Swine gut health

Pigs are exposed to various challenges such as weaning, environmental stressors, unhealthy diet, diseases and infections during their lifetime which adversely affects the gut microbiome. The inability of the pig microbiome to return to the pre-challenge baseline may lead to dysbiosis resulting in the outbreak of diseases. Therefore, the maintenance of gut microbiome diversity, robustness and stability has been influential for optimum intestinal health after perturbations. Nowadays human and animal researches have focused on more holistic approaches to obtain a robust gut microbiota that provides protection against pathogens and improves the digestive physiology and the immune system. The swine gut microbiome is a complex and dynamic ecosystem harboring immensely diverse microbiota including bacteria, viruses, archaea, and fungi that ideally reside symbiotically in the gut of host animals. Among the microorganisms, the number of bacteria outnumbers other microorganisms. The microbiome robustness, the maintenance of diverse and functional microbiota in GIT is crucial for effective swine production. The microbiome robustness depends on the diversity of the microbiome, so it is not enough just to have the presence of a few different beneficial microbes. Accordingly, new strategies are required to manipulate the gut microbiome to prevent or revert unhealthy states caused by perturbations.