Development of an in vitro model of piglet colon

Post-weaning infectious diarrhea in piglets, associated with high mortality and economic losses is a major problem in swine industry. Risks factors for the etiology of post-weaning diarrhea include the modifications of intestinal microbiota, also called dysbiosis, but remain to be fully elucidated. As animal experimental trials are increasingly questioned for cost and ethical reasons, appropriate in vitro gut models are representative first choice tools to address such complex questions. We developed a new in vitro model of the weaning piglet colon (MPigut-IVM) including a mucin bead compartment to reproduce the mucus surface from the gut to which gut microbes can adhere.