PIGLET HEAL ▶▶▶TH
3 Steps to fight post- weaning diarrhoea
It is well-known that post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets is a multifactorial problem. Tackling that without the use of antibiotics or zinc oxide requires a multifactorial solution as well. Here are a few: the use of undigestible fibre in feed, the use of inflammation biomarkers and adhering to a total health plan.
I BY NOËMIE LEMOINE, MIXSCIENCE
n recent years, producing without antibiotics has become one of the major issues in the pig business. Pressure from local and international organisations as well as consumer demand are both leading to companies setting up entire
new production chains. Now the challenge is to extend that concept to pig farms. For swine farms to be able to produce without antibiotics, one main challenge is the problem of post-weaning diarrhoea.
In digestive health for piglets, feed plays a central role. 28
1. Using undigestible fibre in feed Digestive disorders during the first week post-weaning are often associated with feed consumption. The time between weaning and the first intake can be up to two days, leading to a lower digestive capacity. It is very important to limit bulim- ia, which could be provoked by hunger. In that context, the use of undigestible fibre in feed can help. Because daily feed intake is usually divided into meals of dif- ferent size and patterns, digestion processes adapt to those situations: feed is retained in the stomach, and small quanti- ties of feed are released intermittently into the small intes- tine. Muscle contractions help the feed to move through the intestine to reach the colon. In that process, a key role is played by the ileo-caecal valve (or sphincter), which limits bacteria-rich refluxes from the large intestine back into the il- eum (see Figure 1). Digesta are fermented and discharged regularly at the rectum and excreted. After weaning, however, the digestive capacity is very limited because of low stomach acidification and because of the transient reduction of hydrolytic and absorbing surface of the small intestine. Immaturity of the piglet’s digestive tract at weaning therefore does not allow correct sphincter function between the caecum (where bacteria live) and the ileum. When refluxes from the caecum or colon to the ileum occur, the presence of bacteria in the ileum increases the risk of
▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 35, No. 10, 2019
PHOTO: GWENAEL SALIOU
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