title: Structure and Function of the Fecal Microbiota in Diarrheic Neonatal Piglets.
abstract: Diarrhea is a leading cause of increased mortality in neonatal and young piglets. Aberration of the gut microbiota is one important factor in the etiology of piglet diarrhea. However, information regarding the structure and function of the gut microbiome in diarrheic neonatal piglets is limited. To investigate the composition and functional potential of the fecal microbiota in neonatal piglets, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on 20 fecal samples from diarrheic piglets and healthy controls, and metagenomics sequencing on a subset of six samples. We found striking compositional and functional differences in fecal microbiota between diarrheic and healthy piglets. Neonatal piglet diarrhea was associated with increases in the relative abundance ofPrevotella,Sutterella, andCampylobacter, as well asFusobacteriaceae. The increased relative abundance ofPrevotellawas correlated with the reduction inEscherichia coliand the majority of beneficial bacteria that belonging to theFirmicutesphylum (e.g.,Enterococcus,Streptococcus,Lactobacillus, Clostridium, andBlautia) in diarrheic piglets. The differentially functional gene abundances in diarrheic piglets were an increase in bacterial ribosome, and contributed primarily by the generaPrevotella, this indicates a growth advantage of thePrevotellain diarrheic conditions. Additional functional gene sets were associated with the reduction of polyamine transport, monosaccharide and sugar-specific PTS transport, amino acid transport, and two-component regulatory system. These profiles likely impact the ability to transport and uptake nutrients, as well as the ability to fight microbial infections in the piglet gut ecosystem. This work identifies a potential role forPrevotellain the community-wide microbial aberration and dysfunction that underpins the pathogenesis of piglet diarrhea. Identification of these microbial and functional signatures may provide biomarkers of neonatal piglet diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoli
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shengguo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wenyang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zunqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shenggui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wangzhou
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shengwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Engineering, Northwest University for Nationalities Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural UniversityLanzhou, China; Gansu Research Center for Swine Production Engineering and TechnologyLanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shuangbao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gun
keywords: 16S rRNA gene; diarrhea; fecal microbiota; functional genes; metagenomics; neonatal piglets