Comparison of the effects of Enterococcus faecium and aromatic oils from sage and oregano on growth performance and diarrhoeal diseases of weaned pigs

Abstract

The influence of a probiotic additive and aromatic oils from medicinal and spicy plants on the basic production parameters and on the incidence of intestinal disorders of weaned pigs (weaning at the age of 30–32 days) was compared in two trials in a commercial pig fattening farm (Michalovce, Slovakia). In the first trial, an experimental (nex = 38) and a control group (nco = 32) were used. A commercial probiotic additive containing Enterococcus faecium M-74 (6 × 108 CFU/g) and IgY antibodies (920 mg/g dried activated egg matter) against pig Rotavirus and different strains of Escherichia coli (K88, K99, 987P, F18) were added to feed mixture of the experimental group from 30th to 40th day (12 × 108 CFU/g) and subsequently from 40th to 50th day (6 × 108 CFU/g) of age. The second trial was performed with three groups of pigs (nex1 = 28, nex2 = 24, nco = 28). Aromatic oils isolated from sage (Salvia officinalis L., Labiateae) or oregano (Origanum vulgare L., Lamiaceae) were added to feed mixtures of the 1st (90 mL/100 kg) and 2nd experimental group (35 mL/100 kg), respectively, from 32th to 53th day of age. A statisticaly non-significant decrease of the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases was observed in the experimental groups of both trials as follows: in the 1st trial by 43.41%, whereas in the 2nd trial by 20.03% (1st exp. group) and 6.72% (2nd exp. group) in comparison with the control groups. The daily weight gains increased in the 1st trial by 42.95 g/day, while in the 2nd trial by 69.52 g/day (1st exp. group) and 105.23 g/day (2nd exp. group; p < 0.05) compared with controls.