Ascaris suum infection was associated with a worm-independent reduction in microbial diversity and altered metabolic potential in the porcine gut microbiome

•Ascaris infection reduced microbial diversity in a worm burden-independent manner.•The infection altered the abundance of ∼29% of the genera and 179 operational taxonomic units (OTUs).•The infection affected ∼58 metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism.•Several modules in the global network were correlated with butyrate levels.•There was a correlation between node connectivity in the family Porphyromonadaceae and fecal parasite egg counts.