Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis

The gastrointestinal microbiome plays an important role in swine health and wellbeing, but the gut archaeome structure and function in swine remain largely unexplored. To date, no metagenomics-based analysis has been done to assess the impact of an early life antimicrobials intervention on the gut a...

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Main Authors: Mohamed Zeineldin, Ameer Megahed, Benjamin Blair, Brian Aldridge, James Lowe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:Animals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1825
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author Mohamed Zeineldin
Ameer Megahed
Benjamin Blair
Brian Aldridge
James Lowe
author_facet Mohamed Zeineldin
Ameer Megahed
Benjamin Blair
Brian Aldridge
James Lowe
author_sort Mohamed Zeineldin
collection DOAJ
description The gastrointestinal microbiome plays an important role in swine health and wellbeing, but the gut archaeome structure and function in swine remain largely unexplored. To date, no metagenomics-based analysis has been done to assess the impact of an early life antimicrobials intervention on the gut archaeome. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of perinatal tulathromycin (TUL) administration on the fecal archaeome composition and diversity in suckling piglets using metagenomic sequencing analysis. Sixteen litters were administered one of two treatments (TUL; 2.5 mg/kg IM and control (CONT); saline 1cc IM) soon after birth. Deep fecal swabs were collected from all piglets on days 0 (prior to treatment), 5, and 20 post intervention. Each piglet’s fecal archaeome was composed of rich and diverse communities that showed significant changes over time during the suckling period. At the phylum level, 98.24% of the fecal archaeome across all samples belonged to <i>Euryarchaeota</i>. At the genus level, the predominant archaeal genera across all samples were <i>Methanobrevibacter</i> (43.31%), <i>Methanosarcina</i> (10.84%), <i>Methanococcus</i> (6.51%), and <i>Methanocorpusculum</i> (6.01%). The composition and diversity of the fecal archaeome between the TUL and CONT groups at the same time points were statistically insignificant. Our findings indicate that perinatal TUL metaphylaxis seems to have a minimal effect on the gut archaeome composition and diversity in sucking piglets. This study improves our current understanding of the fecal archaeome structure in sucking piglets and provides a rationale for future studies to decipher its role in and impact on host robustness during this critical phase of production.
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spelling doaj.art-1618f9ace2bc402b8a6c8eaa6c57cea42023-11-22T00:43:28ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-06-01116182510.3390/ani11061825Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin MetaphylaxisMohamed Zeineldin0Ameer Megahed1Benjamin Blair2Brian Aldridge3James Lowe4Department of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13511, EgyptDepartment of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13511, EgyptDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801, USADepartment of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801, USADepartment of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801, USAThe gastrointestinal microbiome plays an important role in swine health and wellbeing, but the gut archaeome structure and function in swine remain largely unexplored. To date, no metagenomics-based analysis has been done to assess the impact of an early life antimicrobials intervention on the gut archaeome. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of perinatal tulathromycin (TUL) administration on the fecal archaeome composition and diversity in suckling piglets using metagenomic sequencing analysis. Sixteen litters were administered one of two treatments (TUL; 2.5 mg/kg IM and control (CONT); saline 1cc IM) soon after birth. Deep fecal swabs were collected from all piglets on days 0 (prior to treatment), 5, and 20 post intervention. Each piglet’s fecal archaeome was composed of rich and diverse communities that showed significant changes over time during the suckling period. At the phylum level, 98.24% of the fecal archaeome across all samples belonged to <i>Euryarchaeota</i>. At the genus level, the predominant archaeal genera across all samples were <i>Methanobrevibacter</i> (43.31%), <i>Methanosarcina</i> (10.84%), <i>Methanococcus</i> (6.51%), and <i>Methanocorpusculum</i> (6.01%). The composition and diversity of the fecal archaeome between the TUL and CONT groups at the same time points were statistically insignificant. Our findings indicate that perinatal TUL metaphylaxis seems to have a minimal effect on the gut archaeome composition and diversity in sucking piglets. This study improves our current understanding of the fecal archaeome structure in sucking piglets and provides a rationale for future studies to decipher its role in and impact on host robustness during this critical phase of production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1825archaeomepigletsperinatalsequencingtulathromycin
spellingShingle Mohamed Zeineldin
Ameer Megahed
Benjamin Blair
Brian Aldridge
James Lowe
Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis
Animals
archaeome
piglets
perinatal
sequencing
tulathromycin
title Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis
title_full Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis
title_fullStr Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis
title_full_unstemmed Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis
title_short Metagenomic Analysis of the Fecal Archaeome in Suckling Piglets Following Perinatal Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis
title_sort metagenomic analysis of the fecal archaeome in suckling piglets following perinatal tulathromycin metaphylaxis
topic archaeome
piglets
perinatal
sequencing
tulathromycin
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1825
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AT benjaminblair metagenomicanalysisofthefecalarchaeomeinsucklingpigletsfollowingperinataltulathromycinmetaphylaxis
AT brianaldridge metagenomicanalysisofthefecalarchaeomeinsucklingpigletsfollowingperinataltulathromycinmetaphylaxis
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