Stability and volatility shape the gut bacteriome and Kazachstania slooffiae dynamics in preweaning, nursery and adult pigs

Abstract

The gut microbiome plays important roles in the maintenance of health and pathogenesis of diseases in the growing host. In order to fully comprehend the interplay of the gut microbiome and host, a foundational understanding of longitudinal microbiome, including bacteria and fungi, development is necessary. In this study, we evaluated enteric microbiome and host dynamics throughout the lifetime of commercial swine. We collected a total of 234 fecal samples from ten pigs across 31 time points in three developmental stages (5 preweaning, 15 nursery, and 11 growth adult). We then performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for bacterial profiles and qPCR for the fungus Kazachstania slooffiae. We identified distinct bacteriome clustering according to the host developmental stage, with the preweaning stage exhibiting low bacterial diversity and high volatility amongst samples. We further identified clusters of bacteria that were considered core, increasing, decreasing or stage-associated throughout the host lifetime. Kazachstania slooffiae was absent in the preweaning stage but peaked during the nursery stage of the host. We determined that all host growth stages contained negative correlations between K. slooffiae and bacterial genera, with only the growth adult stage containing positive correlates. Our stage-associated bacteriome results suggested the neonate contained a volatile gut microbiome. Upon weaning, the microbiome became relatively established with comparatively fewer perturbations in microbiome composition. Differential analysis indicated bacteria might play distinct stage-associated roles in metabolism and pathogenesis. The lack of positive correlates and shared K. slooffiae-bacteria interactions between stages warranted future research into the interactions amongst these kingdoms for host health. This research is foundational for understanding how bacteria and fungi develop singularly, as well as within a complex ecosystem in the host’s gut environment.