The gut microbiota and microbial metabolites are associated with tail biting in pigs.
Sci Rep
; 11(1): 20547, 2021 10 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34654857
ABSTRACT
Tail biting is an abnormal behaviour that causes stress, injury and pain. Given the critical role of the gut-microbiota in the development of behavioural problems in humans and animals, the aim of this study was to determine whether pigs that are biters, victims of tail biting or controls (nine matched sets of pigs) have a different microbiota composition, diversity and microbial metabolite profile. We collected faecal and blood samples from each individual for analysis. The gut microbiota composition was most different between the biter and the control pigs, with a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes in tail biter pigs than the controls. Furthermore, we detected differences in faecal and plasma short chain fatty acids (SCFA) profiles between the biter and victim pigs, suggesting physiological differences even though they are kept in the same pen. Thus, in addition to supporting an association between the gut microbiota and tail biting in pigs, this study also provides the first evidence of an association between tail biting and SCFA. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these associations, to determine causality and to study how the SCFA profiles of an individual play a role in the development of tail biting behaviour.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Health context:
3_ND
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Swine
/
Behavior, Animal
/
Bites and Stings
/
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article