The effect of an early-life probiotic supply on piglets fecal microbiota and growth performance until weaning

The establishment and maintenance of a balanced gut microbiota in early life play a pivotal role in pig. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a single and early-life probiotic supply on piglets fecal microbiota and growth performance until weaning. A total of 820 piglets were allocated to 4 different groups (205 piglets/group; 16 litters/group): 1) Control group (CO); 2) Saccharomyces group (SA: supplied with 4 mL of 1x1010 CFU of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CNCM-1079; 3) Enterococcus group (EF: supplied with 4 mL of 1x1010 CFU of Enterococcus faecium lactiferm WS200); 4) mix of the two probiotics at the same doses (SAEF). Probiotic solutions were orally supplied within 48h from birth. Piglet weights were recorded at the day of the supply (d0) and at d7 and d18 after the supply. Faeces from piglets (18 piglets/group from 6 litters) and from their mothers? were collected at d7 and d18 for microbial profile analysis by sequencing of v3-v4 regions of 16S rRNA gene using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Data on piglet performance and mortality were arranged in a factorial way with a 2x2 design using a GLM or a GENMOD procedure for performance and mortality rates, respectively. Microbiota sequencing data were analysed using DADA2 pipeline. The single probiotic supplies improved the piglet average daily gain from d7 to d18 (P < 0.0001) and from d0 to d18 (P< 0.05).Piglet mortality between d0-d7 was not different and tended to be reduced between d7 and d18 in the SA group compared with the CO group (P = 0.08). Fecal microbiota was significantly influenced by time and litter of origin (alpha diversity: time P-value < 0.001; beta diversity: time R= 0.072; P-value = 0.001; litter R= 0.007; P-value = 0.001). The probiotic supplies did not influence the alpha diversity but significantly affected the beta diversity at d7 (P< 0.05). The SA and EF probiotic particularly influenced the settlement of Erysipelatoclostridium and Christensenella, and of Lachnospiraceae family, respectively. These results highlight that a single and early-life probiotic supplementation can improve piglet performance and shape the piglet fecal microbial profile.