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Mycotoxins have the potential to increase the risk of airway or intestinal infection due to their effects on epithelial integrity and function. The bacterium Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is often carried in pigs and can cause outbreaks of invasive disease, leading to sepsis and meningitis in postweaning piglets. In this study, we tested the effect of two Fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2) on the integrity of the intestinal epithelium and their interaction with S. suis. Porcine ileal organoids were exposed to DON and T-2 individually or in combination and co-cultured with or without S. suis. Both DON and T-2 were toxic for ileal organoid monolayers at a concentration of 1 µM but not S. suis, even at a higher concentration of 4 µM. To mimic sub-clinical exposures on farms, DON was tested at a concentration of 0.1 µM and T-2 at a concentration of 0.01 µM. The mycotoxins alone did not affect cell permeability, but in combination with S. suis there was an increase in epithelial permeability. Furthermore, DON and T-2 together decreased the transepithelial electrical resistance and increased bacterial translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were (i) to determine the effect of an algoclay-based decontaminant on the oral availability of three mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol; DON, ochratoxin A; OTA, and aflatoxin B1; AFB1) using an oral bolus model and (ii) to determine the effect of this decontaminant on the performance, intestinal morphology, liver oxidative stress, and metabolism, in broiler chickens fed a diet naturally contaminated with DON. In experiment 1, sixteen 27-day-old male chickens (approximately 1.6 kg body weight; BW) were fasted for 12 h and then given a bolus containing either the mycotoxins (0.5 mg DON/kg BW, 0.25 mg OTA/kg BW, and 2.0 mg AFB1/kg BW) alone (n = 8) or combined with the decontaminant (2.5 g decontaminant/kg feed; circa 240 mg/kg BW) (n = 8). Blood samples were taken between 0 h (before bolus administration) and 24 h post-administration for DON-3-sulphate, OTA, and AFB1 quantification in plasma. The algoclay decontaminant decreased the relative oral bioavailability of DON (39.9%), OTA (44.3%), and AFB1 (64.1%). In experiment 2, one-day-old male Ross broilers (n = 600) were divided into three treatments with ten replicates. Each replicate was a pen with 20 birds. The broiler chickens were fed a control diet with negligible levels of DON (0.19–0.25 mg/kg) or diets naturally contaminated with moderate levels of DON (2.60–2.91 mg/kg), either supplemented or not with an algoclay-based decontaminant (2 g/kg diet). Jejunum villus damage was observed on day 28, followed by villus shortening on d37 in broiler chickens fed the DON-contaminated diet. This negative effect was not observed when the DON-contaminated diet was supplemented with the algoclay-based decontaminant. On d37, the mRNA expression of glutathione synthetase was significantly increased in the liver of broiler chickens fed the DON-contaminated diet. However, its expression was similar to the control when the birds were fed the DON-contaminated diet supplemented with the algoclay-based decontaminant. In conclusion, the algoclay-based decontaminant reduced the systemic exposure of broiler chickens to DON, OTA, and AFB1 in a single oral bolus model. This can be attributed to the binding of the mycotoxins in the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, dietary contamination with DON at levels between 2.69 and 2.91 mg/kg did not impair production performance but had a negative impact on broiler chicken intestinal morphology and the liver redox system. When the algoclay-based decontaminant was added to the diet, the harm caused by DON was no longer observed. This correlates with the results obtained in the toxicokinetic assay and can be attributed to a decreased absorption of DON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditionally Momordica charantia (Bitter gourd) is known for its blood glucose lowering potential. This has been validated by many previous studies based on rodent models but human trials are less convincing and the physiological mechanisms underlying the bioactivity of Bitter gourd are still unclear. The present study compared the effects of whole fruit or stems-leaves from five different Bitter gourd cultivars on metabolic control in adult diabetic obese Göttingen Minipigs. Methods: Twenty streptozotocin-induced diabetic (D) obese Minipigs (body weight ~85 kg) were subdivided in mildly and overtly D pigs and fed 500 g of obesogenic diet per day for a period of three weeks, supplemented with 20 g dried powdered Bitter gourd or 20 g dried powdered grass as isoenergetic control in a cross-over, within-subject design. Results: Bitter gourd fruit from the cultivars "Palee" and "Good healthy" reduced plasma fructosamine concentrations in all pigs combined (from 450±48 to 423±53 and 490±50 to 404±48 μmol/L, both p<0.03, respectively) indicating improved glycemic control by 6% and 17%. These effects were statistically confirmed in mildly D pigs but not in overtly D pigs. In mildly D pigs, the other three cultivars of fruit showed consistent numerical but no significant improvements in glycemic control. The composition of Bitter gourd fruit was studied by metabolomics profiling and analysis identified three metabolites from the class of triterpenoids (Xuedanoside H, Acutoside A, Karaviloside IX) that were increased in the cultivars "Palee" (>3.9-fold) and "Good healthy" (>8.9-fold) compared to the mean of the other three cultivars. Bitter gourd stems and leaves from the cultivar "Bilai" increased plasma insulin concentrations in all pigs combined by 28% (from 53±6 to 67±9 pmol/L, p<0.03). The other two cultivars of stems and leaves showed consistent numerical but no significant increases in plasma insulin concentrations. The effects on plasma insulin concentrations were confirmed in mildly D pigs but not in overtly D pigs. Conclusions: Fruits of Bitter gourd improve glycemic control and stems-leaves of Bitter gourd increase plasma insulin concentrations in an obese pig model for mild diabetes. The effects of Bitter gourd fruit on glycemic control seem consistent but relatively small and cultivar specific which may explain the varying results of human trials reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: There is a global need to produce pork that is free of antimicrobials and has a minimum impact on the environment. Most antibiotics are used during the nursery phase mainly for gastro-intestinal (GIT) diseases. Nutrition can help support gut health during the challenging process of weaning. At weaning, piglets experience short-term anorexia and suffer from an impaired development of the gastrointestinal tract. In order to keep weaned piglets healthy, it is important to support the function and development of the GIT of piglets' by enhancing nutrient digestibility and absorption. Especially since undigested proteins entering the large intestine are one of the major risk factors for the development of post-weaning diarrhoea. Probiotics (i.e., live microorganisms) are suggested to not only modulate piglets' health but also enhance nutrient utilisation; therefore, they may contribute to improved piglet health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a novel Bacillus multi-strain on nutrient efficiency. This study demonstrated that the use of the multi-strain Bacillus probiotic (B. amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis) was able to improve the nutrient efficiency of weaned piglets and may contribute to a reduced N pollution into the environment. Probiotics are suggested to improve pig health, nutrient utilisation, performance, and they may reduce nitrogen (N) pollution. However, the effectivity of a single strain might be different from that of a multi-strain. The study was conducted to investigate the effect of a novel Bacillus multi-strain on nutrient digestibility, energy utilisation, and N retention in weaned piglets using an European diet. The experiment consisted of a control diet (CD) and a supplemented diet (SD). The probiotic used for SD consisted of B. amyloliquefaciens—516 and B. subtilis—541. A total of eight boars/treatment were weaned (day 0; 8.5 kg body weight). Only boars were used to ease the collection of urine. Until day 10, piglets were fed ad libitum and were housed in pairs; from day 11, piglets were fed semi ad libitum (feeding level 3.2× metabolic body weight) and were housed individually. From day 14, faecal and urine were collected twice daily. Piglets were humanely euthanised at day 19 (15.0 kg bodyweight) after which the jejunum, ileum, and colon content were collected. In faeces, the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of, amongst others, DM, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), and subsequently net energy (NE) were calculated using titanium dioxide as an indigestible marker. In the jejunum and ileum, the apparent digestibility of CP was estimated, and in the ileum, the apparent AA digestibility was measured. In urine, the N content was measured to determine N retention. The volatile fatty acid (VFA), branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA), and lactic acid content were analysed in the colon and faeces. The apparent CP digestibility in the jejunum and ileum was not affected by treatment (p > 0.05), and no effect was observed on the apparent ileal digestibility of AA (p > 0.05). Supplementation with the multi-strain probiotic improved the ATTD of DM (p = 0.01; +1.3%) and OM (p = 0.02; +1.2%) and tended to improve the ATTD of CP (p = 0.10; +2.2%) and NSP (p = 0.07; +1.9%). The multi-strain probiotic also improved the NE value (p = 0.02; +0.2 MJ/kg DM) and improved N retention (p = 0.05; +1.6%). Supplementation did not influence the VFA, BCFA, and lactic acid content in the faeces (p > 0.05). However, in the colon, supplementation did influence the lactic acid content (lower; p = 0.01) and tended to influence the valeric acid content (higher; p = 0.09). In conclusion, results from the current study suggest that the multi-strain probiotic has the potential to contribute to improve nutrient efficiency in weaned piglets. More research needs to be conducted to identify the impact of the improved nutrient utilisation on gut health in post-weaned pigs as well as environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: One of the goals of the Feed Sustainability Charter is the inclusion of a circular feed concept in animal production. Although it is still not possible to replace traditional feed production, the supplementation of diets with alternative ingredients able to maintain animal production appears to be a promising step. This study investigated the effects of supplementing a commercial diet with leftovers (stems and leaves) of bitter gourd (6.5 or 13 g/kg) on the performance, carcass characteristics, and serum parameters of growing-finishing pigs. None of the tested inclusion levels of bitter gourd affected pig production, mortality, or carcass quality, as well as serum levels of urea, insulin, or leptin. In conclusion, bitter gourd leftovers can be included in the diet of growing-finishing pigs. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of bitter gourd (BG) leftovers (stems and leaves) as an alternative dietary ingredient on pig performance, carcass characteristics, serum parameters (urea, insulin, and leptin levels), and faecal consistency. Healthy Tempo × Great Yorkshire and Landrace pigs (N = 240; 120 gilts and 120 boars) weighing 25.8 kg (9–10 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to three treatments (eight pens per treatment; each pen with five gilts and five boars). The three treatments consisted of a non-supplemented commercial diet (control; CON) and a CON diet supplemented with 6.5 g/kg BG (BG1) or 13 g/kg BG (BG2). Pigs were fed the experimental diets until slaughter (120 kg body weight; BW). Feed intake was recorded daily and calculated for each experimental phase (i.e., days 0–36, days 36–66, days 66–98, and the overall experimental period). Average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. The frequencies of visiting the feed station and of feeding were recorded daily. Faecal scores (FS) for consistency were measured per pen twice weekly. On the day of slaughter, two pigs per pen (one male and one female) were randomly selected for the measurement of muscle thickness and blood collection. At the slaughterhouse, carcass weight, dressing percentage, back fat thickness, muscle depth, and lean meat percentage were recorded. Data were analysed using ANOVA, with the pen as the experimental unit. Diets BG1 or BG2 did not affect the performance of the pigs, except for a significant decrease in the ADG of the pigs fed the BG2 diet in the feeding period of 50–80 kg. However, no differences in performance were observed in the overall experimental period. Faecal scores, carcass quality, and serum levels of urea, insulin, and leptin were also not affected by the diet. In summary, leftovers (stems and leaves) of BG can be successfully added to the diet of growing-finishing pigs without interfering with performance and carcass characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies allowed relative quantification of microbiome communities and their spatial and temporal variation. In recent years, supervised learning (i.e., prediction of a phenotype of interest) from taxonomic abundances has become increasingly common in the microbiome field. However, a gap exists between supervised and classical unsupervised analyses, based on computing ecological dissimilarities for visualization or clustering. Despite this, both approaches face common challenges, like the compositional nature of next-generation sequencing data or the integration of the spatial and temporal dimensions. Here we propose a kernel framework to place on a common ground the unsupervised and supervised microbiome analyses, including the retrieval of microbial signatures (taxa importances). We define two compositional kernels (Aitchison-RBF and compositional linear) and discuss how to transform non-compositional beta-dissimilarity measures into kernels. Spatial data is integrated with multiple kernel learning, while longitudinal data is evaluated by specific kernels. We illustrate our framework through a single point soil dataset, a human dataset with a spatial component, and a previously unpublished longitudinal dataset concerning pig production. The proposed framework and the case studies are freely available in the kernInt package at https://github.com/elies-ramon/kernInt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to provide insight in how to formulate pig diets in the most economical way in times of high feedstuff prices. Regarding this, energy level and the way of calculating energy in swine feeds will be taking into consideration, as well as the nutrients to energy ratios. Moreover, the effects of diet concentration on feed intake and growth performance of pigs will be evaluated. The lowest cost per energy value in swine feeds can be assessed by iterative simulations in least cost calculations using linear programming. In this case, a fixed nutrient to energy ratio has to be maintained for each cost per energy value that is calculated. Since feedstuff prices are subject to changes, these calculations have to be made on a regular basis. A dataset of 6 growth performance experiments in growing finishing (GF) pigs varying in energy values performed at Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) was analyzed. While decreasing the net energy value of the feed (at fixed nutrient to energy ratios), feed intake and energy conversion increased, while energy intake, daily gain and feed conversion ratio decreased. In general, pigs fed diets with reduced energy concentration are prone to maintain constant daily energy intake by eating more feed until feed intake is limited by other factors, such as physical gut capacity or certain dietary components (Li and Patience, 2017). In the same SFR analysis, the effect of the lysine (and other essential AA) to NE ratio was investigated. While decreasing this ratio, feed intake and energy intake were unaffected, while daily gain decreased, and the feed conversion ratio and energy conversion ratio increased. Another analysis of several GF experiments conducted at SFR was done to assess the optimal amino ccid (SID EAA) content of grower/finisher pig feeds in relation to technical performance, carcass characteristics and profitability. It was concluded that decreasing the SID AA/NE ratio to a certain extend will decrease technical performance (ADG and lean meat %) but increase economical results. However, it must be taken into account that optimal economic performance depends on market situation (feedstuff prices) and production goals (optimal ADG, carcass quality or costs/kg pork). In the current situation with high feedstuff prices, the inclusion of fibrous rich