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Weaned Piglets (weaned + piglet)

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Life Sciences	90%

Selected Abstracts

Oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum Lq80 and Megasphaera elsdenii iNP-001 induces efficient recovery from mucosal atrophy in the small and the large intestines of weaning piglets

ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009
Yoko YOSHIDA
ABSTRACT Weaning causes atrophy of intestinal mucosa and a drop of IgA protection in piglets which increases vulnerability to pathogenic infections. Probiotic lactobacilli may support recovery from such weaning stresses. Butyrate-produce bacteria may support the growth of colonic mucosa. Megasphaera elsdenii, a lactate-utilizing butyrate producer, may help butyrate production particularly when combined with lactobacilli. Weaned piglets (Experiment 1: 20 days old, Experiment 2: 28 days old) were orally dosed once a day with either (L) 1010 (cell/dose) L. plantarum Lq80, or (LM) 1010 (cell/dose) Lq80 with 109 (cell/dose) M. elsdenii iNP-001. Lq80 was contained in capsules resistant to gastric digestion. M. elsdenii was contained in capsules resistant to gastric and intestinal digestion. An untreated control (C) was also prepared. After 2 weeks of administration, L. plantarum enhanced the recovery from the villous atrophy in both experiments. The rectal and colonic IgA tended to be higher in L and LM than in C in Experiment 1. Colonic butyrate was higher in LM than in the others in Experiment 1. The thickness of the colonic mucosa was greater in LM than in the others in Experiment 1. In early weaned piglets, the effects of L. plantarum and M. elsdenii were clear. [source]

Effects of extrusion and supplementation of exogenous enzymes to diets containing Chinese storage brown rice on the carbohydrase activity in the digestive tract of piglets

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 2 2010
J. He
Summary Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of extrusion of Chinese storage brown rice and of exogenous enzymes supplementation to diets containing Chinese storage brown rice on the carbohydrase activity in digestive tract of piglets. In Experiment 1, 96 weaned piglets [initially 6.95 ± 0.05 kg body weight (BW)] were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design, the animals were fed the diets containing extruded Chinese storage brown rice or non-treated Chinese storage brown rice and supplemented with or without exogenous enzymes. Each treatment had six replicate pens and four piglets in each pen. The results demonstrated that extrusion significantly increased (p < 0.05) the activity of duodenal maltase after 14 days of treatment and glucoamylase after 28 days of treatment, jejunal lactase, maltase, isomaltase, sucrase and ,-amylase after 28 days of treatment, and jejunal ,-amylase after 14 days of treatment; enzyme supplementation positively influenced (p < 0.05) the activity of pancreatic ,-amylase after 14 and 28 days of treatment, pancreatic glucoamylase after 28 days of treatment and ileal trehalase after 14 days of treatment. Similarly, interaction between extrusion and enzyme addition existed after 14 days of treatment on the activity of pancreatic ,-amylase and duodenal maltase and on the activity of duodenal glucoamylase and isomaltase, jejunal ,-amylase, lactase, maltase, isomaltase and jejunal ,-amylase after 28 days of treatment. In Experiment 2, six piglets (initially 21 ± 1.85 kg BW) fitted with ileal ,T'-cannulas in a 6 × 6 Latin Square Design were used to study the effects of extrusion and addition of exogenous enzymes on ileal carbohydrase activity and nutrients digestibility. The results showed that exogenous enzymes significantly (p < 0.05) increased ileal ,-amylase, glucoamylase and trehalase activity. The interaction between extrusion and enzyme supplementation had positive effect (p < 0.05) on the ileal lactase, cellobiase and sucrase activity. [source]

Effect of different levels of mannan-oligosaccharide supplementation on some immunological variables in weaned piglets

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 4 2009
I. Nochta
Summary The effect of different doses of mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) on specific and non-specific immune responses was studied in piglets, weaned at 28 days. A total of 58 piglets were used in six groups. Five groups were fed 0, 1, 2, 4 g MOS product per kg diet or with growth promoting antibiotics and immunized by inactivated Aujeszky's disease virus (AyV) vaccine at week 1 and 3 of the experiment (35 and 49 days). A sixth group, receiving the same non-supplemented diets was not immunized. Blood samples for lymphocyte stimulation (LST) and AyV neutralization (VN) tests were taken from all pigs on the first day of the experiment and at weekly intervals for 5 weeks. At week 8, the immunized piglets were infected orally with transmissible gastroenteritis virus. All piglets were weighed and slaughtered at week 10, digesta from small intestine were collected and tested for the presence of secretory (s)IgA. Feeding MOS supplementation resulted in enhanced specific and non-specific immune responses, however, a regressive dose-response of MOS was observed. Both the specific cellular (LST) and humoral responses (VN) were enhanced after 2 weeks of feeding 1 g/kg MOS and significantly differed from the antibiotic positive control. The same tendency was detected in case of the non-specific LSTs, although these started some weeks later showing significant differences by the fifth week. Higher doses of MOS had no further beneficial effect on systemic immunity. In addition, 1 g/kg MOS supplementation group also showed some advantage in local immune responsiveness. Therefore, based on the studied immune variables, 1 g/kg MOS product is suggested in the diet of weaned piglets. [source]

Effects of ,-glucanase and xylanase supplementation on gastrointestinal digestive enzyme activities of weaned piglets fed a barley-based diet

