Clostridioides difficile-mesocolonic oedema in neonatal suckling piglets develops regardless of the fibre composition in sow's diets.

Maternal dietary factors have been reported to influence Clostridioides difficile colonisation in the offspring. Twenty suckling piglets from sows fed diets supplemented with high-fermentable sugar beet pulp (SBP) or low-fermentable lignocellulose (LNC) fibres during gestation and lactation were dissected in the first week after birth. Postmortem analysis included clinical mesocolon and faecal scoring, concentration of C. difficile and respective toxins in colon digesta and faeces, immunoglobulins in serum and inflammatory markers in serum and colon tissues. Sow colostrum was assessed for nutrients, immunoglobulins and biogenic amines. Toxin-neutralising IgG antibodies were measured in colostrum and serum of the sows, and in colon digesta and serum of the piglets. Mesocolonic oedema of different severity was present in most of the piglets from both sows' feeding groups. Concentrations of C. difficile, toxins and calprotectin in colon digesta and faecal contents did not differ between the study piglets. Calprotectin correlated positively with mesocolon score (rho = 413, P = 0.07). Piglets from sows fed LNC vs SBP tended to have higher IgA (P = 0.089), IgG (P = 0.053), total Ig (P = 0.053), albumin (P = 0.075) and total protein content (P = 0.007) in serum. Colon tissues of piglets from the SFB vs LNC had upregulated expression of ZO-1 (P = 0.021), PCNA (P = 0.015) and TGF-ß (P = 0.014). Titers of anti-toxin-IgG-antibodies in serum and colostrum and in piglet colon digesta and serum did not differ between sows from both dietary groups, but they all showed strong positive correlations. In conclusion, dietary sugar beet pulp or lignocellulose fed to sows did not influence the concentrations of C. difficile and toxins titers in colon digesta and faeces of neonatal piglets.

Evaluation of High Doses of Phytase in a Low-Phosphorus Diet in Comparison to a Phytate-Free Diet on Performance, Apparent Ileal Digestibility of Nutrients, Bone Mineralization, Intestinal Morphology, and Immune Traits in 21-Day-Old Broiler Chickens.

The supplementation of feed with phytases enables broilers to utilize more efficiently phosphorus (P) from phytic acid (IP6), the main storage form of P in plants. The current study evaluated the addition of 500, 1000, and 3000 FTU of phytase per kg to a phytate-containing diet with low P level (LP) fed to broilers from 1 to 21 days of age and compared it to a hypoallergenic phytate-free diet (HPF). There was a linear improvement in performance parameters with increasing levels of phytase in the LP diet (p < 0.001). Apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein, P, and some amino acids, increased with phytase. Crude ash, P, and the calcium content of tibia bones linearly increased with increasing levels of phytase (p < 0.001). Crypt depth (related to body weight) in the jejunum epithelium linearly decreased with phytase addition (p < 0.001). Cecal crypt depth decreased with phytase supplementation (p = 0.002). Cecum tissue showed lower counts of CD3-positive intraepithelial lymphocytes in broilers receiving the phytase in comparison to LP (p < 0.001), achieving similar counts to HPF-fed broilers. Although results from the current study seem to point out some mechanisms related to the immune response and mucosal morphology contributing to those overall beneficial effects, no clear differences between different phytase doses could be demonstrated in these specific parameters.

Fiber Composition in Sows' Diets Modifies Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Their Offspring.

Dietary fiber has a potential to modulate the gut microbiota in sows. We hypothesized that a maternal diet rich in either high- or low-fermentable fiber during gestation and lactation influences Clostridioides difficile gut colonization in suckling piglets. Twenty sows were fed gestation and lactation diets enriched with either high-fermentable sugar beet pulp (SBP) or low-fermentable lignocellulose (LNC) fibers. C. difficile, toxin B (TcdB), fecal score, microbial abundance (16S-rDNA sequencing) and metabolites were measured in the feces from the sows and their piglets. C. difficile concentration was higher in piglets from the sows fed LNC than SBP along the study (P ≤ 0.05). Higher prevalence of C. difficile was noted in three-week-old piglets from sows fed LNC vs. SBP (45% vs. 0%, P = 0.001). TcdB prevalence was higher in six-day-old piglets from the sows fed LNC vs. SBP (60% vs. 17%, P = 0.009). In sows, fecal microbial metabolites were higher in SBP than LNC, while C. difficile concentration showed no difference. Higher microbial diversity Shannon index was noted in sows from SBP vs. LNC one week before parturition and at the parturition (P ≤ 0.05). Piglets from SBP vs. LNC tended to have higher microbial diversity Shannon index at two and three weeks of age. Diets enriched with high-fermentable fiber compared to low-fermentable fiber in sows reduced C. difficile colonization in their piglets. Susceptibility to colonization by C. difficile in neonatal piglets can be modulated by the sows' diet, supporting the hypothesis of the early microbial programming in the offspring and the importance of the sow-piglet couple.

A standardised challenge model with an enterotoxigenic F4+ Escherichia coli strain in piglets assessing clinical traits and faecal shedding of fae and est-II toxin genes.

This study evaluated the effect of five feed additives on post weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets challenged 3 d after weaning with an enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain (ETEC). In three experimental runs, a total of 84 piglets was weaned at 21 days of age and randomly assigned to seven treatments. As dietary treatment, piglets were fed a basal diet or diets with addition of bovine colostrum (0.2%), pineapple stem extract containing bromelain (0.2%), an autolysed yeast preparation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (0.1%), a combination of organic acids (0.7%) and a phytogenic product with thyme essential oil (0.015%). A porcine ETEC, serotype O149:K91:K88ac was given twice via oral infection on day 3 after weaning at 10(10) colony forming units/animal. One group of piglets was fed the basal diet without ETEC challenge. Traits included clinical sores, body temperature, faecal scoring and determination of faecal dry matter and the shedding of fae and est-II ETEC toxin genes. After weaning, non-challenged control piglets did not show signs of diarrhoea or impaired health, while the majority of infected piglets had a drop in body temperature, signs of diarrhoea and impaired general health. Mortality, the decrease of faecal dry matter and shedding of the toxin genes fae and est-II were not affected by the different additives. In conclusion, the ETEC challenge model induced distinct clinical signs of PWD in piglets, but the tested feed additives had no preventive effect under these conditions.