Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status

Abstract Background Antibiotics are used in animal husbandry to control infectious diseases. Different stressors can compromise animal health, leaving piglets vulnerable to pathogens, especially enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), which causes post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), the major source of m...

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Main Authors: Carla Tort-Miró, Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Laura Montoro-Dasi, Santiago Vega, Juan Carlos Rodríguez, María-Paz Ventero, Maria Teresa Pérez-Gracia, Judith Guitart-Matas, Noemí Giler-Baquerizo, Ana Marco-Fuertes, Giuseppe D’Auria, Clara Marin, Lourdes Migura-Garcia
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Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:BMC Veterinary Research
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04693-0
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author Carla Tort-Miró
Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque
Laura Montoro-Dasi
Santiago Vega
Juan Carlos Rodríguez
María-Paz Ventero
Maria Teresa Pérez-Gracia
Judith Guitart-Matas
Noemí Giler-Baquerizo
Ana Marco-Fuertes
Giuseppe D’Auria
Clara Marin
Lourdes Migura-Garcia
author_facet Carla Tort-Miró
Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque
Laura Montoro-Dasi
Santiago Vega
Juan Carlos Rodríguez
María-Paz Ventero
Maria Teresa Pérez-Gracia
Judith Guitart-Matas
Noemí Giler-Baquerizo
Ana Marco-Fuertes
Giuseppe D’Auria
Clara Marin
Lourdes Migura-Garcia
author_sort Carla Tort-Miró
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Antibiotics are used in animal husbandry to control infectious diseases. Different stressors can compromise animal health, leaving piglets vulnerable to pathogens, especially enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), which causes post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), the major source of mortality and morbidity in swine production. Furthermore, PWD is a recurrent disease for certain farms, suggesting a link between gut microbial composition and animal health. The aim of this study was to identify the intestinal microbiota of pigs on farms with high health status (HHS) and low health status (LHS) to determine the relationships between sanitary status and gut health. Therefore, three pig farms with LHS presenting recurrent problems of PWD and three farms with HHS were selected to characterise the intestinal microbiome of sows and their piglets. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to determine the associations of the gut microbiome with health. With the aim of bringing the MinION Nanopore device to the field for its portability and taxonomic resolution, the results obtained with Illumina were compared to those obtained with Nanopore. Results Overall, the results indicated remarkable differences in intestinal microbial communities between animals from LHS farms and those from HHS farms, suggesting that the microbiomes of LHS animals were enriched with potential pathogenic microorganisms, mainly from the Pseudomonadota phylum, such as the genus Escherichia-Shigella, and their associated related species. Moreover, animals from HHS were enriched with beneficial microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus spp., Christensenellaceae R7 group, Treponema, Acetitomaculum and Oscillospiraceae UCG-005. Conclusions This study identifies potential microorganisms that may contribute to health and disease in pig farms with HHS and LHS, suggesting that tracking their occurrence might provide insight into sanitary conditions. Moreover, this research highlights the compatibility between Illumina and Nanopore sequencing platforms, justifying the use of MinION Nanopore device in field applications for in situ studies of PWD. This application has the potential to enhance sustainable economic growth in swine farms by enabling more effective monitoring and management of animal health.
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spelling doaj-art-fabfb0f10713422d84d593101efe6ea92025-08-20T03:07:41ZengBMCBMC Veterinary Research1746-61482025-04-0121111410.1186/s12917-025-04693-0Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health statusCarla Tort-Miró0Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque1Laura Montoro-Dasi2Santiago Vega3Juan Carlos Rodríguez4María-Paz Ventero5Maria Teresa Pérez-Gracia6Judith Guitart-Matas7Noemí Giler-Baquerizo8Ana Marco-Fuertes9Giuseppe D’Auria10Clara Marin11Lourdes Migura-Garcia12Animal Health Program (CReSA), Collaborating Centre of the World Organization for Animal Health for Research and Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Pig Diseases in Europe, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA-CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)Institute of Science and Animal Technology, Universitat Politècnica de ValenciaFacultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesFacultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesMicrobiology Department, Dr. Balmis University General Hospital, Microbiology Division, Miguel Hernández University, ISABIALMicrobiology Department, Dr. Balmis University General Hospital, Microbiology Division, Miguel Hernández University, ISABIALÁrea de Microbiología, Departamento de Farmacia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesAnimal Health Program (CReSA), Collaborating Centre of the World Organization for Animal Health for Research and Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Pig Diseases in Europe, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA-CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)Animal Health Program (CReSA), Collaborating Centre of the World Organization for Animal Health for Research and Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Pig Diseases in Europe, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA-CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesSequencing and Bioinformatics Service, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region, FISABIOFacultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesAnimal Health Program (CReSA), Collaborating Centre of the World Organization for Animal Health for Research and Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Pig Diseases in Europe, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA-CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)Abstract Background Antibiotics are used in animal husbandry to control infectious diseases. Different stressors can compromise animal health, leaving piglets vulnerable to pathogens, especially enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), which causes post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), the major source of mortality and morbidity in swine production. Furthermore, PWD is a recurrent disease for certain farms, suggesting a link between gut microbial composition and animal health. The aim of this study was to identify the intestinal microbiota of pigs on farms with high health status (HHS) and low health status (LHS) to determine the relationships between sanitary status and gut health. Therefore, three pig farms with LHS presenting recurrent problems of PWD and three farms with HHS were selected to characterise the intestinal microbiome of sows and their piglets. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to determine the associations of the gut microbiome with health. With the aim of bringing the MinION Nanopore device to the field for its portability and taxonomic resolution, the results obtained with Illumina were compared to those obtained with Nanopore. Results Overall, the results indicated remarkable differences in intestinal microbial communities between animals from LHS farms and those from HHS farms, suggesting that the microbiomes of LHS animals were enriched with potential pathogenic microorganisms, mainly from the Pseudomonadota phylum, such as the genus Escherichia-Shigella, and their associated related species. Moreover, animals from HHS were enriched with beneficial microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus spp., Christensenellaceae R7 group, Treponema, Acetitomaculum and Oscillospiraceae UCG-005. Conclusions This study identifies potential microorganisms that may contribute to health and disease in pig farms with HHS and LHS, suggesting that tracking their occurrence might provide insight into sanitary conditions. Moreover, this research highlights the compatibility between Illumina and Nanopore sequencing platforms, justifying the use of MinION Nanopore device in field applications for in situ studies of PWD. This application has the potential to enhance sustainable economic growth in swine farms by enabling more effective monitoring and management of animal health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04693-0Antimicrobial resistancePost-weaning diarrhoeaNanopore sequencingIllumina sequencingPigsSwine
spellingShingle Carla Tort-Miró
Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque
Laura Montoro-Dasi
Santiago Vega
Juan Carlos Rodríguez
María-Paz Ventero
Maria Teresa Pérez-Gracia
Judith Guitart-Matas
Noemí Giler-Baquerizo
Ana Marco-Fuertes
Giuseppe D’Auria
Clara Marin
Lourdes Migura-Garcia
Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
BMC Veterinary Research
Antimicrobial resistance
Post-weaning diarrhoea
Nanopore sequencing
Illumina sequencing
Pigs
Swine
title Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
title_full Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
title_fullStr Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
title_full_unstemmed Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
title_short Nanopore versus Illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
title_sort nanopore versus illumina to study the gut bacterial diversity of sows and piglets between farms with high and low health status
topic Antimicrobial resistance
Post-weaning diarrhoea
Nanopore sequencing
Illumina sequencing
Pigs
Swine
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04693-0
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