Effects of respiratory disease on Kele piglets lung microbiome, assessed through 16S rRNA sequencing

Due to the incomplete development of the immune system in immature piglets, the respiratory tract is susceptible to invasion by numerous pathogens that cause a range of potential respiratory diseases. However, few studies have reported the changes in pig lung microorganisms during respiratory infection. Therefore, we aimed to explore the differences in lung environmental microorganisms between healthy piglets and piglets with respiratory diseases. Histopathological changes in lung sections were observed in both diseased and healthy pigs. Changes in the composition and abundance of microbiomes in alveolar lavage fluid from eleven 4-week-old Chinese Kele piglets (three clinically healthy and eight diseased) were studied by IonS5™ XL sequencing of the bacterial16S rRNA genes. Histopathological sections showed that diseased pigs displayed more lung lesions than healthy pigs. Diseased piglets harbored lower bacterial operational taxonomic units, α-diversity, and bacterial community complexity in comparison to healthy piglets. Taxonomic composition analysis showed that in the diseased piglets, the majority of flora was composed of , , and ; while , , and were dominant in the control group. The abundance of was significantly higher in ill piglets (p