Immunobiotics as antimicrobial alternatives increase productivity in swine

YOSHIHITO SUDA; YU TAKAHASHI; MASANORI TOHNO; JULIO VILLENA; SYOICHI HOSOYA; HITOMI FUJIE; TAKESHI SHIMOSATO; MITSUHARU ISHIDA; HISASHI ASO; YASUSHI KAWAI; TADAO SAITO; SEIYA MAKINO; SHUNJI IKEGAMI; HARUKI KITAZAWA

Pingtung, Taiwan

Congreso; The 14th AAAP Animal Science Congress; 2010

Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies

The use of antimicrobials in swine diets tends to be banned to avoid the risk of potential infections with resistant pathogens, resulting in the reduction of productivity. In this study, we examined the effect of immunobiotics, as an alternative of antimicrobials, on productivity in swine. Based on the results of preliminary examination, 40 of LWD female or castrated male piglets of 3 weeks of age were divided into 8 blocks and were fed 0 or 100% of conventional feeding diet containing antimicrobials with immunobiotics (lacA or lacB) or with cultured medium only. The presence of pathogenic E. coli and mycoplasma and the body weight gain were evaluated every 2 or 3 weeks. Blood samples were taken on week 2 post-treatments, to evaluate the changes in blood leukocytes number, the ratio of granulocytes to leukocytes, macrophage activity, antibody production level on sheep red blood cells, complement activity, plasma metabolite and C reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. After slaughter at 115 kg, carcass traits of live body weight, carcass weight, back fat thickness and meat quality evaluation were recorded respectively. The infection level to pathogenic E.coli. was very low from 13 weeks of age to 15 under supplying no antimicrobials diet with LacA (Block3), compared to the infection level in another blocks. All blocks had infected from 4 to 8 weeks of age. Plasma CRP concentration in Block3 was significantly low at the normal level from 13 weeks of age to 15 (p