The effect of host genetics factors on shaping porcine gut microbiota

Data from United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization have shown that pork is the most consumed meat in Germany. Thus, it is an important concern in pork industry to maintain meat quality and food safety while improving growth performance. The microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of the porcine has a tremendous impact on these traits. Besides studies about the influence of nutrition and medication on the microbiota, not much is known until date about how the quantitative genetic background of the host affects the porcine gut microbiota. To better understand this question, we study the microbial community composition using Illumina amplicon and sequencing genotype data obtained from Porcine SNP60 Bead Chip from Illumina.