Abstract
ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess different prebiotic concentrations and principles, in addition to calcium butyrate, aiming to replace colistin as a growth promoter. The sample consisted of 120 piglets weaned at 22 days old with mean initial weight of 5.475 ± 0.719kg. The animals were assigned to random blocks in six treatments corresponding to the use of the following dietary additives: T1) colistin (40 ppm); T2) β-glucan/mannan-oligosaccharides (0.2%); T3) calcium butyrate (0.1%); T4) β-glucan/mannan-oligosaccharides (0.1%) + fructooligosaccharides (0.01%) + galactooligosaccharides (0.09%); T5) β-glucan/mannan-oligosaccharides (0.1%) + fructooligosaccharides (0.03%) + galactooligosaccharides (0.07%); and T6) β-glucan/mannan-oligosaccharides (0.1%) + fructooligosaccharides (0.05%) + galactooligosaccharides (0.05%). The results showed no difference among treatments for the performance parameters in any of the phases evaluated. For diarrhea incidence and intensity, the results indicated that the treatments with alternative additives had similar effects as the group treated with colistin. A significant difference was found for the profile of propionic acid (0.23% colistin and 0.32%, 0.36%, 0.37% additives) and total fatty acids (0.67% colistin and 0.97% additives) values in the caecum. The supplementation with different compositions and concentrations of prebiotics and butyric acid may viably replace colistin in controlling diarrhea and modulating volatile fatty acid production in the caecum.
Highlights
Post-weaning challenges are commonly associated to gastrointestinal tract immaturity and to low immunocompetence, which results in malfunctioning of the intestinal barrier and predisposition to diarrhea, impairing piglet performance (Jayaraman and Nyachoti, 2017)
Growth-promoting antibiotics (GPA) have often been used in subtherapeutic doses in feed for years, with effective results in reducing pathogenic microorganism populations that adhere to the intestinal mucosa and subsequent reduction in toxin production and improving animal performance (Gavioli et al, 2013; Liu et al, 2018)
Among several antibiotics available for this purpose, colistin, which action is selective for Gram-negative enteric bacilli, Escherichia coli, is one of the most effective molecules employed in pig farming (Mendes and Burdmann, 2009)
Summary
Post-weaning challenges are commonly associated to gastrointestinal tract immaturity and to low immunocompetence, which results in malfunctioning of the intestinal barrier and predisposition to diarrhea, impairing piglet performance (Jayaraman and Nyachoti, 2017). To minimize such damage, growth-promoting antibiotics (GPA) have often been used in subtherapeutic doses in feed for years, with effective results in reducing pathogenic microorganism populations that adhere to the intestinal mucosa and subsequent reduction in toxin production and improving animal performance (Gavioli et al, 2013; Liu et al, 2018). These agents use prebiotics as substrate for their development in place of pathogenic microorganisms (Hustkins et al, 2016), which improves nutrient use, reduces diarrhea incidence, and enhances weight gain and feed efficiency (Silva and Nornberg, 2003)
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