Effect of iron/anticoccidial treatment via injection on growth performance in piglets under the field conditions of a standard commercial Danish pig herd

Acanthopanax senticosus polysaccharide alleviates LPS-induced intestinal inflammation in piglets by gut microbiota and hyodeoxycholic acid regulation.

Effects of extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicerae Flos on reproductive performance, milk quality and serum indexes in sows and growth performance in suckling piglets

Simple SummaryPiglet survival in large litters can be increased if surplus piglets are cross-fostered to smaller litters, exploiting surplus teats in these sows. We aimed (1) to investigate the effect of cross-fostering piglets of different birth weights into new litters on the growth performance of piglets; (2) to determine the effect of cross-fostering piglets of different ages on the growth performance, stress and immunity of these piglets. Cross-fostering on day 2 after birth reduced average daily gain (ADG) in high birth weight (HBW) piglets. Late cross-fostering on day 7 after birth decreased ADG, affected the teat order and increased the cortisol level of piglets. Therefore, these results provide suitable cross-fostering strategies for improving cross-fostering piglets’ welfare.The effect of different cross-fostering strategies on the growth performance, stress and immunity of piglets was investigated in this study. In the first experiment, a total of 20 litters (i.e., 20 sows) and 120 piglets were classified into one of six treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. The treatments consisted of piglets without or with cross-fostering and different birth weights (low birth weight, LBW; intermediate birth weight, IBW; high birth weight, HBW). The weaning weight (WW) and average daily gain (ADG) of LBW piglets and IBW piglets were not significantly different between the not cross-fostered (NC-F) group and the cross-fostered (C-F) group. There was a higher (p < 0.05) ADG in the control piglets compared with the cross-fostered piglets. This effect on ADG was only seen in the HBW piglets. In the second experiment, six sows with a similar body condition and farrowed on the same day were selected. Three female piglets with a birth weight of 0.6–0.85 kg were selected from each litter as experimental piglets. Eighteen piglets were grouped into three treatments: (1) not cross-fostered (NC-F1), (2) cross-fostered at 36–48 h after birth (C-F1), (3) cross-fostered at day 7 after birth (C-F2). The growth performance of NC-F1 and C-F1 piglets was higher than C-F2 piglets (p < 0.05), and the suckling positions of NC-F1 and C-F1 piglets on days 8, 12, 16 and 20 were more forward than the C-F2 piglets (p < 0.05). Plasma cortisol (COR) concentrations of NC-F1 and C-F1 piglets were lower than C-F2 piglets (p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between BW at day 21 and plasma COR concentration. In conclusion, cross-fostering within 24 h of birth has adverse influences on the ADG of HBW piglets, while it has no negative effect on the ADG of LBW and IBW piglets. Moreover, for IBW piglets, late cross-fostering (i.e., on day 7 after farrowing) has negative impacts on the growth performance and teat order of piglets, and it increases the cortisol level of piglets.

The present study was aimed to investigate the relationship between diarrhoea-associated polymorphisms and pre-weaning growth rates in an organized Landlly herd. A total of 250 piglets were genotyped for 10 shortlisted SNPs and assessed for pre-weaning growth rates, with body weights recorded from birth to the 6th week of age. Seven out of the 10 SNPs were found to be polymorphic in the target population, with the MUC 4-g.8227 G&gt;C locus significantly affecting growth rates of the 2nd to 4th week piglets whereas, the MUC 20-g.191 affected growth rates at the 4th week of age. These findings suggest that the g.8227C&gt;G and g.191C&gt;T SNP polymorphisms are associated with both growth performance and diarrhoea in piglets, recommending that a balanced approach should be maintained between health status and growth performance in piglet selection programs.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with f -galactosidase preparation and stachyose on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and intestinal bacterial populations of piglets. In Experiment I 72 crossbred piglets were allotted to three treatments, i.e. 1) control (basal) diet, 2) f -Gal1 and 3) f -Gal5, the basal diet supplemented with 0.01% and 0.05% f -galactosidase preparation ( f -Gal), respectively. Average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not influenced by f -Gal supplementation. In Experiment II 72 crossbred weanling piglets were randomly assigned to four treatments with a complete factorial design, i.e. 1) basal diet, 2) basal diet with 0.01% f -Gal supplementation, 3) basal diet with 1% stachyose supplementation and 4) basal diet with 1% stachyose and 0.01% f -Gal supplementation. Average daily gain and feed conversion ratio were influenced by f -Gal and stachyose supplementation. The ileal digestibility of stachyose, raffinose, gross energy and crude protein was improved significantly by f -Gal supplementation. The microbial populations in the intestine were modified by both f -Gal and stachyose supplementation. The data suggested that stachyose supplementation had an adverse effect on the growth performance of piglets and f -Gal supplementation could ameliorate it, especially in younger pigs.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of supplementing the feed ration for lactating sows with the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the growth performance and losses of piglets from birth to weaning. The monitoring comprised 20 litters in control and 20 litters in experimental group of Czech Large White × Czech Landrace hybrid combination sows. The control group was given a standard feed mixture for lactating sows, and experimental group was fed with the feed mixture supplemented with 2% of CLA, from the day of farrowing to the weaning of piglets, that is for the time of 28 days. The results of the experiment indicate the significantly better parameters of the numbers of reared piglets in the experimental group and the related lower level of losses of piglets from birth to weaning (p < 0.01). However, the feed mixture for lactating sows enriched in conjugated linoleic acid had no significant effect on the growth performance of piglets from birth to weaning (p > 0.05). Sows in the experimental group showed earlier onset of post-partal oestrus after weaning of piglets (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that the supplementation of diet for lactating sows with CLA can improve survival of piglets from birth to weaning and shortening of weaning-to-oestrous interval in sows.

