NUTRITION ▶▶▶
represents 80% of the effectiveness of the programme. Incor- porated into the SFW programme are feed materials such as Actigen (Alltech), which have been shown to help maintain a healthy gut and support the normalising of gut microflora. This in turn may help to reduce the risks associated with de- velopment of antimicrobial resistance. Recent data from stud- ies focusing on improving gut health in young piglets demonstrated that the SFW programme can help reduce E. coli attachment and the adhesion of Salmonella Dublin to porcine intestinal cells. Furthermore, the reduction of E. coli and Salmonella attach- ment to intestinal cells resulting from the SFW programme can have a direct effect on lowering inflammatory markers for infection. The dietary inclusion of zinc oxide (ZnO) is currently used to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the gut. However, as the EU swine industry pre- pares for the ZnO ban, which will come into effect in 2022, establishing a healthy gut with a reduced pathogen load is now more important than ever – and the SFW programme could potentially help producers move towards ZnO-free production systems.
It is vital to “seed” the intestine with the correct bac- teria as soon as possible after birth.
Feeding the favourable organisms
In addition to seeding the gut with the correct pioneer spe- cies, it is crucial to enhance the capacity of favourable organ- isms to colonise and rapidly dominate the microbial commu- nity in the small intestine. Once a beneficial microbial community and intestinal ecology is established, the villi will flourish. This step is critical for piglet health and feed efficien- cy, because the healthier a piglet’s villi, the more efficiently nutrients will be absorbed.
Weeding out the unfavourable micro-organisms The gut can also contain harmful pathogenic microbes (e.g. enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli), which can damage the intes- tinal villi. It is, therefore, important to “weed them out” before they can attach to the gut lining and replicate enough to cause disease. By blocking the attachment mechanisms of unfavourable organisms with a type-1 fimbria blocker, their capacity to compete with the favourable organisms (e.g. Bi- fidobacterium and Lactobacillus) in the gut is reduced. Mini- mising the gut’s exposure to these harmful microbes will help to improve the animal’s natural defences and shorten its recovery time from disease.
Ensuring improved gut health The “weed” component of SFW is integral to ensuring im- proved intestinal health and immune status in piglets and
42 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 2, 2021
Stress factors Weaning represents the most challenging event in modern pig production, as piglets are subject to myriad stress factors all at once (e.g. an abrupt dietary change, from sow milk to solid feed; a new environment; mixing with unfamiliar pigs from other litters; and maternal separation). Consequently, newly weaned piglets suffer from drastic changes in their in- testinal physiology, and these changes are characterised by villus atrophy and crypt hyperplasia in the small intestine, re- sulting from a reduction in energy intake when the piglet is adjusting to solid feed. However, several studies have demonstrated a significant im- provement in the intestinal structure of piglets post-weaning via supplementation of the feed materials described above in creep and starter diets. As a result, nutrient absorption and utilisation increased, and this was followed by an improve- ment in piglet weight gain and feed conversion efficiency. Therefore, if producers can support gut morphology through natural nutritional solutions, the digestive, absorptive and se- cretory ability of the intestine will increase, and this can help to mitigate the negative impacts of weaning on pig health, growth and profitability. Early-life nutrition is critical if we are to achieve optimal life- time piglet performance and health. Alltech’s SFW pro- gramme is designed to impact gut health, affecting both mi- crobial diversity and gut structure. This is essential for the young piglet and helps to ensure optimal lifetime perfor- mance and profitability for producers in a sustainable man- ner. The use of such gut health management programmes will also play a pivotal role in helping producers work towards antibiotic- and ZnO-free production.
PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK
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