Can the effects of live yeast on a sow’s microbiota benefit the piglet?

At the latest International Scientific Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota and Health (IPC 2019) in Prague, June 17-20, Lallemand Animal Nutrition shared new metagenomics data on swine gut microbiota. A presentation was delivered by Caroline Achard, Ph.D., as part of the Animal Health Symposium during the conference1. Using the latest high-throughput sequencing techniques in partnership with the INRA Genotoul platform, this study revealed the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CNCM-I 1079 supplementation on sows’ microbiota and the lasting influence this has on weanling piglet performance.

Dr. Achard explains: “In the context of swine production and of a more careful use of antimicrobials, it is critical to get a better understanding of the link between the digestive microbiota and animal health and performance. In this study, we showed evidence of the beneficial effects of a well described probiotic yeast on the sow’s microbiota, in particular to limit the intestinal microbiota dysbiosis during the peri-partum phase. Those microbiota modulation results also confirmed the concept of maternal imprinting and helped explain why feeding the probiotic to the sow has also a positive impact on piglets’ performance.”

¹C. Achard, F. Bravo de Laguna, E. Apper, M. Castex. 2019. Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CNCM I-1079 modulates the fecal microbiota of sows and subsequently beneficially affects weanling piglets.