This study investigated the effects of Enterococcus hirae (Eh) derived from Ningxiang pigs on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, and immune responses in ETEC-challenged piglets. The results showed that compared to the CON group, ETEC infection significantly reduced the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI), increased rectal temperature, and resulted in a diarrhea rate of up to 24%. Additionally, ETEC infection significantly increased the spleen index and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spleen, serum and intestine, with decreasing serum sIgA and colonic SCFAs of piglets. Compared to the ETEC group, orally Eh significantly increased ADFI in ETEC-infected piglets, reduced the diarrhea rate to 11.53%, reduced the spleen index and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spleen, serum and intestine, with decreasing serum sIgA and colonic SCFAs of ETEC-infected piglets. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed that the levels of SCFAs (particularly acetate) were significantly negatively correlated with the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in colonic and splenic tissues, suggesting that acetate may be a key metabolite in the anti-inflammatory effects of Eh. These results indicate that Eh can enhance the protection of piglets against ETEC K88 via intestine-acetate-spleen axis, thereby alleviating diarrhea and improving growth performance in piglets.

Simple SummaryPrevious studies showed that gilts had elevated oxidative stress during late gestation and lactation, and could affect offspring growth. Taurine (Tau) is an important regulator of oxidative stress and possesses growth-enhancing properties. Our results suggested that taurine supplementation during late gestation and lactation of gilts increased growth performance in piglets through improved milk quality of gilts and intestinal morphology and barrier function of offspring.Birth is one of the most important events of animal production agriculture, as newborns are abruptly forced to adapt to environmental and nutritional disruptions that can lead to oxidative damage and delay in growth. Taurine (Tau) is an important regulator of oxidative stress and possesses growth-enhancing properties. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dietary Tau supplementation in gilts during late gestation and lactation on the growth performance of piglets by assessing intestinal morphology and barrier function, and oxidative stress status. Sixteen gilts were randomly allocated to the Con (basal diet) and Tau (basal diet with 1% Tau) groups from 75 d of gestation to weaning. Maternal dietary Tau supplementation significantly increased weaning weight and average daily gain weight in piglets. Piglets in the Tau group had higher villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (VCR), ZO-1 protein expression, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in the jejunum. Meanwhile, Tau bebeficial affected the milk quality of gilts, as indicated by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidative capability (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) activity. Furthermore, Tau supplementation increased T-SOD activity in plasma and SOD2 protein expression in the jejunum in the piglets. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that dietary Tau supplementation to gilts improves growth performance in piglets, owing to improved intestinal morphology and barrier function, as well as inhibition of oxidative stress.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of early-life supplementation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LPJZ-658 on the growth performance and gut microbiota of newborn piglets. Twelve one-day-old suckling piglets were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (C) was orally administered saline and the LPJZ-658 group (LP) was gavaged with 1.0 × 1010 cfu LPJZ-658. The supplementation was carried out once daily for 28 days. Fresh fecal samples were collected at 7 and 28 days, respectively. The microbiota composition (16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) and its predicted functions (PICRUSt2) were analyzed. The body weight and average daily weight gain were significantly increased in the LP group. Statistically significant differences were observed in bacterial diversity and composition of the gut microbial community between the C and LP groups. The predominant bacterial phylum in the piglets changed from Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria at day 7 to Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetota at day 28 in both the C group and LP group. We found that LPJZ-658 supplementation suppressed a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Bacteroidota in suckling piglets at 28 days. At the genus level, LPJZ-658 reduced the relative abundance of pathogenic genera such as Clostridium sensu stricto 1, and increased the relative abundance of beneficial genera such as Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Turicibacter, and UCG-002. KEGG metabolic pathway analysis showed that LPJZ-658 may improve amino acid metabolism by regulating the intestinal microbiota of suckling piglets. In summary, the early-life LPJZ-658 interventions significantly improve the growth performance of suckling piglets by the modulation of the gut microbiota.

