An Interview in the Newsletter of De Varkenspraktijk
In this artikel, you’ll find an interview with Kirsten van Hees from Florates about the pig microbiome: What is the microbiome, and what can we do with it?
The Pig Microbioom
Kirsten, who are you and what do you do?
I am Kirsten van Hees, and together with Joost Thijssen, I founded Florates. Our goal at Florates is to provide better insight into the gut health of animals. We achieve this by analyzing the balance of the gut microbiome, specifically by examining the ratios between different bacterial groups. We can also test for gut damage.
What is meant by ‘microbiome’?
The microbiome encompasses all the microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microbes) that live in and on the body of a living organism. The gut microbiome is the most well-known and extensively studied. At Florates, we focus specifically on bacteria. For example, when no virus is found and “something still isn’t right,” we often observe that the balance among the gut bacteria is disturbed.
Why is the microbiome so important?
The microbiome plays an essential role in digestion, the immune system, and the production of certain vitamins. It helps fight pathogens, regulates the immune system, and aids in breaking down food and absorbing nutrients. A healthy microbiome contributes to overall well-being, more efficient feed conversion, and faster growth.
What is known about the pig microbiome?
Knowledge about the pig microbiome is steadily increasing, although many aspects remain unclear. Various studies are rapidly enhancing our understanding of reference values and the actions that can be taken to modulate the gut microbiome.
Together with De Varkenspraktijk, we collected manure samples from sows on several farms, as well as samples from their piglets before and after weaning. From these, we were able to draw several interesting relationships and conclusions:
- There is a clear relationship between the gut microbiome of the sow and that of her piglets.
- At the farm level, we observe differences in the gut microbiome between stable farms and those that are less stable.
- The effect of adding an additive to modulate the microbiome after weaning was rapidly apparent.
What can we do with this knowledge?
Our tests can be used as a monitoring tool. We employ a traffic light system—green, orange, and red. If your animals fall into the orange or red categories, this, in collaboration with your veterinarian or feed advisor, provides valuable insights for making adjustments. Additionally, the tests can be used to gauge the impact of changes in feed or additives.
After weaning, piglet digestion at the green farm was suboptimal, and dropout rates were too high. An additive was introduced via water after weaning. Since the decline in the butyrate ratio persisted, an additive was also administered through the feed. The effect of these measures was quickly evident, with positive results observed in the barn.
