Effect of Dam Parity on Progeny Gastrointestinal Microbiota

The gastrointestinal microbiota of neonatal pigs may be affected by dam parity. Summary Litter performance, progeny growth performance, and progeny health status may be affected by dam parity. The objective of the current experiment was to evaluate gastrointestinal microfl ora, as a measure of gut health, in progeny derived from fi rst parity (P1) compared to fourth parity (P4) dams. Fecal samples were collected from the progeny (n = 6 pigs/ litter) of P1 and P4 dams (n = 4 from each parity, P1 and P4) on days 1, 7, and 14 following parturition. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was utilized to characterize gastrointestinal microbial populations and to calculate similarity and diversity indices. The similarity index represents the percentage of the microbial population that is similar within a group (P1 vs. P4). Diversity indices (Shannon's and Simpson's) represent the differences of the bacterial species within the microbial population. A greater Shannon's index and reduced Simpson's index are indicative of greater diversity among microbial populations. At all time points (days 1, 7 and 14), the fecal micro-biota of progeny derived from P1 dams was more homogenous when compared to P4 progeny (P < 0.001). With respect to microbial diversity, P1 progeny tended (P = 0.07; Shannon's) to have greater microbial diversity compared to P4 progeny on day 1, and on day 7, the reduction in microbial diversity in P1 progeny reached that passive immunity may be affected by dam parity. More information is needed to understand how dam parity may affect progeny health status. Recently, considerable evidence accrued that the composition of the intestinal microbi-ota of an individual may be linked and used as indicators of gastrointestinal health status. Therefore, factors that may affect establishment of the pig's gastrointestinal microbiota are likely to affect animal performance and include host physiology, environmental exposure , and diet. Denaturing gradient gel electro-phoresis (DGGE) is a technique that is capable of discriminating among bacterial species and is a means by which patterns of change in microbial populations can be detected through space and time (Thompson et al., 2008). Increase in microbial diversity has been associated with increased ecosystem stability and resistance to pathogen invasion (Konstantinov et al., 2004). In addition, species diversity affects a number of processes in ecological communities, including productivity , stability, and susceptibility to invasive species (Hooper et al., 2005). Therefore, the objective of the current experiment was to evaluate fecal bacterial population …