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the effect of soybean meal (SBM) particle size on nutrient digestibility and the growth performance of nursery piglets. Sixty-three piglets (BW = 6.86 kg ± 0.56; 23 d of age) were distributed in a randomized block design (by initial weight and sex) with 3 dietary treatments: diets with 1,017 µm (unground); 585 µm; and 411µm SBM, with 7 replicates of 3 piglets each. All diets were offered ad libitum in mash form, formulated differently according to three growing phases: (1) with 20% of SBM, from 23 to 32 d of age; (2) with 25% of SBM, from 32 to 44 d of age, and (3) with 30% of SBM, from 44 to 63 d of age. For the first 21 d, pigs fed diets with a medium particle size of SBM (585mm) had better average weight gain and feed/gain ratio (P&lt;0.05). The average feed intake, average body weight gain, and feed/gain ratio from 44 to 63 d improved (P&lt;0.05) with increasing SBM particle sizes, and the average live weight for the overall period increased with coarser SBM (P&lt;0.05). There was a marginally improvement (P &lt; 0.1) on digestible energy as particle size of SBM decreased; although, no differences (P &gt; 0.05) in the coefficients of apparent digestibility of dry matter and crude protein for the assessed SBM particle sizes were observed. It was concluded that the grinding of dietary SBM is not required for piglets during the nursery phase.

Simple SummaryThis study was the first attempt to use heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus as a feed additive to replace antibiotics. The results of the evaluation showed that it could improve the performance of piglets, increase intestinal microbial diversity and thus ensure the intestinal health of piglets. In conclusion, this provides a reference for the application of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus.Probiotics can improve animal growth performance and intestinal health. However, understanding the effects of paraprobiotics on the growth performance and gut microbiota of piglets and how the paraprobiotics exert their impact are still limited. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus IFFI 6005 supplementation on the growth performance, intestinal microbiota, and fecal metabolites of piglets. First, a feed-additive sample of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus IFFI 6005 was prepared by culture. Second, 96 (initial BW = 14.38 ± 0.67 kg, weaning age of 40 days) healthy piglets were selected and randomized into four treatment groups. Each treatment group consisted of three replicates (n = 8). Pigs were fed a basal diet (NC), basal diet plus antibiotics (PC), basal diet plus Lactobacillus acidophilus IFFI 6005 at 600 g/t (LA, 1.0 × 1010 cfu/g), and basal diet plus heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus IFFI 6005 at 600 g/t (HKLA), respectively; the trial lasted for 30 days. The results showed that the ratios of feed to gain (F:G) and diarrhea rate of both the HKLA and PC groups were significantly lower compared with the NC and LA groups (p < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference between the HKLA and PC group (p > 0.05). In addition, the average daily weight gain (ADG) of the HKLA group was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the other three groups in terms of growth performance. Finally, 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolome analysis based on fecal samples further elaborated that the addition of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus IFFI 6005 to the feed improved the intestinal microbial diversity and abundance (p < 0.05) and reduced the abundance of pathogenic bacteria (p < 0.05), but it did not affect the abundance of Lactobacillus (p > 0.05). Through the comparison of microbial abundance and metabolite content between the two groups (NC_vs_HKLA), the largest differences were found in six microorganisms and 10 metabolites in the intestine (p < 0.05). These differential metabolites were involved in the digestion, absorption and utilization of protein and starch, as well as in oxidative stress. In summary, addition of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus IFFI 6005 as a new feed additive in piglets has beneficial effects on the growth performance, intestinal bacteria and metabolites, and can be used as an alternative to antibiotics.

Performance and gut permeability of post-weaned piglets are influenced by different sources of lignocellulose fiber

To feed piglets during the weaning period is critical in swine production farming. Probiotics could be alternative to antibiotics to reduce suckling stress and improve growth performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of supplemental feed manufactured by &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Bacillus megaterium 2333&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lactobacillus casei 76&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; and their combination on the growth performance of suckling piglets. First, the endurance to harsh environment and adhesion ability were tested to evaluate the possibility of probiotic use for these two bacteria. Then, supplemental feed was manufactured by addition of chosen bacteria. Feed composition was chemically analyzed. Four groups of piglets, namely Control, &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Bacillus megaterium &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;2333, &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lactobacillus casei 76&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; and their combination group were created to compare the effect. The result showed that supplemental feed manufactured by probiotic addition exerted beneficial effect on the growth performance of suckling and weaned piglets regardless of nutritional value of feed. Incidence of diarrhea and the number of pathogen such as &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;E. coli&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Salmonella&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; were also lower in probiotic group. Especially, combination use of &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Bacillus megaterium 2333&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lactobacillus casei 76&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; showed the best result of lowest feed conversion ratio. The result of present study indicated that the supplemental feed manufactured by the combination of &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Bacillus megaterium 2333&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lactobacillus casei 76 &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;was beneficial to rearing piglets.

This study was aimed to screen a high-efficient strain for degrading antigenic protein in soybean meal (SBM) and evaluate the effect of fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on growth performance of piglets. A Bacillus subtilis strain BS12 was selected through plate and fermentation experiment, which reduced 92.36% less glycinin and 88.44% less β-conglycinin in SBM. A total of 192 piglets were assigned to receive either a diet of SBM with antibiotics (the control group) or a diet containing 10% FSBM without antibiotics. The average daily gain and feed intake of pigs fed FSBM were superior (p < .10) to those fed the control diet. Reduced (p < .05) mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was detected in the jejunum and ileum of pigs fed FSBM. These results demonstrated that a diet containing BS12 FSBM improved growth performance by reducing dietary inflammation in piglets.

Effects of nanocopper on copper availability and nutrients digestibility, growth performance and serum traits of piglets