Vaginal microbiome and serum metabolite differences in late gestation commercial sows at risk for pelvic organ prolapse

Sow mortality attributable to pelvic organ prolapse (POP) has increased in the U.S. swine industry and continues to worsen. Two main objectives of this study were, (1) to develop a perineal scoring system that can be correlated with POP risk, and (2) identify POP risk-associated biological factors. To assess POP risk during late gestation, sows (n = 213) were scored using a newly developed perineal scoring (PS) system. Sows scored as PS1 (low), PS2 (moderate), or PS3 (high) based on POP risk. Subsequently, 1.5, 0.8, and 23.1% of sows scored PS1, PS2, or PS3, respectively, experienced POP. To identify biomarkers, serum and vaginal swabs were collected from late gestation sows differing in PS. Using GC–MS, 82 serum metabolite differences between PS1 and PS3 animals ( P