Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337340
Research Project: Non-Antibiotic Strategies to Control Priority Bacterial Infections in Swine

Location: Virus and Prion Research

Title: Effect of in-feed versus injected oxytetracycline on piglet nasal and tonsil microbiota

Author
item MOU, K - Orise Fellow
item Brockmeier, Susan
item Allen, Heather
item Loving, Crystal
item Alt, David
item Nicholson, Tracy
item Kellner, Steven
item Jones, Jennifer

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology General Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Several studies have revealed the core microbiome of pig nasal and tonsil regions. However, little is known about how antibiotics and their different routes of administration affect the microbiome of these areas. Such questions are important areas to research since the tonsil and nasal regions are positioned at the beginning of the respiratory and digestive tract, serving as the first line of defense to survey materials entering through the mouth or nares. In addition, previous studies have suggested that the type of microbiota inhabiting the pig may predispose the animal to diseases and have implications in pathogen shedding and disease susceptibility. As part of a study assessing the effects of in-feed versus injected antibiotics on gut microbiota, we assessed changes of the pig nasal and tonsil microbiota when the animal is subjected to in-feed oxytetracycline diet, a single-dose injection of oxytetracycline with unamended diet, or unamended feed alone. Each treatment contained 22 pigs, with nasal and tonsil samples collected over a 14-day period. Sample processing, library construction, and sequencing on Illumina’s MiSeq platform were performed in-house and the software packages mothur and PAST were used to process 16S rRNA gene sequences and analyze operational taxonomic unit data for community metrics and structure. We also compared the tonsil and nasal microbial communities from control pigs in this study with recent literature that have identified the “core” microbiome of pig nasal and tonsil region. Findings from this study will not only reveal more insight into the pig nasal and tonsil microbiota structure and interactions with antibiotics, but also add to the growing body of research with the ultimate aim of manipulating the microbiota to promote health and prevent disease.