byproducts in the Dutch market may be more economical than corn and soybean meal. For an optimal estimation of the proportion of energy of those fibrous byproducts that will be attributed to the growth and maintenance energy requirements of the pigs, the net energy system is more appropriate than the metabolizable energy (ME) system, because the ME system overestimates the proportion of energy that will be used for growth and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, soybean meal (SBM) is the premier protein source in pig diets because of the optimal amino acid (AA) content. However, due to developments in sustainability and local availability of SBM, it is of great interest for the feed industry to explore the effect on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of replacing SBM inclusion in pig diets by alternative protein sources. The objective of the current study was to explore the effect of partially and/or totally replacement of SBM in the starter, grower and finisher diets formulating based on the same NE, dig AA/NE, and similar AA profile on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs (25 kg to slaughter at ±120 kg). In total, 120 boars and 120 gilts (Top Pi x T20) entered the experiment with an average body weight of 23.4 ± 1.87 kg and age of 61.4 ± 1.43 days. Pigs were blocked and randomly allocated to four dietary treatments depending on the inclusion level of SBM in the starter, grower and finisher phases. In treatment 1, the starter, grower and finisher feeds contained 16.0, 12.0 and 8.0% of SBM, respectively. In treatment 2, the starter, grower and finisher feeds contained 10.8, 8.1 and 0% of SBM, respectively. In treatment 3, the starter, grower and finisher feeds contained 5.3, 0 and 0% of SBM, respectively. In treatment 4, none of the feeds contained SBM. Pigs were housed in pens with 10 pigs per pen. The pens were equipped with individual feeding stations (IVO-G stations), which allowed for the measurement of individual feed intake. Pigs were individually weighed at the start of the experiment and at the diet changes at approximately 50 and 80 kg body weight and slaughter (±120 kg). During the grower phase, pigs fed according to treatment 1 showed reduced ADFI than the other treatment groups (1.91 vs. 2.0, 2.02 and 2.02 kg/d, P = 0.021) and subsequently decreased ADG (882 g/d vs. 927, 924 and 948 g/d, P = 0.005). Similar results were found during the starter + grower phases, where the pigs fed according to treatment 1 showed less ADFI than the other treatment groups pigs (1.63 vs. 1.71, 1.73 and 1.71 kg/d, P = 0.013) and subsequently less ADG (842 vs. 878, 878 and 874 g/d, P = 0.039). No major differences were found regarding the carcass characteristics. In conclusion, feed intake and growth performance were improved and carcass quality was not penalized by totally or partially replacing the SBM by other protein rich feedstuffs including rape seed meal (RSM), sunflower seed meal (SFM) and peas in diets for growing-fishing pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbiota play an important role in total tract nutrient digestion, especially when fibrous diets are fed to pigs. This study aimed to use metagenomics to predict faecal nutrient digestibility in grower‐finisher pigs. The study design consisted of 160 three‐way crossbreed grower‐finisher pigs (80 female and 80 male) which were either fed a diet based on corn/soybean meal or a more fibrous diet based on wheat/barley/by‐products. On the day before slaughter, faecal samples were collected and used to determine faecal digestibility of dry matter, ash, organic matter, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and non‐starch polysaccharides. The faecal samples were also sequenced for the 16S hypervariable region of bacteria (V3/V4) to profile the faecal microbiome. With these data, we calculated the between‐animal variation in faecal nutrient digestibility associated with variation in the faecal microbiome, that is the "microbiability". The microbiability values were significantly greater than zero for dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fibre and non‐starch polysaccharides, ranging from 0.58 to 0.93, as well as for crude fat with a value of 0.37, but not significantly different from zero for ash. Using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, we estimated the accuracy of predicting digestibility values of individual pigs based on their faecal microbiota composition. The accuracies of prediction for crude fat and ash digestibility were virtually 0, and for the other nutrients, the accuracies ranged from 0.42 to 0.63. In conclusion, the faecal microbiota composition gave high microbiability values for faecal digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fibre and non‐starch polysaccharides. The accuracies of prediction are relatively low if the interest is in precisely predicting faecal nutrient digestibility of individual pigs, but are promising from the perspective of ranking animals in a genetic selection context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pig-breeding businesses have resulted in global breeding programs that select pigs to perform well on high-energy high-protein diets, which are traditionally based on corn and soybean meal. Nowadays, there is a shift toward diets based on cereals and co-products, therefore, high dietary inclusion of co-products can modify the expected performance of these pigs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding a cereals-alternative ingredients diet (CA-diet) compared to a corn-soybean meal diet (CS-diet) on the growth performance, feed efficiency, and carcass characteristics of genetically similar