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The application of probiotics may control the bacterial balance in the gut of piglets preventing intestinal infections. Two main modes of action are discussed for probiotics: modification of the immune response and modification of the intestinal microbiota of the host. The most important idea is to stabilise intestinal microbial communities with a beneficial microbiota that acts against pathogens. The aim of the present study was to investigate the individual influences of probiotic application to the sow and possible mother-induced changes in their offspring regarding the modulation of the microbial community. Twelve multiparous sows were randomly allocated into either control (n=6) or probiotic treatment (n=6) groups. Sows in the probiotic group were fed a diet with 4.2 to 4.3×106 cfu/g E. faecium strain one month before farrowing. The DNA extracts of sow faeces taken in weekly intervals as well as extracts from the intestine of their offspring during the suckling period at 12 and 26 days of life were analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and quantitative PCR.
The profiles of DGGE of the faecal bacterial communities from three out of six probiotic-fed sows were distinctly different from the control and other probiotic-fed sows at all time points after probiotic supplementation. The probiotic-fed sows and their offspring were therefore divided into non-responder (n=3) and responder (n=3) groups. The probiotic strain significantly increased faecal lactobacilli cell numbers in sows, which could be assigned to a significant increase of Lactobacillus amylovorus and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Responding sows showed a more pronounced increase than non-responding sows. Similarly, suckling piglets from non-responding and responding sows showed numeric and significant differences for different bacterial groups and species. DGGE profiles of suckling piglets from responding sows also grouped more closely than profiles from control animals. This study showed that the probiotic E. faecium strain modified the faecal microbiota of sows. This modification is carried over to their offspring, but leads to changes that do not mirror the quantitative composition in the mother sow. It is proposed that the individual bacterial composition of mother sows controls the impact of a probiotic that interacts with intestinal bacteria. Individual variations in the bacterial composition of mother sows before probiotic feed intake may influence the impact of a probiotic in sows. Different modifications were observed in suckling piglets from probiotic responding sows, but the influence diminished after weaning.
Starke, I.C., Pieper, R., Neumann, K., Zentek J. and Vahjen W. (2013). Individual responses of mother sows to a probiotic Enterococcus faecium strain lead to different microbiota composition in their offspring. Beneficial Microbes 4(4): 345-356. DOI 10.3920/BM2013.0021