Diarrhea is a major cause of mortality in Jinhua piglets, accounting for up to 80% of total piglet deaths and severely restricting the sustainability of pig production systems. In this study, colonic morphology, organ indices, gut microbiota composition, and transcriptomic profiles were compared between diarrheal piglets (DG) and healthy piglets (HG) to identify diarrhea associated bacteria in Jinhua piglets and to explore potential microbial intervention strategies. The results revealed that diarrheal piglets had lower organ indices (p 1. 5, p < 0. 05) were enriched mainly in Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation and Th17 cell differentiation. Microbiota analysis showed that bacteria such as Clostridiumₛensuₛtricto₁, which were enriched in the colon of piglets in HG, may contribute to host metabolic and immune modulation via metabolic products such as short chain fatty acids and crosstalk with other microbial taxa. In contrast, potential harmful bacteria, particularly Fusobacterium, were significantly enriched in the colon of piglets in DG. Correlation analysis further identified IL-2Rβ, TBX21, and LCK as key immune related genes associated with differentially abundant microbes. Enriched Fusobacterium showed associations with inflammatory gene expression, whereas Clostridiumₛensuₛtricto₁ exhibited opposite correlations. In conclusion, harmful bacterial colonization may promote intestinal inflammation and diarrhea in Jinhua piglets, while beneficial bacteria exert protective effects that support piglets’ growth and intestinal health. These beneficial microbes may serve as potential probiotic candidates for improving the health of Jinhua piglets.
Li et al. (Fri,) studied this question.