Lactation Stage-Dependency of the Sow Milk Microbiota

Abstract

Breast milk is essential for the initial development of neonatal animals, as it provides not only essential nutrients and a broad range of bioactive compounds but also commensal bacteria. The milk microbiota contributes to the “initial” intestinal microbiota of infants and also plays a crucial role in modulating and influencing neonatal health. However, the milk microbiota of sows has yet to be systematically investigated. The goal of the present study was to characterize variations in bacterial diversity and composition in sow milk over the duration of lactation using a high-throughput sequencing approach. Milk samples (n = 160) were collected from 20 healthy sows at eight different time points, and microbial profiles were analyzed by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The composition and diversity of the milk microbiota changed significantly in colostrum but was relatively stable in transitional and mature milk. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most dominant phyla in sow milk. The relative abundances of the two most dominant bacterial genera, Corynebacterium and Streptococcus, were significantly higher in colostrum than in transitional milk and mature milk samples, and the other four most dominant bacterial taxa (Lactobacillus, two unclassified genera in the families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, and an unclassified genus in the order Clostridiales) demonstrated higher relative abundances in transitional and mature milk than in colostrum. Membrane transport, amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism were the most abundant functional categories in sow milk communities. Microbial network analysis based on the predominant genera revealed that the abundance of Helcococcus was negatively correlated with the abundances of most other genera in sow milk. Our results are the first to systematically indicate that the sow milk microbiota is a dynamic ecosystem in which changes mainly occur in the colostrum and remain generally stable throughout lactation.

Diversity and temporal dynamics of primate milk microbiomes

“…Nutrient content in milk likely favors colonization and/or proliferation of certain bacteria. We found similar patterns in certain bacterial genera changing with nutrient content as in suid milk (Chen et al, ); Prevotella and Lactobacillus spp. were positively correlated with fat content, but negatively correlated with protein content.…”

“…Other studies have examined change over lactation in microbiome composition, but with either fewer sampling time points or in a more narrow window of time (Cabrera‐Rubio et al, ; Chen et al, ; Hunt et al, ; McInnis et al, ). Those studies as a whole have revealed the microbiome change is reasonably complex (Cabrera‐Rubio et al, ; Hunt et al, ), with the most predictable and pronounced changes occurring during the transition from colostrum to mature milk (Chen et al, ), and the weaning lactation (McInnis et al, ). We sampled western lowland gorillas and Sumatran orangutans during the mature milk stage and found a bacterial community that changed in the number of bacterial taxa and composition over time.…”

“…The mammalian lineage contains 5,488 species (IUCN), in which we have characterized the milk microbiome for humans and 13 nonhuman species, primarily of agricultural importance (Tables S1 and S2). Mammals can nurse their young for as little as 4 days (hooded seals [ Cystophora cristata ]: Bowen, Boness, & Oftedal, ) to as long as 8.8 years (orangutans [ Pongo abelii and Pongo pygmaeus ]: Smith, Austin, Hinde, Vogel, & Arora, ), but only a few studies have examined differences in the bacterial communities in milk over lactation (e.g., Cabrera‐Rubio et al, ; Chen et al, ; Hunt et al, ; McInnis, Kalanetra, Mills, & Maga, ). Determining how milk microbiomes differ among mammalian species and change as infants age elucidates how relationships between bacteria and host change over evolutionary and ecological time.…”

Weaning Alters Intestinal Gene Expression Involved in Nutrient Metabolism by Shaping Gut Microbiota in Pigs

“…The gradual maturation of gut immune function and the microbiota may contribute to the decrease in Proteobacteria. Recently, studies have shown that Proteobacteria is one of the most dominant phyla in human (Moossavi et al, 2019) and porcine milk (Chen et al, 2018). Although the origin of the bacteria in breast milk is currently not known, bacteria in breast milk may be an important source of the intestinal microbiota of infants and sucking piglets.…”

Alterations in the Blood Parameters and Fecal Microbiota and Metabolites during Pregnant and Lactating Stages in Bama Mini Pigs as a Model

“…Indeed, it has been well established that the gut microbiota composition is inconsistent in mammals during pregnancy [ 4 , 6 ]. For example, the gut microbiota changes dramatically from the first to the third trimesters of pregnancy (e.g., the increased Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria relative abundances and beta diversity and reduced individual richness) [ 4 ]; the intestinal microbiota composition is also dynamic in lactating mammals [ 7 ]. However, the intestinal microbiota variation or difference in the composition during pregnancy and lactation remains poorly understood.…”