Late weaning is associated with increased microbial diversity and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii abundance in the fecal microbiota of piglets.
Francesca Romana MassacciMustapha BerriGaetan LemonnierElodie GuettierFany BlancDeborah JardetMarie Noelle RossignolMarie-José MercatJoël DoréPatricia LepageClaire Rogel-GaillardJordi EstelléPublished in: Animal microbiome (2020)
Overall, these results show that late weaning increased gut microbiota diversity and the abundance of F. prausnitzii, a microorganism with positive effects in humans. Piglets might thus derive a competitive advantage from later weaning because they have more time to accumulate a higher diversity of potentially beneficial microbes prior to the stressful and risky weaning period.