2023-07-06 00:25:00
Some recent studies show that the microorganisms in the gut – known as “gut microbiota” – are closely related to the emotional states of animals and people through what is called the “gut-brain axis”. That’s why pig brains are very similar to humans and provide many clues about how environmental factors affect brain structure and function. “If we know the composition of the microbiota and are able to modulate it in a pig, we would have a double benefit: treating it as a model for the mental health of people, with whom they have many similarities, and improving the well-being of animals, which resides, like ours, in the brain”, says Antoni Dalmau, animal welfare researcher at IRTA. A first step in the research has been to verify that in animals the intestinal microbiota is key for them to better adapt to the environment.
Through the PIGBIOTA project, IRTA researchers verified that pigs can be more optimistic or more pessimistic in the face of a neutral stimulus. “An animal with more ability to adapt to the environment will suffer less stress and will be better, have a stronger immune system and will grow and reproduce without problems”, explains Dalmau.
Bacteria as markers
In a parallel project, GUTBRAIN, researchers are trying to identify which specific species of intestinal microorganisms are linked to better conditions in animals. From the most “optimistic” animals, they have analyzed faecal samples to identify the bacteria and use them as markers. “We want to develop a diagnostic kit so that farmers can know if the animals have these microorganisms linked to better states of mind”, explains Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas, from IRTA’s Genetics and Animal Improvement program.
And it is that in the relationship between humans and pigs, it is not only food that is most important, but in the meantime we continue to enjoy the loin, the ribs and especially the hamwhile we learn to enjoy life, as they do.
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