growing- finishing gilts and boars. In total, 160 pigs, 80 gilts and 80 boars, coming from 18 litters were used. The pigs were blocked based on litter, to ensure no genetic differences between the 2 treatments. For the starter phase, pigs fed the CA-diet performed in terms of growth, and feed efficiency, as good as the pigs fed CS-diet (P > 0.05). For the grower phase, pigs fed the CA-diet had the same ADFI (P > 0.05), but a lower daily energy intake (ADEI) (P < 0.001), and same growth performance (P > 0.05) than pig fed the CS-diet, therefore pigs fed the CA-diet were more efficient in terms of residual energy intake (REI) (P < 0.001). For the finisher phase, interaction between diet and sex had an effect on ADFI (P < 0.001), ADEI (P < 0.001), ADG (P = 0.010), and lipid deposition (Ld) (P = 0.016). Pigs fed the CA-diet were less efficient than pigs fed the CS-diet, i.e., G:F (P < 0.001), RFI (P < 0.001), and REI (P = 0.007). In general, feeding a CA-diet to pigs showed to improve the ratio between Pd and Ld, especially for boars. Also, pigs fed the CA-diet showed thinner back fat thickness (P < 0.001), same loin depth thickness (P > 0.05), but lower dressing percentage (P < 0.001), than pigs fed the CS-diet [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibition of the attachment of bacteria to the intestine by receptor analogues could be a novel approach to prevent enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88-induced diarrhoea in piglets. The objective of the present study was to screen the ability of different feed ingredients (FI) to bind to ETEC K88 (adhesion test, AT) and to block its attachment to the porcine intestinal mucus (blocking test, BT) using in vitro microtitration-based models. In the AT, wheat bran (WB), casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) and exopolysaccharides exhibited the highest adhesion to ETEC K88 (P< 0·001). In the BT, WB, CGMP and locust bean (LB) reduced the number of ETEC K88 attached to the intestinal mucus (P< 0·001). For WB and LB, fractionation based on their carbohydrate components was subsequently carried out, and each fraction was evaluated individually. None of the WB fractions reduced the adhesion of ETEC K88 to the mucus as did the original extract, suggesting that a protein or glycoprotein could be involved in the recognition process. With regard to the LB fractions, the water-extractable material reduced the adhesion of ETEC K88 (P< 0·001) to the mucus similar to the original extract (P< 0·001), indicating, in this case, that galactomannans or phenolic compounds could be responsible for the recognition process. In conclusion, among the FI screened, the soluble extracts obtained from WB, LB and CGMP exhibited the highest anti-adhesive properties against ETEC K88 in the BT. These results suggest that they may be good candidates to be included in diets of weaned piglets for the prevention of ETEC K88-induced diarrhoea. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP), a glycoprotein originating during cheese manufacture, has shown promising effects by promoting the growth of some beneficial bacteria in vitro, although its activity has not been well explored. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of CGMP against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 in vitro (Trial 1) and in vivo (Trial 2). In Trial 1, increasing concentrations of CGMP (0, 0·5, 1·5 or 2·5 mg/ml) were tested regarding its ability to block the attachment of ETEC K88 to ileal mucosa tissues obtained from piglets. Increasing the concentration of CGMP resulted in a gradual decrease in ETEC K88 attachment to the epithelial surface. In Trial 2, seventy-two piglets were distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial combination including or omitting CGMP in the diet (control diet v. CGMP) and challenged or not with ETEC K88 (yes v. no). Inclusion of CGMP increased crude protein, ammonia and isoacid concentrations in colon digesta. CGMP also increased lactobacilli numbers in ileum and colon digesta, and reduced enterobacteria counts in mucosa scrapings and the percentage of villi with E. coli adherence measured by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. The inclusion of CGMP in the diets of challenged animals also prevented the increase of enterobacteria in ileal digesta. We can conclude that CGMP may improve gut health by diminishing the adhesion of ETEC K88 to the intestinal mucosa, by increasing the lactobacilli population in the intestine and by reducing the overgrowth of enterobacteria in the digestive tract of piglets after an ETEC K88 challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using dietary fibre to control childhood diarrhoea has rarely been discussed. However, dietary fibre is being proposed to prevent diarrhoea in piglets. The present study aimed to study the effects of introducing fibre in the post-weaning piglet diet and its particle size on the intestinal ecosystem before and after an experimental infection with Escherichia coli. A total of thirty-six post-weaning piglets were assigned to four experimental diets: a negative control (NC) diet, the same diet with 4 % wheat bran coarse (WBc) particle size or finely milled (WBF) and a positive control (PC) diet with an antibiotic. On day 9, animals were challenged with E. coli. Faecal and digesta samples were obtained before and after the experimental infection and changes in the microbial ecosystem were measured. Animals fed the WBc and the PC diets showed a significant reduction in the faecal score compared with the NC diet. The inclusion of WBc in the diet increased total volatile fatty acid concentration, reduced Bacteroidetes in the faeces before and after the experimental infection compared with the NC diet and increased Firmicutes at the end of the experiment. Based on the results, diarrhoea scours and the composition of the pig gut microbial community are modified by the inclusion of a relatively small amount of wheat bran in the diet, being the physical presentation of the fibre a determinant of that difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of fibre has been studied as an alternative to antimicrobials in weaning pig diets, while ZnO is used as an effective method to prevent post-weaning diarrhoea. However, it has not been investigated to what extent these two strategies interact with each other. