Malnourishment leads to severe gut microbiota changes in a piglet model of childhood malnutrition, which can be partly restored during 3 weeks of refeeding with fortified Corn-Soy-Blend

Childhood malnutrition is a global health challenge associated with multiple adverse consequences, including the immaturity of the gut microbiota which can notably induce long-term immune dysfunction and stunting. To understand the change of the gut microbiota composition during malnutrition and subsequent re-feeding, piglets were used as model. Piglets were weaned at the age of 4 weeks, fed an optimal diet for 1 week post-weaning before being fed a malnourishing maize diet for 7 weeks. After that they were re-feed with general food aid products, namely Corn-Soy blend (CSB) fortified with phosphorus (CSB+), CSB fortified with phosphorus and skim milk powder (CBS++) and CSB fortified with phosphorus and added whey permeate (CSB+P). Malnourishment had profound impact on the gut microbiota of the piglets leading to a less diverse GM dominated especially by Akkermansia spp. as determined by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Depending on the diet, re-feeding partly or nearly completely restored GM, with especially CSP++ leading to a more diverse distributed GM and decreased Akkermansia spp as low as well-nourished piglets. Key words: Gut microbiota, malnutrition, re-feeding diet, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, piglets