Diversity and Potential Function of Pig Gut DNA Viruses

Here, there are 3,584 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) longer than 5 kb identified by virus-enriched metagenome sequencing from 25 pig fecal samples. Only a small minority of vOTUs (11.16%) can be classified at the family level, and ~50% of thegenes could be annotated, supporting the concept of pig gut as reservoirs of substantialundescribed viral genetic diversity. The composition of pig gut virome in the six regions may be related to geography. There are only 20 virus clusters (VCs) shared among pig gut virome in six regions of Shanxi Province. These viruses rarely carry antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). At the same time, they possess abundant auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) potentially involved in carbon, sulfur metabolism and cofactor biosynthesis, etc. This study has revealed the unique characteristics and potential function of pig gut DNA virome and established a foundation for the recognition of the viral roles in gut environment.