Co-occurrence of early gut colonization in neonatal piglets with microbiota in the maternal and surrounding delivery environments

The early development of gut microbiota plays a fundamental role in host health; so far, the main origins of the first colonization in newborn piglets are largely unclear. This study aimed to investigate the early development of gut microbiota in newborn piglets during lactation and their co-occurrence with microbes in the maternal and surrounding environments by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA genes. The results showed that the microbial richness and diversity in piglets' feces (PF) significantly increased from birth to weaning (21 d). The composition and function of microbiota in the feces of piglets after birth tended to be similar to those from the slatted floor (FL), sow's milk (SM) and nipple surface (SN), and lacter, the fecal microbial communities of piglets later during lactation were more similar to their mother's. SourceTracker analysis showed that the microbiota from the FL, SM and SN were most likely the earliest passengers to the neonatal gastrointestinal tract, but did not have a long stay during lactation. The sow's fecal microbiota were easier to colonize in newborn piglet's guts via the co-occurrence effect with former settlers. This study suggests that microbes from the maternal and surrounding environments may play an important role in the microbial succession of newborn piglets after birth.