Intensive antibiotic treatment of sows with parenteral crystalline ceftiofur and tulathromycin alters the composition of the nasal microbiota of their offspring

Abstract

Abstract Nasal microbiota plays an important role in animal health and the use of antibiotics is one of the major factors that influence its composition. Here, we study the consequences on piglets’ nasal microbiota when an intensive antibiotic treatment was applied to sows and/or their piglets. Four pregnant sows received a treatment of ceftiofur and tulathromycin (CTsows) while two other sows received only crystalline ceftiofur (Csows). Sow treatments were performed at D-4, D3 and D10 for ceftiofur and D-3, D4 and D11 for tulathromycin. Half of the piglets born to CTsows were treated at birth with ceftiofur. Nasal swabs were taken from piglets at 22-24 days of age and bacterial load and nasal microbiota composition were defined by 16s rRNA gene qPCR and amplicon sequencing. Antibiotic treatment of sows reduced their nasal bacterial load, as well as in their offspring, indicating a reduced bacterial transmission from the dams. In addition, nasal microbiota composition of the piglets exhibited signs of dysbiosis, showing unusual taxa. The addition of tulathromycin to the ceftiofur treatment seemed to enhance the effect on the microbiota diversity by diminishing some bacteria commonly found in the piglets’ nasal cavity, such as Glaesserella, Streptococcus, Prevotella, Staphylococcus and several members of the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families. The additional treatment of piglets with ceftiofur resulted in no further effect beyond the treatment of the sows. Altogether these results suggest that intensive antibiotic treatments in sows, especially the double antibiotic treatment, disrupt the nasal microbiota of their offspring and highlight the importance of sow-to-piglet microbiota transmission.