Effects of immunostimulators on growth performance and immune response in pigs weaned at 21 days of age

Citation
Jd. Kim et al., Effects of immunostimulators on growth performance and immune response in pigs weaned at 21 days of age, J ANIM FEED, 9(2), 2000, pp. 333-346
Citations number
30
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL AND FEED SCIENCES
ISSN journal
1230-1388 → ACNP
Volume
9
Issue
2
Year of publication
2000
Pages
333 - 346
Database
ISI
SICI code
1230-1388(2000)9:2<333:EOIOGP>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
One hundred and fifty pigs with an average body weight of 6.6 kg were allot ted to treatment in a completely randomized block design. The treatments in cluded: 1. Control (basal diet), 2. P-glycan (basal diet + 40 ppm peptidogl ycan), 3. MOS (basal diet + 0.1% mannanoligosaccharides), 4. MG (basal diet + 0.4% beta-glucan) and 5. NIS (basal diet + 300 ppm Nonspecific Immunosti mulating Anionic Alkali Solution, rice bran was used as a carrier). Each tr eatment had 6 replicates with 5 pigs per replicate. Overall, although there were no significant differences in animal performance, pigs fed MOS showed better growth performance and feed efficiency than the other groups. Nutri ents and amino acid digestibilities were improved during phase II (d 15 to 28 post-weaning) compared to phase I (d 0 to 14 post-weaning). During the e ntire experimental period, pigs fed control and other experimental diets in creased T cytotoxic and suppressor cells (CD8+), which contrasted with the decline in T helper cells (CD4+) and granulocyte and monocyte proportions i n week 3 after feeding (d 21) compared to week 1 after feeding (d 7). The d ecrease of T helper cells, granulocytes and monocytes between weeks 1 and 3 was higher in pigs fed diets supplemented with P-glycan, MOS, MG and NIS t han in pigs fed the control diet. From d 15 to 28 post-weaning, the diarrho ea score was lower in pigs fed diets supplemented with any of the immunosti mulators compared to phase I (d 0 to 14 after weaning), except for the NIS treatment. The diarrhoea symptom showed the largest improvement in the MOS group, but there was no statistically significant difference among all of t he treatments. In conclusion, these data suggest that the inclusion of immu nostimulators (peptidoglycan, mannanoligosaccharides, beta-glucan and NIS) has no beneficial effect on growth performance, except for mannanoligosacch arides. But the use of some immunostimulators showed a potential for weaned pigs to increase body growth (mannanoligosaccharides), return quickly to a low-key immune system (mannaolisosaccharides, beta-glucan and NIS), reduce mortality (beta-glucan) and diarrhoea (mannanoligosaccharides).