1014 Supplementation of chestnut tannins in artificially infected weaned piglets

Abstract

Weaning is a critical stage for piglets that is associated with disturbances in the intestinal microflora and pre-disposes them to gastrointestinal tract infections such as enterotoxic E. coli F4 (ETEC) infections and the development of post-weaning diarrhea. The continuous use of large amounts of antibiotics in animal production has led to the increased occurrence of resistances, so alternative solutions become urgent. Hydrolyzable tannins (HT) are known to have antimicrobial properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of HT from chestnut added to a standard starter diet on the prevalence of diarrhea in weaned piglets artificially infected with ETEC. The trial was arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial design and was performed with 72 piglets, weaned at 23 to 31 d of age. Piglets were allocated within weaning body weight and litter to the treatments and housed as pairs in pens. From the day of weaning, piglets had ad libitum access to either a control (C) or a 1% tannin (T) supplemented diet. Four days after weaning, 18 C and 18 T piglets received a 5-mL ETEC suspension of 108 CFU/ml orally, while the other 18 C and 18 T piglets received 5 mL of a PBS solution. For 14 d after infection, fecal score was assessed daily using the following score scheme: 1 = dry, pelleted feces; 2 = molded feces; 3 = moist, cow-dung appearance; 4 = diarrhea; 5 = watery diarrhea. Once per week, the piglets were weighed and the feed disappearance per pen was determined. In the first week after infection, the fecal score and the number of days in diarrhea were reduced (P < 0.01) in the T group (2.7 ± 1.24 and 2 ± 1.9 d, respectively) compared with the C group (3.1 ± 1.32 and 3 ± 2.4 d, respectively). However, average daily weight gain and feed disappearance were similar (P > 0.05) between the infected groups in the first week after infection (T: 0.4 ± 0.70 kg/piglet/d; C: 0.2 ± 0.27 kg/piglet/d; T: 517 ± 157.5 g/pen/d; C: 488 ± 193.7 g/pen/d) as well as in the second week after infection (T: 0.9 ± 1.25 kg/piglet/d; C: 0.6 ± 0.69 kg/piglet/d; T: 1043 ± 385.4 g/pen/d; C: 946 ± 347.5 g/pen/d). There was no difference in the frequency of antibiotic treatment between the C and T groups (2 out of 36 T piglets and 2 out of 36 C piglets suffering from watery diarrhea for 4 d received antibiotic treatment), and none of the T and C piglets died. In conclusion, the HT extract reduced the severity of diarrhea in the first week after infection but had no effect on growth performance.