IMPACT OF Lactobacillus reuteri ADMINISTRATION ON SWINE GROWTH BY MODULATION OF INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA.

DM ASTESANA; F BESSONE ; MV ZBRUN; DM ASTESANA; F BESSONE ; MV ZBRUN; JA ZIMMERMANN; G LORENZÓN ; LP SOTO; JA ZIMMERMANN; G LORENZÓN ; LP SOTO; ML FUSARI; CR OLIVERO; FE ALUSTIZA; ML FUSARI; CR OLIVERO; FE ALUSTIZA

Tucumán

Simposio; SIBAL 2016 - V Simposio Internacional de Bacterias Lácticas; 2016

Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA) - CONICET

There is great interest in the use of alternative strategies to replace antibiotics as growth promoters in swine breeding. Probiotics, i.e. live microorganisms with beneficial effects on animal growth and immune system, have emerged as a safe, natural and inexpensive choice. Many species of Lactobacillus have appropriate characteristics in vitro that make them potentially probiotic microorganisms. However, it is necessary to test their properties in vivo to consider them as regular dietary supplement in pig farming. The present study was designed to evaluate the probiotic effect of Lactobacillus reuteri DSPV 002C strain in piglet lactation and weaning periods. A total of 10 sows and theirs litters were divided in two treatments: the Control Group (CG) and the Probiotic Group (PG). CG received a basal diet and the PG received the basal diet supplemented with 1×1011 UFC freeze-dried L. reuteri DSPV 002C per sow, per day. One week before weaning and during 4 weeks after it, the litters of PG received 1×1011 UFC of freeze-dried L. reuteri DSPV 002C per piglet, per day. Faecal samples from one random piglet per litter were taken at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after birth. Subsequently, 18 CG-piglets and 18 PG-piglets with similar body weight (BW) were selected for weaning. Each group had 6 pens with 3 pigs in each. Faecal samples from one random pig per pen were taken at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after weaning started. The microbiological assay of faecal samples was carried out byincubating them in different culture-media to determine: total enterobacteria (Violet Red Bile glucose), Escherichia coli (Tryptone Bile X-Glucuronide), lactic acid bacteria (de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS), yeast (fungi and yeasts modified with 20 g/L glucose and 5 g/L pluripeptona) and probiotic strain L. reuteri DSPV 002C (MRS+ Rif). Individual pig BW was determined at the beginning of the weaning period, plus 2, 3 and 4 weeks post-weaning. During lactation PG-piglets presented significantly more yeast count than CG-piglets (5.0 log10 CFU/g vs. 3.7 log10 CFU/g, p=0.039). There was no significant difference in L. reuteri count between the first and fourth week in PG during lactation (6.5 log10 CFU/g compare to 5.1 log10 CFU/g, p = 0.083). Furthermore, PG had greater weight gain per week when compared with CG (1.07 kg vs. 0.690 kg, P= 0.037). These results suggest that L. reuteri DSPV 002C has not only probiotic properties in vivo due to the modulation of intestinal microbiota in piglets, but also an impact in improving performance post weaning.