Metabolic fingerprinting and fermentative capacity of the intestinal flora of pigs during pre- and post-weaning periods.

We used the Phene Plate generalized microplates to investigate the metabolic activities of faecal flora of pigs during pre- and post-weaning periods. Weekly samples were collected from four sows and their litters (four piglets from each) during 5 months. The metabolic fingerprints obtained from faecal floras of sows and their litters in the first sampling occasion was very similar, suggesting that sows were the initial source of flora for piglets. This similarity, however, was lost in week 2 and piglets developed new types of flora which, although similar among the litter-mates, differed from those of the sows. The metabolic fingerprints of pigs' floras during the post-weaning period also differed from those of the suckling period. On day 70 pigs were transferred to a fattening stable. The faecal flora of the animals during this period was unstable in each individual and differed among litter-mates. A pattern of successive changes was observed in the fermentative capacity (FC) of pigs' floras reaching the highest value before weaning (day 34). An overall decrease in the FC value of faecal floras was observed as a consequence of dietary shifts from milk to solid food to high energy fattening diet. The mean FC value of pig floras on the first sampling occasion (mean +/- S.D. = 0.41 +/- 0.02) was significantly higher than that obtained in the last sampling occasion (day 145) (0.31 +/- 0.04) (P < 0.001). Faecal floras of sows also had lower FC values (0.25 +/- 0.01) than those of piglets suggesting that loss of FC by the faecal flora of young pigs will continue as they age.