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

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2021-03-17
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Koester, Lucas
Showman, Lucas
Studer, Jamie
Chipman, Amanda
Schmitz-Esser, Stephan
Ross, Jason
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Keating, Aileen
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Iowa Pork Industry Center
The Iowa Pork Industry Center was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. Through partnerships with the IPIC, pork producers receive accurate and timely information to aid in making their operations more efficient and profitable. We provide a variety of educational and informational opportunities for producers and the Iowa pork industry, ranging from issue focused workshops to large multi-topic events like Iowa State’s annual Iowa Swine Day. We work in partnership with commodity organizations, private industry and commercial businesses to deliver appropriate, timely and accurate resources. The IPIC efforts are linked with the activities and programs of the ISU Extension and Outreach campus and field staff members, partnering on a variety of outreach opportunities. Swine specialists and faculty are available for discussion and consultation purposes in person, by phone and email. See our people page for individual contact information.
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Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine
Our faculty promote the understanding of causes of infectious disease in animals and the mechanisms by which diseases develop at the organismal, cellular and molecular levels. Veterinary microbiology also includes research on the interaction of pathogenic and symbiotic microbes with their hosts and the host response to infection.
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Animal ScienceIowa Pork Industry CenterVeterinary Microbiology and Preventive MedicineIowa Pork Industry Center
Abstract

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 < 0.05) were identified. Vaginal swabs were utilized for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and differences in vaginal microbiomes between PS1 and PS3 animals were detected on a community level (P < 0.01) along with differences in abundances of 89 operational taxonomic units (P < 0.05). Collectively, these data demonstrate that sows with greater POP risk have differential serum metabolites and vaginal microflora. Additionally, an initial and novel characterization of the sow vaginal microbiome was determined.

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This article is published as Kiefer, Z.E., Koester, L.R., Showman, L. et al. Vaginal microbiome and serum metabolite differences in late gestation commercial sows at risk for pelvic organ prolapse. Sci Rep 11, 6189 (2021). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-85367-3.

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Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2021
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