A pig’s microbiota – a result of many factors

Piglets can be reared under a variety of conditions ranging from outdoor, organic farms to high intensity, indoor facilities which use prophylactic antibiotics and everything in between. Do these different early-life influences matter when it comes to longer-term health and productivity? By Dr Marie Lewis, Lecturer in Gut Immunology and Microbiology, University of Reading, UK A great deal of scientific research has been carried out to further our understanding of the interactions