Lower abundance of Bacteroides and metabolic dysfunction are highly associated with the post-weaning diarrhea in piglets

Growing evidences show a direct link between diarrhea and disorders of gut microbiota in pigs. However, whether there are microbial markers associated with post-weaning diarrhea remains unknown. In the current study, we compared the microbial community, functions and metabolites between healthy weaned piglets (group H, n=7) and piglets with post-weaning diarrhea (group D, n=7), in order to find out diarrhea associated microbial markers. Each of 7 fecal samples was collected from H and D piglets (weaned at 21 d and sampled at 26 d). The metagenomic and untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed that the microbial composition, function and metabolic profile in D pigs was considerably reshaped, including the reduced abundance and number of Bacteroides, which significantly correlated with the diarrhea status of host. The carbohydrate metabolism, biosynthesis and metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and the activity of glycan and carbohydrates digestion related enzymes showed extensively down-regulated in D pigs compared with H pigs. Diarrhea significantly changed the metabolic profiles of fecal microbiota, and most of the altered metabolites were negatively or positively correlated with the change in the abundance of Bacteroides. In conclusion, the lower abundance of Bacteroides and its associated metabolic dysfunction may be regarded as microbial markers of physiological post-weaning diarrhea in piglets.

Automated summary

Growing evidences indicate a direct connection between diarrhea and gut microbiota disorders in pigs. This study compared the microbial community, functions, and metabolites between healthy weaned piglets and piglets with post-weaning diarrhea to identify microbial markers associated with diarrhea. The results showed that the composition, function, and metabolic profile of the microbiota were significantly altered in piglets with diarrhea, and the reduced abundance of Bacteroides was closely associated with the diarrhea status. The study suggests that the lower abundance of Bacteroides and associated metabolic dysfunction may serve as microbial markers for post-weaning diarrhea in piglets.