A comparison of wild boar and domestic pig microbiota does not reveal a loss of microbial species but an increase in alpha diversity and opportunistic genera in domestic pigs

Abstract

The microbiome of wild animals is believed to be co-evolved with host species, which may play an important role in host physiology. It has been hypothesized that the rigorous hygienic practice in combination with antibiotics and diets with simplified formulas used in the modern swine industry may negatively affect the establishment and development of the gut microbiome. In this study, we evaluated the fecal microbiome of 90 domestic pigs sampled from 9 farms in Canada and 39 wild pigs sampled from three different locations on two continents (North America and Europe) using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Surprisingly, the gut microbiome in domestic pigs exhibited higher alpha-diversity indices than wild pigs (P<0.0001). The wild pig microbiome showed a lower Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and a higher presence of bacterial phyla Elusimicrobiota, Verrucomicrobiota, Cyanobacteria, and Fibrobacterota compared to their domestic counterparts. At the genus level, wild pig microbiome had enriched genera that were known for fibre degradation and short-chained fatty acids production. Interestingly, the phylum Fusobacteriota was only observed in domestic pigs. We identified 31 ASVs that were commonly found in the pig gut microbiome regardless of host sources, which could be recognized as members of the core gut microbiome. Interestingly, we found a few ASVs missing in domestic pigs that were prevalent in wild ones, whereas domestic pigs harbored 59 ASVs that were completely absent in wild pigs. The present study sheds light on the impact of domestication on the pig gut microbiome, including the gain of new genera. ImportanceThe microbiome of pigs plays a crucial role in shaping host physiology and health. This study looked to identify if domestication and current rearing practices have resulted in a loss of co-evolved bacterial species by comparing the microbiome of wild boar and conventionally raised pigs. It represents a comparison of domestic and wild pigs with the largest sample sizes, and is the first to examine wild boars from multiple sites and continents. We were able to identify core microbiome members that were shared between wild and domestic populations, and counter to expectation, few microbes were identified to be lost from wild boar. Nevertheless, the microbiome of wild boars was distinct from domestic pigs, with notably lower abundance of important pathogenic genera. The differences in microbial composition may identify an opportunity to shift the microbial community of domestic pigs towards that of wild boar with the intent to reduce pathogen load.