prominent than Leuconostoc spp. The increased relative abundance of Weissella spp. and Leuconostoc spp. has not been documented in piglets. These genera form a separate group (“leuconostoc-like” LAB) and largely differ in their metabolic potential from lactobacilli (Sal- minen et al., 2004). The key physiological features of the leuconostoc-like LAB are the exclusive production of l-lactate (some Weissella strains produce l- and l- lactate) and generation of CO2 from glucose; however, fructose is preferred over glucose during growth. Furthermore, all leuconostoc-like LAB produce dextran from sucrose.