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Lysozyme (LZM) is a naturally occurring antimicrobial enzyme found in the mucosal barrier of all mammals. This enzyme is used as an additive in infant food and in the medical industry due to its anti-infective nature. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary lysozyme supplementation on the vaginal microbiota, as well as the relationship between vaginal microbiota and the faecal microbiota of the rectum and the reproductive performance of the sow. For that aim, a total of 60 Yorkshire × Landrace sows (from parity 3-6) were arranged from day 85 of gestation to the end of lactation in a completely randomized design with three treatments (control diet, control diet + lysozyme 150 mg/kg, control diet + lysozyme 300 mg/kg).
The results showed that sows fed with lysozyme increased serum interleukin-10 on day 7 of lactation. The vaginal microbiota varied at different taxonomic levels with LZM supplementation by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The most representative changes included a decrease in Tenericutes, Streptococcus, Bacillus and an increase in Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Enterococcus, and Lactobacillus. There were 777 OTUs existing in both vaginal and faecal microbiota. The addition of LZM also decreased the abundance of Tenericutes in the vagina and faeces. The changes in the microbiota were correlated in some cases positively with the performance of the sow, for example, Bacillus in faeces was positively correlated with the neonatal weight.
These results indicate that the addition of lysozyme to the diet of the sow during the perinatal period promote the change of the vaginal bacterial community after farrowing. The variations in vaginal microbiota are also associated with the changes in the faecal microbiology of the rectum and the reproductive performance of the sow. Therefore, it is concluded that dietary supplementation with lysozyme in sows in the late gestation stage until early lactation, is beneficial to establish vaginal microbiota that seems to promote maternal health and reproductive performance.
Xu S, Dong Y, Shi J, Li Z, Che L, Lin Y, Li J, Feng B, Fang Z, Yong Z, Wang J, Wu D. Responses of Vaginal Microbiota to Dietary Supplementation with Lysozyme and its Relationship with Rectal Microbiota and Sow Performance from Late Gestation to Early Lactation. Animals. 2021; 11(3): 593. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030593