PEGGYPRO Operational Group: Assessment of sow microbiota as a strategy for preventing reproductive pathology to improve the health and sustainability of Aragonese pig farms

The objective of the project is the development of a new therapeutic product for breeding sows based on their probiotic capacity from bacteria present in the animals' own microbiota, proposing a solution from natural resources for the improvement of animal health, which will result in an improvement of health control on the farm, based on prevention and therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the use of antimicrobials.

Specific objectives:

1. To characterize the vaginal microbiota of sows in different reproductive states using microbiological, biochemical and proteomic techniques.
2. Identify microorganisms with an inhibitory effect on reproductive pathogens using in vitro assays.
3. Develop microbiota-based formulations that promote a stable vaginal ecosystem resistant to infections.
4. To validate the effectiveness of these strategies on commercial farms, analyzing their impact on conception rates, litter size, and reproductive longevity.
5. Transfer the results to the swine industry through technical recommendations and potential commercial developments of microbiota-based products.