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of including wheat bran (WB) and ZnO alone or combined in the diet of early-weaning pigs on productive performance and microbial activity in the gastrointestinal tract (trial 1). A total of sixty-four piglets were distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial combination of two levels of WB (0 v. 40 g/kg) and ZnO (0 v. 3 g/kg) in the diet. The inclusion of ZnO in the diet improved the feed intake and growth of the animals and reduced the incidence of diarrhoea. The inclusion of WB increased SCFA concentrations and decreased Escherichia coli counts. However, simultaneous incorporation of WB and ZnO increased E. coli counts. Two in vitro trials were also designed to clarify hypotheses derived from the in vivo test: (1) the ability of WB and other fibre sources to bind E. coli in vitro (trial 2) and (2) the in vitro interactions between WB and ZnO with respect to E. coli growth (trial 3). We can conclude that incorporation of WB in the diet improved gut health by modulating the activity and composition of the microbial population. The negative interaction between WB and ZnO raises the interest of considering the inclusion of phytase enzymes to reduce the therapeutic levels of ZnO in post-weaning diets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The survival of the tiny native population of the western Hermann’s tortoise Testudo hermanni hermanni at the Albera Nature Reserve is threatened by nest predation. The initial purpose of this work was to test the efficacy of a commercial chemical repellent aimed at carnivores in the control of this predation. A total of 128 artificial nests containing quail eggs were distributed among eight 625-m2 plots. There were four control plots and four plots protected by repellent devices in a natural nesting area of the Albera; each plot contained 16 nests. All the nests, including the protected ones, were depredated after only 4 days. Due to the major role of the wild boar Sus scrofa as predator in this experiment, we decided to assess, by means of a second experiment ( n = 160 artificial nests, 20 nests/plot), the efficacy of a specific repellent for this mammal combined with the initial repellent. The only noticeable effect of the combination of repellents was to delay predation, although after 4 days almost all protected nests had been depredated. We found both repellents unsatisfactory for reducing nest predation, necessitating the search for other methods of predator control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study evaluated the effect of diets artificially or naturally contaminated with 4000 μg/kg deoxyvalenol (DON) on the intestinal integrity and nutrient absorption of broiler chickens. Young broiler chickens (14 days old) were more sensitive to DON than older birds (28 days old), and negative impacts were observed when diets were naturally contaminated with DON. Aside from the decrease in the villus height of the jejunum in young broilers, their capacity to absorb peptides was decreased, as shown by the down-regulation of a peptide transporter. However, this effect was compensated in older broilers by an increase in the expression of carbohydrate transporter. Multi-mycotoxin contamination of poultry diets is a recurrent problem, even if the mycotoxins levels are below EU recommendations. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the main studied mycotoxins due to its risks to animal production and health. When evaluating the effects of DON, one must consider that under practical conditions diets will not be contaminated solely with this mycotoxin. In the present study, broiler chickens were fed diets with negligible mycotoxin levels or with naturally or artificially contaminated diets containing approximately 4000 μg/kg DON. Birds were sampled at D14 and D28. Naturally-contaminated diets caused the most harm to the birds, especially the young ones, which presented decreased jejunal villus height and increased lesions, down-regulation of a peptide transporter. At D28 broiler chickens seemed to have adapted to the dietary conditions, when no differences were observed in villus morphometry, together with up-regulation of a carbohydrate transporter. However, intestinal lesions remained present in these older birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Throughout the world, piglet mortality and morbidity in large litters are a major welfare concern and source of economic losses. Gastro-intestinal problems rank amongst the highest causes of morbidity, mortality and antimicrobial use. As evidenced in the recent literature, nutritional interventions before and after weaning can modulate gut development, thereby reducing the risk of gastro-intestinal problems. In particular, early-life nutrition has begun to receive increasing interest, given its potential to modulate gut health in the long-term. The literature nevertheless contains little information on how pre-weaning and post-weaning nutritional strategies can be combined to sustain