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Replacing dietary antibiotics with 0.20% l-glutamine and synbiotics following weaning and transport in pigs.

ABSTRACT: Dietary antibiotic use has been limited in swine production due to concerns regarding antibiotic resistance. However, this may negatively impact the health, productivity, and welfare of pigs. Therefore, the study objective was to determine if combining dietary synbiotics and 0.20% l-glutamine would improve pig growth performance and intestinal health following weaning and transport when compared with traditionally used dietary antibiotics. Because previous research indicates that l-glutamine improves swine growth performance and synbiotics reduce enterogenic bacteria, it was hypothesized that supplementing diets with 0.20% l-glutamine (GLN) and synbiotics (SYN; 3 strains of Lactobacillus [1.2 × 10^9 cfu/g of strain/pig/d] + β-glucan [0.01 g/pig/d] + fructooligosaccharide [0.01 g/pig/d]) would have an additive effect and improve pig performance and intestinal health over that of dietary antibiotics. Mixed-sex pigs (N = 226; 5.86 ± 0.11 kg body weight [BW]) were weaned (19.4 ± 0.2 d of age) and transported for 12 h in central Indiana. Pigs were blocked by BW and allotted to one of two dietary treatments (5 to 6 pigs per pen): antibiotics (positive control [PC]; chlortetracycline [441 ppm] + tiamulin [38.5 ppm]), no antibiotics (negative control [NC]), GLN, SYN, or the NC diet with both the GLN and SYN additives (GLN + SYN) fed for 14 d. From day 14 post-weaning to the end of the grow-finish period, all pigs were provided common antibiotic-free diets. Data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX and PROC MIXED in SAS 9.4. Overall, haptoglobin was greater (P = 0.03; 216%) in NC pigs compared with PC pigs. On day 13, GLN and PC pigs tended to have reduced (P = 0.07; 75.2% and 67.3%, respectively) haptoglobin compared with NC pigs. On day 34, the jejunal goblet cell count per villi and per millimeter tended to be greater (P < 0.08; 71.4% and 62.9%, respectively) in SYN pigs compared with all other dietary treatments. Overall, jejunal mucosa tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) gene expression tended to be greater (P = 0.09; 40.0%) in NC pigs compared with PC pigs on day 34. On day 34, jejunal mucosa TNFα gene expression tended to be greater (P = 0.09; 33.3%, 41.2%, and 60.0%, respectively) in GLN pigs compared with SYN, GLN + SYN, and PC pigs. Although it was determined that some metrics of pig health were improved by the addition of GLN and SYN (i.e., haptoglobin and goblet cell count), overall, there were very few differences detected between dietary treatments and this may be related to the stress load incurred by the pigs.

SUBMITTER: McConn BR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7507408 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Antibiotic use has been limited in U.S. swine production. Therefore, the objective was to determine whether supplementing l-glutamine at cost-effective levels can replace dietary antibiotics to improve piglet welfare and productivity following weaning and transport. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that withholding dietary antibiotics would negatively affect pigs while diet supplementation with 0.20% l-glutamine (GLN) would have similar effects on pig performance and health as antibiotics. Mixed sex piglets (N = 480; 5.62 ± 0.06 kg BW) were weaned (18.4 ± 0.2 d of age) and transported for 12 h in central Indiana, for 2 replicates, during the summer of 2016 and the spring of 2017. Pigs were blocked by BW and allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments (n = 10 pens/dietary treatment/replicate [8 pigs/pen]); antibiotics (A; chlortetracycline [441 ppm] + tiamulin [38.6 ppm]), no antibiotics (NA), or GLN fed for 14 d. On days 15 to 34, pigs were provided common antibiotic-free diets in 2 phases. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED in SAS 9.4. Day 14 BW and days 0 to 14 ADG were greater (P = 0.01) for A (5.6% and 18.5%, respectively) and GLN pigs (3.8% and 11.4%, respectively) compared with NA pigs, with no differences between A and GLN pigs. Days 0 to 14 ADFI increased for A (P < 0.04; 9.3%) compared with NA pigs; however, no differences were detected when comparing GLN with A and NA pigs. Once dietary treatments ceased, no differences (P > 0.05) in productivity between dietary treatments were detected. On day 13, plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was reduced (P = 0.02) in A (36.7 ± 6.9 pg/mL) and GLN pigs (40.9 ± 6.9 pg/mL) vs. NA pigs (63.2 ± 6.9 pg/mL). Aggressive behavior tended to be reduced overall (P = 0.09; 26.4%) in GLN compared with A pigs, but no differences were observed between A and GLN vs. NA pigs. Huddling, active, and eating/drinking behaviors were increased overall (P < 0.02; 179%, 37%, and 29%, respectively) in the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate. When hot carcass weight (HCW) was used as a covariate, loin depth and lean percentage were increased (P = 0.01; 4.0% and 1.1%, respectively) during the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate. In conclusion, GLN supplementation improved pig performance and health after weaning and transport similarly to A across replicates; however, the positive effects of A and GLN were diminished when dietary treatments ceased.

