Differences in microbiota composition between cecum and feces in pig

The pig is an ideal model for the human digestive tract. Humans and pigs’ guts share anatomical and physiological similarities as well as microbial functionality. Pig feces samples are commonly used as proxy of microbial activity in the colon, while majority of fermentation processes occur in the cecum. In this study, we analysed the differences in microbial composition between the beginning and end of the large intestine of pigs.