Dynamic Distribution, Network, and Function of Gut Microbiota in Pigs at Different Growth Stages

The goal of this study was to investigate dynamic changes in the gut microbiota of pigs at different stages of development. In the present study, 679 fecal samples were collected from 179 pigs at four different time points following birth: the 5th (lactation), 35th (nursery), 80th (growing), and 145th (finishing) day. The samples were subjected to MGIseq sequencing to analyze the swine microbiome. We investigated the microbial composition in swine guts of different ages, stage-associated core microbiota, dynamic distribution of microbiota, potential functional microbiota from network analysis, and functional prediction data from KEGG functional pathways and enzymes analyses and suggested stage-associated core bacteria as a stage-specific enterotype.