Influence of maternal microbial communities on the mucosal microbiome of the young piglet

Cross-fostering is employed to equalize the number of piglet between litters ensuring colostrum intake, survival, and growth. However, little is known about its impact on intestinal microbiome of the piglets. Twenty-four piglets were enrolled in the study to determine the influence of maternal microbial communities on the mucosal microbiome of the young pig. Piglets were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments, according to colostrum source and postcolostral milk feeding for 21 days, as follow: treatment 1 (n = 8), received colostrum and post-colostral milk feeding from their own dam; treatment 2 (n = 8), received colostrum from foster dam and returned to their own dam for post-colostral milk feeding; and treatment 3 (n = 8), received colostrum and post-colostral milk feeding from foster dam. DNA was extracted from nasal, fecal, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract of the piglets and from colostrum, vaginal, and fecal of the sows.