Project Number: 1235-51530-053-03
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jan 21, 2010
End Date: Jan 20, 2015

Objective:
ARS is interested in determining the impact of dietary induced changes in intestinal microflora that affect inflammatory aspects of obesity. In-house research has demonstrated that the pig can be used to model changes in immunological and anti-inflammatory responses to diets that correspond to changes in bacteria in the gut. Feeding a conventional diet containing added levels of fructose, fat, and cholesterol (HF/HFr/HC) compared to a conventional diet increased aspects of the metabolic syndrome in juvenile Ossabaw and conventional pigs.

Approach:
Fecal material from Ossabaw sows prior to weaning and their piglets pre- and post-weaning will be evaluated for changes in microbial populations and metabolomics. The analysis will provide a measure of robust changes in bacterial populations that result from dramatic changes in diet pre- and post weaning. Additional changes in bacterial populations will be evaluated following a comparative regimen of feeding a conventional diet compared to one with added HF/HFr/HC and detection of single copy genes for Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species measured by real time PCR along with other genera and species including Eubacteria, pan Bifidobacterium, pan Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli, Clostridium difficile, and Bacteriodes fragilis. Changes in innate and acquired immune response patterns in the local tissues and selected circulating markers in whole blood will be evaluated by gene expression, histology, and physiology. This information will be used by both ARS and the cooperator to jointly develop studies that focus on how major modifications of diet affect intestinal microbial populations associated with host change that affect intestinal health.