Animal resilience and the gut microbiota have emerged as two major focus areas in animal science, particularly in swine production. The gut microbiota, as a dynamic and responsive ecosystem, offers unique potential to describe and interpret complex host phenotypes, reflecting genetic and environmental influences and their interplay. In parallel, enhancing animal resilience represents a key opportunity for swine production systems facing increasing pressures from climate change, sustainability requirements, and efficiency constraints, compounded by narrow profit margins and reduced labor availability per pig. Together, these factors necessitate pigs that can robustly cope with environmental and management challenges with minimal human intervention. These pressures threaten not only economic sustainability but also raise serious animal welfare concerns. However, improving resilience remains challenging because it (i) lacks a directly measurable trait and (ii) is difficult to enhance through environmental management, due to its inherent definition, and also through genetic selection, owing to its low to moderate heritability. In this context, the microbiota may capture a component of resilience-related variability that is not explained by host genetics or environmental factors alone. Accordingly, microbiota data, with their dual capacity to integrate host genetic background and environmental exposures, emerge as a valuable tool not only for monitoring resilience but also as a potential target for its improvement. In this review, we first define resilience in swine, outlining how it can be monitored and measured. We then discuss the importance of the microbiota, especially gut microbiota, in swine production. Finally, we explore the biological connections between resilience and the host microbiota, highlighting opportunities to leverage this relationship to address current and future challenges in swine systems.
Mancin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.