Project description:Previous research demonstrates that supplementing 0.20% l-glutamine (GLN) in the diets of newly weaned and transported pigs improves growth rate to a similar extent as providing dietary antibiotics (AB). However, research comparing the effects of GLN vs. AB on intestinal physiology and the microbiome is limited. Therefore, the study objective was to compare the effects of supplementing nursery diets with GLN, AB, or no dietary antibiotics (NA) on intestinal physiology and the microbiome of pigs in a production environment following weaning and transport. Mixed-sex piglets (N = 480; 5.62 ± 0.06 kg body weight [BW]) were weaned (18.4 ± 0.2 d of age) and transported for 12 h in central Indiana, for two replicates, during the summer of 2016 and the spring of 2017. Pens were blocked by BW and allotted to one of the three dietary treatments (n = 10 pens/dietary treatment/replicate [8 pigs/pen]): AB (chlortetracycline [441 ppm] + tiamulin [38.6 ppm]), GLN (0.20% as-fed), or NA fed for 14 d. From day 14 to 34, pigs were fed common AB-free diets in two phases. On day 33, villus height:crypt depth tended to be increased (P = 0.07; 7.0%) in GLN and AB pigs vs. NA pigs. On day 33, glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) mRNA abundance was decreased (P = 0.01; 50.3%) in GLN and NA pigs vs. AB pigs. Crypt depth was increased overall on day 33 (P = 0.01; 16.2%) during the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate. Villus height:crypt depth was reduced (P = 0.01; 9.6%) during the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate on day 33. On day 13, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and occludin mRNA abundance was increased (P ≤ 0.04; 45.9% and 106.5%, respectively) and zonula occludens-1 mRNA abundance tended to be greater (P = 0.10; 19.2%) in the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate. In addition, AB pigs had increased (P = 0.01; 101.3%) GLP-2 mRNA abundance compared with GLN and NA pigs. Microbiome analysis indicated that on day 13, dietary treatment altered the microbiota community structure (P = 0.03). Specifically, the AB pigs tended to be distinct from both the NA and GLN pigs (P = 0.08), and Lactobacillus was increased nearly 2-fold in AB compared with NA pigs (q = 0.04) and GLN pigs (q = 0.22). In conclusion, GLN supplementation tended to improve some morphological markers of intestinal health similarly to AB pigs, while the microbiome composition in GLN pigs was more similar to NA pigs than AB pigs.

Project description:Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in diet nutrient metabolism and maintaining host health. The synthetic dipeptides glycyl-glutamine (Gly-Gln) used as diet supplementation to improve the weaning transition of newborns could be metabolized by certain bacteria in vitro. However, the effect of diet Gly-Gln supplementation on gut microbiota in vivo remains largely unknown. 240 piglets at the age of 28 days (day 28) were randomly assigned to two groups that received a basal diet (Ctrl group) or a basal diet supplemented with 0.25% Gly-Gln (Gly-Gln group) for 3 weeks. Five piglets from each group were euthanized for sampling after overnight fasting on day 38 and day 49, respectively. We determined their structure shifts of the gut microbiota using 16S rDNA-based high-throughput sequencing analysis. Microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the ileum and the colon were determined with high-performance gas chromatography. The concentrations of endocrine peptides including epidermal growth factor, glucagon-like peptide-1, and glucagon-like peptide-2 in ileal mucosa, as well as the serum concentration of interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 6, interleukin 10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were determined using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. In addition, we also checked the diarrhea ratio, growth performance, and intestinal morphology to assess the favorable effect of dietary Gly-Gln supplementation during the weaning transition. Dietary Gly-Gln supplementation beneficially altered the gut microbiota by increasing bacterial loading, elevating alpha diversity, and increasing the relative abundance of anaerobes and fiber-degrading bacteria (Phylum Fibrobacteres). Accordingly, the microbial metabolites SCFAs in both colon and ileum, as well as the downstream endocrine peptides in the ileum increased. Meanwhile, dietary Gly-Gln's favorable weaning transition was reflected in the increase of growth performance indices and the reduced inflammatory response in a time dependent manner. There were significant correlations among the bacteria which responded to dietary Gly-Gln supplementation and these checked indices. Taken together, dietary Gly-Gln supplementation selectively modulated the gut microbiota, which may favor piglets' weaning-transition. These findings suggest that gut microbiota targeted approaches can be potentially used to improve weaning transition of piglets by dietary functional amino acid.

Project description:BackgroundPost weaning diarrhoea (PWD) causes piglet morbidity and mortality at weaning and is a major driver for antimicrobial use worldwide. New regulations in the EU limit the use of in-feed antibiotics (Ab) and therapeutic zinc oxide (ZnO) to prevent PWD. New approaches to control PWD are needed, and understanding the role of the microbiota in this context is key. In this study, shotgun metagenome sequencing was used to describe the taxonomic and functional evolution of the faecal microbiota of the piglet during the first two weeks post weaning within three experimental groups, Ab, ZnO and no medication, on commercial farms using antimicrobials regularly in the post weaning period.ResultsDiversity was affected by day post weaning (dpw), treatment used and diarrhoea but not by the farm. Microbiota composition evolved towards the dominance of groups of species such as Prevotella spp. at day 14dpw. ZnO inhibited E. coli overgrowth, promoted higher abundance of the family Bacteroidaceae and decreased Megasphaera spp. Animals treated with Ab exhibited inconsistent taxonomic changes across time points, with an overall increase of Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Megasphaera elsdenii. Samples from non-medicated pigs showed virulence-related functions at 7dpw, and specific ETEC-related virulence factors were detected in all samples presenting diarrhoea. Differential microbiota functions of pigs treated with ZnO were related to sulphur and DNA metabolism, as well as mechanisms of antimicrobial and heavy metal resistance, whereas Ab treated animals exhibited functions related to antimicrobial resistance and virulence.ConclusionAb and particularly ZnO maintained a stable microbiota composition and functionality during the two weeks post weaning, by limiting E. coli overgrowth, and ultimately preventing microbiota dysbiosis. Future approaches to support piglet health should be able to reproduce this stable gut microbiota transition during the post weaning period, in order to maintain optimal gut physiological and productive conditions.

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Replacing dietary antibiotics with 0.20% l-glutamine and synbiotics following weaning and transport in pigs.

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