Clostridium butyricum Prevents Diarrhea Incidence in Weaned Piglets Induced by Escherichia coli K88 through Rectal Bacteria-Host Metabolic Cross-Talk

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ( ) on the prevention of the diarrhea rates and growth performances of weaned piglets induced by K88 ( K88). Twenty-four weaned piglets (6.92 ± 0.11 kg) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups for a period of 21 days. Each group consisted of eight pigs, with each pig being housed in an individual pen. Group I received the control diet along with normal saline, Group II received the control diet along with K88, and Group III received the control diet supplemented with 5 × 10 CFU/kg of and K88. We examined alterations in rectal microbiota and metabolites, analyzed the incidence of diarrhea, and investigated the interactions between microbiota and metabolites through the application of Illumina MiSeq sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that, from days 14 to 21, the diarrhea incidence in Group III decreased significantly by 83.29% compared to Group II ( < 0.05). Over the entire experimental duration, the average daily feed intake of Group III decreased significantly by 11.13% compared to Group I ( < 0.05), while the diarrhea incidence in Group III decreased by 71.46% compared to Group II ( < 0.05). The predominant microbial flora in the rectum consisted of Firmicutes (57.32%), Bacteroidetes (41.03%), and Proteobacteria (0.66%). Administering K88 orally can elevate the relative abundance of ( < 0.05). Conversely, the supplementation of in the diet reduced the relative abundance of ( < 0.05), while increasing the relative abundance of unclassified_f_ ( < 0.05). Rectal metabolomics analysis revealed that supplementing in the feed significantly altered the amino acids and fatty acids of the piglets infected with K88 ( < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that the occurrence of diarrhea was inversely related to adipic acid ( < 0.05) and positively associated with (5-hydroxyindol-3-YL) acetic acid and L-aspartic acid ( < 0.05). _1 exhibited a negative correlation with octadecanoic acid ( < 0.05). _UCG-005 showed a negative correlation with (5-hydroxyindol-3-YL) acetic acid ( < 0.05). The findings from this research study aid in probiotic development and the enhancement of healthy growth in weaned piglets.