Gastrointestinal ecology response of piglets’ diets containing non-starch polysaccharide hydrolysis products and egg yolk antibodies following an oral challenge with Escherichia coli (k88)

Abstract

The gastrointestinal ecology (GE) of piglets fed diets containing non-starch polysaccharide hydrolysis products (HP) and egg yolk antibodies against K88 fimbriae (EYA) following oral challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (ETEC) was investigated. The HP were products of incubating feedstuffs with a blend of carbohydrase enzymes. Forty, 21-d-old pigs (two pigs/pen) were assigned to four diets to give five pens per diet. The diets were: a control fed without or with 5 g kg-1 of HP and EYA either singly or in combination forming a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Following a 9-d adaptation period, all pigs were orally challenged with ETEC and killed at 24 and 48 h post-challenge (one pig/pen on each occasion). Feeding HP increased pre-challenge average daily gain (252 vs. 207 g d-1; P = 0.01). An interaction (P < 0.10) between EYA and HP was observed such that when fed in combination they resulted in higher ileal digesta lactic acid and cecal DM contents and lower ileal digesta ammonia. The main effects (P < 0.05) were such that pigs fed EYA-diets had shorter intestinal crypt whilst pigs fed HP-diets showed low gastric pH and high ileal mucosal adherent lactobacilli counts. In conclusion, HP and EYA influenced indices of fermentative characteristics and intestinal morphology in the gastrointestinal ecology of piglets orally challenged with enterotoxigenic E. coli (k88).Key words: Egg yolk antibodies, ETEC, gastrointestinal ecology, non-starch polysaccharides hydrolysis products, piglet