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 2 2009
C. L. Fan
Summary The effects of supplementing a barley-based diet for weaned piglets with exogenous ,-glucanase and xylanase on gastrointestinal digestive enzyme activities were investigated. Thirty-six cross-bred weaned piglets were randomly assigned to two groups with three pens based on sex and mass. Each group was fed on the diet based on barley with or without added ,-glucanase and xylanase (0.15%) for a 4-week period. The results showed that enzyme supplementation improved growth performance of piglets significantly (p < 0.05), but had no effect (p = 0.091) on average daily feed intake. The results also showed that supplementation of ,-glucanase and xylanase had no effect on pepsin activity in gastric contents but slightly decreased (p = 0.092) the pepsin activity in gastric mucosa. Meanwhile, no effect of enzyme supplementation on trypsin activity in duodenal contents was observed. However, the activities of amylase and lipase in duodenal contents were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased, whereas the activities of maltase, sucrase and ,-glutamyl transpeptidase (,-GT) in jejunal and ileal mucosa were enhanced significantly (p < 0.05). The improvement of disaccharidase and ,-GT activity may be attributed to the positive impacts of exogenous enzymes on digestion and absorption of the nutrients. In conclusion, the current results indicated that supplementation with enzymes in barley-based diets could improve the growth performance of piglets, decrease the activities of amylase and lipase in duodenal contents and increase the activities of disaccharidase and ,-GT in jejunal and ileal mucosa. [source]

Field evaluation of the efficacy of a probiotic containing Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis spores, on the health status and performance of sows and their litters

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 11-12 2004
C. Alexopoulos
Summary The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of BioPlus 2B, a probiotic containing Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis spores, on the health status and productivity of sows and their litters. A total of 109 gilts and sows were allocated into two experimental groups, as follows: untreated controls (UC) and BioPlus 2B (same feeding as the UC group plus BioPlus 2B) at a dose of 400 g/ton of feed (equal to 1.28 × 106 viable spores/g of feed). Treatment started from the day of allocation (14 days prior to the expected farrowing) up to the weaning day. Homogeneity of the groups was satisfied with regard to the parity. From the results it was evident that BioPlus 2B supplementation of the feed improved gilt/sow performance as shown by: (i) the increase of sow feed consumption during the first 14 days postpartum and (ii) the decrease of sow weight loss during the suckling period. Certain blood and milk parameters were significantly improved, as shown by higher serum cholesterol and total lipids concentrations and higher milk fat and protein content at mid-suckling period. As a consequence, a positive effect was also noticed as regard litter health and performance characteristics in terms of: (i) decrease in piglet diarrhoea score, (ii) decrease in pre-weaning mortality thus leading to increase in the number of weaned piglets per litter and (iii) increase in piglet body weight at weaning. Moreover, BioPlus 2B tended to improve the health status and fertility of sows demonstrating: (i) tendency to a lower proportion of sows with Mastitis-Metritus-Agalactia (MMA) problems and (ii) lower proportion of sows returning to oestrus. [source]

Welfare Index and Reproductive Performance in the Sow

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 6 2006
C Munsterhjelm
Contents To study the relationship between on-farm welfare and reproductive performance in the sow, the TGI 35L Animal Needs Index was modified for use in Finnish pig production. The modified index had a maximal total score of 100. It was comprised of six categories: ,locomotion' (maximal score 21 for dry sows and 11 for lactating sows), ,social interaction' (12/8), ,floor quality' (16/9), ,stable climate' (16/21), ,feeding' (16/23) and ,health and stockmanship' (19/29). Index scorings were performed separately in farrowing, breeding and gestation units on 28 representative Finnish sow farms. One-year production parameters were collected. Multiple linear regression was used for statistical analysis. Total ANI-points varied between 36.5,68.0 for lactating and 39.5,86.0 for dry sows. Litter size increased with increasing scores for ,feeding' in the dry sow unit. Controlling for breed, high scores for ,health and stockmanship' and ,floor quality' shortened the reproductive cycle, probably because of good leg health. The number of weaned piglets per sow per year (PSY) increased with increasing scores for dry sow ,health and stockmanship', ,floor quality' and an interaction of ,feeding' in the farrowing and mating units. PSY increased with decreasing scores for farrowing pen ,climate'. High-quality floors and stockmanship appear to correlate positively with reproductive performance in the sow. Effects of a welfare-promoting feeding strategy on reproduction are contradictory. [source]

Oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum Lq80 and Megasphaera elsdenii iNP-001 induces efficient recovery from mucosal atrophy in the small and the large intestines of weaning piglets

Quantitative real-time PCR monitoring of Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens with oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum strain Lq80 to weaning piglets

ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2008
Shunsuke TAKAHASHI
ABSTRACT Levels of fecal or intestinal lactobacilli, Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens, and the prevalence of clostridial alpha toxin gene and heat-stable toxin (ST) gene of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) were monitored in weaned piglets before (day 0) and during (days 7, 14, and 21) the administration of Lactobacillus plantarum strain Lq80. Lactobacilli were enumerated in a culture-dependent method. The remainders were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. In this quantitative real-time PCR method, the detection limit was proved to be as low as 103 cells/g feces or intestinal contents. Number of lactobacilli increased from day 0 to day 7 (P < 0.05), to day 14 (P < 0.05), and to day 21 (P = 0.07) in the Lq80-administered group. L. plantarum contributed to as low as 10% of the lactobacillal population in the Lq80-administered group. The number of E. coli and C. perfringens, and the prevalence of alpha toxin gene in feces or intestinal contents of the Lq80-administered group decreased, at least in the first week of the postweaning period. Oral administration of L. plantarum strain Lq80 can stimulate the growth of indigenous lactobacilli and decrease ST-producing ETEC and C. perfringens in the intestine of postweaning piglets. [source]