Effect of Fermented Corn-Soybean Meal on Serum Immunity, the Expression of Genes Related to Gut Immunity, Gut Microbiota, and Bacterial Metabolites in Grower-Finisher PigsOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
This study examined how feeding fermented corn-soybean meal (FF), compared with unfermented feed (UF), affects gut and immune health in pigs. The researchers measured serum immune markers, the mRNA expression of antimicrobial peptides and Toll-like receptors (TLR1-9) related to gut immunity, and bacterial abundance in the duodenum and colon. They also profiled colonic metabolic phenotypes using LC-MS based metabolomics, and used Spearman's correlation analysis to link gut bacteria, gut immunity gene expression, and colonic metabolites.
Who was studied?
The subjects were crossbred barrows (Duroc x Landrace x Large White) at the grower-finisher stage of swine production. Pigs were divided into two feeding groups, fermented feed and unfermented feed, with six animals per group (n = 6). This was an animal husbandry study in pigs, not a human or human-microbiome cohort.
What were the most important findings?
Pigs fed fermented feed had significantly higher serum IgG and IgM levels than pigs fed unfermented feed. FF also significantly decreased Bacteroides and Verrucomicrobia in the duodenum, and decreased Bacteroides, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia in the colon, while increasing Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. Serum immunity and gut immunity gene expression correlated with specific bacterial families, and differentially abundant colonic microbiota correlated with colonic metabolites, of which 1,351 metabolites differed between the two groups (including C5-branched dibasic acid).
What are the greatest implications of this study?
The findings suggest that fermented corn-soybean meal can enhance systemic immunity and reshape gut bacterial composition and metabolic output in grower-finisher pigs. The correlations found between specific bacterial taxa, gut immune gene expression, and colonic metabolites point to a mechanistic link between fermented feed, the gut microbiota, and host immune function. This supports the use of fermented feed as a dietary strategy to support gut and immune health in swine production, though it does not directly establish human microbiome relevance.