Prevalence of Salmonella in Free-Range Pigs: Risk Factors and Intestinal Microbiota Composition

Extensive pig systems are gaining importance as quality production systems and as the standard for sustainable rural development and animal welfare. However, the effects of natural foods on Salmonella epidemiology remain unknown. Herein, we assessed the presence of Salmonella and the composition of the gut microbiota in pigs from both Salmonella-free and high Salmonella prevalence farms. In addition, risk factors associated with the presence of Salmonella were investigated. The pathogen was found in 32.2% of animals and 83.3% of farms, showing large differences in prevalence between farms. Most isolates were serovars Typhimurium monophasic (79.3%) and Bovismorbificans (10.3%), and exhibited a multi-drug resistance profile (58.6%). Risk factor analysis identified feed composition, type/variety of vegetation available, and silos’ cleaning/disinfection as the main factors associated with Salmonella prevalence. Clear differences in the intestinal microbiota were found between Salmonella-positive and Salmonella-negative populations, showing the former with increasing Proteobacteria and decreasing Bacteroides populations. Butyrate and propionate producers including Clostridium, Turicibacter, Bacteroidaceae_uc, and Lactobacillus were more abundant in the Salmonella-negative group, whereas acetate producers like Sporobacter, Escherichia or Enterobacter were more abundant in the Salmonella-positive group. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of Salmonella in free-range pigs is directly related to the natural vegetation accessible, determining the composition of the intestinal microbiota.