optimal gut health throughout the challenging process of weaning. To address this gap in current knowledge, this review summarises a large body of literature on nutritional strategies aimed at supporting gut health in piglets, combining individual strategies into a structured nutritional approach over time, starting from a few days after birth to 5–6 weeks post-weaning. The review also contains propositions concerning potential avenues for future research that may contribute to the reduction in gastro-intestinal problems and the associated use of antimicrobials in the pig industry. This is a comprehensive review on the use of nutritional strategies to shape the functioning of the gastro-intestinal tract in suckling and weaned piglets. The progressive development of a piglet's gut and the associated microbiota and immune system offers a unique window of opportunity for supporting gut health through dietary modulation. This is particularly relevant for large litters, for which sow colostrum and milk are insufficient. The authors have therefore proposed the use of supplemental milk and creep feed with a dual purpose. In addition to providing nutrients to piglets, supplemental milk can also serve as a gut modulator in early life by incorporating functional ingredients with potential long-term benefits. To prepare piglets for weaning, it is important to stimulate the intake of solid feed before weaning, in addition to stimulating the number of piglets eating. The use of functional ingredients in creep feed and a transition diet around the time of weaning helps to habituate piglets to solid feed in general, while also preparing the gut for the digestion and fermentation of specific ingredients. In the first days after weaning (i.e., the acute phase), it is important to maintain high levels of feed intake and focus on nutritional strategies that support good gastric (barrier) function and that avoid overloading the impaired digestion and fermentation capacity of the piglets. In the subsequent maturation phase, the ratio of lysine to energy can be increased gradually in order to stimulate piglet growth. This is because the digestive and fermentation capacity of the piglets is more mature at this stage, thus allowing the inclusion of more fermentable fibres. Taken together, the nutritional strategies addressed in this review provide a structured approach to preparing piglets for success during weaning and the period that follows. The implementation of this approach and the insights to be developed through future research can help to achieve some of the most important goals in pig production: reducing piglet mortality, morbidity and antimicrobial use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sows were fed naturally contaminated diets containing: (i) 100 ppb zearalenone (ZEN) one week before farrowing and during the lactation period (at 26 days), (ii) 100 ppb ZEN one week before farrowing and 300 ppb ZEN during the lactation period, or (iii) 300 ppb ZEN one week before farrowing and during the lactation period. All diets contained 250 ppb deoxynivalenol (DON). The highest levels of ZEN, α-ZEL, or β-ZEL were observed in the serum of sows fed 300 ppb ZEN before farrowing and during lactation. However, only α-ZEL was significantly increased in the colostrum and milk of these sows. Sows fed the 300 ppb ZEN during the complete trial presented a significant decrease in backfat thickness before farrowing. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in serum leptin levels. These sows also presented a decrease in estradiol levels and this effect was observed in their piglets exposed during lactation, which presented increased glucagon-like peptide 1, but no changes in serum levels of ZEN, α-ZEL, or β-ZEL. Although all sows were fed the same levels of DON, the serum levels of DON and de-epoxy-DON were increased only in the serum of piglets from the sows fed a diet with the highest ZEN levels during the whole experimental period. Moreover, these piglets presented gut inflammation, as indicated by significantly increased calprotectin levels in their serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In nature, hens spend considerable amounts of time eating live insects. This is considered as their natural behavior and may positively contribute to animal welfare. However, laying hens generally have limited access to insects in current intensive farming systems. Hermetia illucens larvae are nutritious and can be industrially produced using the principles of circular agriculture. In Europe, legislation allows the feeding of live insects to poultry, and could possibly be used to replace soy in diets of laying hens as protein source. The majority of soy meal used in Europe originates from North and South American countries. Increasing soy plantations in South American countries is often linked to deforestation and social issues. This research evaluated effects of including live H. illucens larvae, as replacement of soy in the daily ration, on production performance, egg quality, behavior and feather condition of older laying hens. Live H. illucens larvae can be used in combination with local plant proteins to successfully replace soy in diets of older laying hens. Feeding hens live H. illucens larvae also had a positive effect on the feather condition of birds. Feather pecking is a key welfare challenge in laying hen husbandry. Feeding of live Hermetia illucens larvae could provide a possible solution to reduce feather pecking in hens. This research investigates effects of dispensing live H. illucens larvae to non-beak trimmed older laying hens on production performance, behavior and welfare. Control treatment hens were provided a