our results showed that swine fecal bacterial composition varied at each growth stage. Bacteroidetes decreased as the swine gained weight and unclassified genera significantly increased at later growth stages. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) distribution analysis showed that the bacterial community difference was most significant between growers and finishers, while analysis of shared OTUs indicated a greater proportion of common species between growers and finishers. The differential abundance test between growers and finishers detected that nearly half of the species were shared OTUs, suggesting that differential abundance of each bacterial species predominantly controls bacterial community differences. Although functions of these bacteria are yet to be identified, understanding differences in fecal microbiota between each growth stage will provide additional insights for further studies related to swine gut microbiota.