commercial diet, while larvae treatment hens were provided live H. illucens larvae (using special dispenser) on top of a soy-free diet. Feather condition, production performance and egg quality were measured during the initiation (67 weeks age) and termination (78 weeks age) of the trial. Behavior of birds was monitored using video recording. Feed conversion ratio, body weight gain and egg laying parameters were similar for both treatments. At termination of the trial, larvae-fed hens exhibited better feather condition in comparison to control hens (p = 0.004). Behavioral observations indicated that larvae provision influenced the number of birds on floor during morning and afternoon hours. In conclusion, live H. illucens larvae could successfully replace soy in diets of older laying hens (in combination with local plant proteins). Provisioning of these insects also had a positive effect on the feather condition of laying hens with intact beaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that copper bis-glycinate (Cu-BisGly) can partially or fully replace copper sulfate (CuSO 4) in diets for weanling pigs based on growth performance and fecal score. A total of 384 newly weaned pigs (26 d of age) with an average body weight of 7.59 ± 0.69 kg were allotted to 4 diets in a randomized complete block design. There were 6 pigs per pen and 16 replicate pens per diet. Dietary treatments included a treatment with 120 mg/kg Cu as CuSO 4 (CuSO-120), 2 treatments with Cu as Cu-BisGly (Plexomin® Cu) at 60 or 120 mg/kg (Cu-BisGly-60 or Cu-BisGly-120), and a treatment with 120 mg/kg Cu from both Cu sources (60 mg/kg as CuSO 4 and 60 mg/kg as Cu-BisGly; Combo). Experimental diets were provided in 2 phases with d 1–14 as phase 1 and d 15–28 as phase 2. Pig weights and feed left in feeders were recorded at the beginning and at the end of each phase. Fecal consistency score was recorded twice per week. Data for growth performance parameters and fecal score were calculated for each phase and for the entire experimental period, and were analyzed as a one-way ANOVA. Results indicated that in phase 1, there were no differences among treatments for average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), gain to feed ratio (G:F), or fecal score of pigs. In phase 2, pigs fed the CuSO-120 diet had lower (P < 0.05) ADG than pigs fed the Cu-BisGly-120 diet or the Combo diet. Pigs fed the Combo diet also had increased (P < 0.05) ADFI compared with pigs fed the CuSO-120 diet or the Cu-BisGly-60 diet. For the overall experimental period, pigs fed the Cu-BisGly-120 diet or the Combo diet had increased (P < 0.05) ADG compared with pigs fed the CuSO-120 or the Cu-BisGly-60 diet. In conclusion, 60 mg/kg of Cu-BisGly can replace 120 mg/kg of CuSO 4 without adversely affecting growth performance or fecal score, but inclusion of 120 mg/kg of Cu-BisGly or a combination of 60 mg/kg of each Cu source results in improved growth performance of pigs. • Based on growth performance, 60 mg/kg Cu as Cu bis-glycinate can replace 120 mg/kg Cu as CuSO 4 in weaner diets. • Inclusion of 120 mg/kg Cu as Cu bis-glycinate increased growth performance of pigs. • A combination of both Cu sources (60 mg/kg each) resulted in improved growth performance of pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonanoic acid (NA) is one of a group of straight-chain aliphatic aldehydes, acids and their derivatives with a long and established history of use as flavors in human food and animal feed. The use of this group of flavors in feed was evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2013 and in the absence of data in the target species, maximum safe levels were derived from available toxicology studies of 12 mg for piglets, and 20 mg for grower/finisher pigs and sows per kg complete feed containing 120 g/kg moisture. These established safe levels limit the practical use of NA as a flavoring in swine diets and the objective of this study was to evaluate the tolerance to piglets of NA at significantly higher dietary levels that are relevant to commercial feeding practices. Three hundred eighty four (192 males, 192 females), cross bred [Tempo x (Large White x Landrace)] post-weaned piglets with an initial body weight (BW) of between 6.5 and 8.5 kg and age of 26 days were used in a 42-day tolerance study. Piglets were randomly assigned to one of 64 pens containing either 6 males or 6 females. One of 4 dietary treatments were fed to the piglets containing NA at 0, 100, 300 or 1000 mg/kg complete feed. General health and performance were monitored for the duration of the study. At day 42, blood samples were taken and piglets were sacrificed and necropsied for pathological examination of the digestive tract. NA supplementation had no effect (P > 0.05) on the daily feed intake (DFI), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) or fecal consistency over the 42-day period. No treatment related effects (P > 0.05) on hematology or blood biochemistry parameters were reported and all values fell within normal ranges. There were no treatment-related findings from macroscopic and microscopic examination of digestive tissues. The results of the study support the tolerance to piglets of NA in feed treated with 1000 mg/kg complete feed of which 720 mg/kg was recovered, which is considerably higher than anticipated practical conditions of use as a feed flavoring. • Weaned piglets were fed graded levels of nonanoic acid in the diet for 42 days. • There were no treatment related changes in growth performance, blood parameters and tissue pathology. • Nonanoic acid was well-tolerated by piglets at levels of up to 1000 mg/kg complete feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]