• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1057-1065
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• 2010

Two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of feeding a newly-developed rare earth mineral-yeast product, zinc oxide (ZnO) or antibiotics on the performance, nutrient digestibility and serum parameters of weanling pigs. In experiment 1, 150 crossbred barrows (24 d old and 6.28 kg BW) were fed one of five dietary treatments consisting of an unsupplemented basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with antibiotics (33 ppm tiamulin and 100 ppm chlortetracycline), ZnO (1,500 or 2,500 ppm) or 0.1% peptide-bound rare earth mineral-yeast. In experiment 2, 576 crossbred barrows (28 d old and 7.20 kg BW) were fed the same diets as those used in experiment 1 modified only by the addition of 1.0% Celite 545 to all diets as a digestibility marker. However, the negative control was not included. In experiment 1, weight gain was significantly lower (p<0.05) for pigs fed the negative control than for pigs fed diets supplemented with antibiotics, ZnO, or rare earth mineral-yeast. Pig performance did not differ between pigs fed the four supplemented diets. In experiment 2, there were no differences in performance between pigs fed diets supplemented with antibiotic, ZnO or rare earth mineral-yeast. The digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, calcium, phosphorus and energy were significantly (p<0.01) higher on the rare earth mineral-yeast diet than on diets supplemented with ZnO. In addition, pigs fed the diet supplemented with rare earth mineral-yeast had significantly (p<0.05) higher digestibility of histidine, lysine, threonine and valine than pigs fed the ZnO supplemented diets. Digestibility coefficients for pigs fed antibiotics tended to be intermediate to those of pigs fed rare earth mineralyeast or ZnO. In conclusion, the performance of pigs fed rare earth mineral-yeast was basically equal to that of pigs fed antibiotics or ZnO indicating that rare earth mineral-yeast can be successfully used as a growth promoter in diets fed to nursery pigs. The effects of rare earth mineral-yeast appeared to be mediated through improvements in nutrient digestibility.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.1496-1501
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• 2002

A $2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement of treatments was used in a completely randomized design to determine the effects of dietary Zn on performance and immune response of acutely endotoxemic growing pigs (n=96, mean BW=24.9 kg). Factors included 1) intramuscular injection of $10{\mu}g/kg$ BW of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or control and 2) supplemental Zn at 10, 50, or 150 ppm. Diets were fed beginning after weaning (initial body weight=7.6 kg) in the nursery and continued for 16 d into the grower phase. The basal corn-soybean meal grower diet contained 1% lysine and 34.3 ppm Zn. Pigs were acclimated for 12 d in the growerfinishing facility before LPS treatment on d 13. Gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency were unaffected by dietary Zn. Feed intake decreased (p<0.10) and gain/feed was greater (p<0.10) from d 13 to d 16 for pigs injected with LPS. Serum Zn and alkaline phosphatase activity increased (p<0.05) with increasing Zn levels. The febrile response to LPS peaked at 6 h post exposure and pigs were afebrile within 12 h. Rectal temperature was greater (p<0.05) in pigs receiving 50 and 150 ppm Zn than in pigs supplemented with 10 ppm Zn. In vivo cellular immune response, measured on d 13 by skin thickness response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), was greater after 6 h (p<0.05) in pigs fed 10 ppm Zn and exposed to LPS compared to all other treatments, but was not affected at 12, 24 or 48 h. Zinc did not affect mitogen induced lymphocyte proliferation. Zinc supplemented at 50 or 150 ppm resulted in an enhanced febrile response in pigs subjected to iatrogenic endotoxemia, but did not affect pig performance or immune response measurements.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1326-1331
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• 2003

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of Toyocerin, a probiotic containing Bacillus toyoi spores, on the health status and productivity of pigs, during nursery, growing and finishing phases. On a commercial farrow-to-finish farm in Greece, 3 experimental groups were formed, each of 72 weaned piglets. The pigs of the first group (T1 group; negative controls) received normal feed with no antimicrobials or probiotics, the pigs of the second group (T2 group) received the same type of feed but supplemented with 1.0${\times}$10$^9$, 0.5${\times}$10$^9$ and 0.2${\times}$10$^9$ spores per kg of feed at weaning, growing and finishing stage, respectively, and the pigs of the third group (T3 group) were fed with Toyocerin at the dose of 1.0${\times}$10$^9$ spores per kg of feed during the entire fattening period (weaning, growing and finishing stages). The results have shown that, compared to the controls, Toyocerin treated pigs had reduced incidence of postweaning diarrhoea (p<0.05). Enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli were detected in faecal samples of 0% to 25% of pigs of the treated groups, but in 33.5% to 50% of pigs of the non-treated group (p<0.05). Over the negative controls, a significant improvement of weight gain (4.5% and 8.3% for T2 and T3 groups, respectively), and of feed conversion ratio (6.6% and 13.0% for T2 and T3 groups, respectively) was observed. The 76.5% of the carcasses of the T3 group was classified in the top three categories of the EUROP scale (S, E and U), whilst the respective figures were 47.8% for T2 group and only 10.5% for T1 group (p<0.05).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.872-876
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to evaluate Biocom (a protein source containing a high level of glutamine and alanyl-glutamine) as a replacement for glutamine (Gln) in nursery pig diets. Forty-two pigs (fourteen pigs per treatment) weaned at 28 d of age were used in a 28-d performance trial using three dietary treatments: control (no Gln), control supplemented with Gln or Biocom. The control diet was composed of corn, soybean meal, whey and fish meal. Individual body weight, pen feed disappearance and diarrhea were monitored. On d 0, 2, 7 and 14 postweaning, respectively, five pigs per treatment were selected and bled from the anterior vena cava to obtain five replicate samples of blood on each dietary treatment for determination of blood biochemical index. Dietary supplementation of Gln and Biocom did not influence performance, plasma Gln and total serum protein concentration (p>0.05). However, the addition of Gln and Biocom could prevent serum urea nitrogen and serum cortisol from increasing on d 2 postweaning (p<0.05). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in any of the examined parameters between Gln- and Biocom-supplemented diets. In conclusion, dietary Gln did not influence the performance of early-weaned piglets owing to the complex diet containing whey, but could prevent the increase of serum urea and cortisol. Biocom could be used as a replacement for free pure Gln without any negative effect on early-weaned piglets.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2012

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most concerns in pig industry. Escherichia (E.) coli have been used for the indicator to monitor the antimicrobial resistance. In this study, 321 E. coli from diarrheic and non-diarrheic piglets were tested for antimicrobial resistance and frequency of $Bla_{TEM}$. In non-diarrheic piglets, they were resistant to oxytetracycline (93%), streptomycin (92%) and sulfadiazine (90%) but susceptible to ceftiofur (99%), colistin (97%), and enrofloxacin (82%). The isolates from diarrheic piglets were resistant to enrofloxacin (72.9%), ceftiofur (17.6%), and colistin (11.3%), whereas the resistance was 1%, 18% and 3% in case of non-diarrheic piglets, respectively. The resistance for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (54.1%) and ceftiofur (22%) was high in isolates from post-weaning piglets. The resistance for colistin was 15.2% in nursery piglets. Seventy-three percent of isolates from diarrheic piglets showed high multidrug resistance profile (more than 13 antimicrobials) compared to those from non-diarrheic pigs in which 71% of isolates showed moderate multidrug resistance profile (7 to 12 antimicrobials). The frequency of $Bla_{TEM}$ in E. coli from non-diarrheic and diarrheic piglets was 57% and 69%, respectively. The results might provide the basic knowledge to establish the strategies for treatment and reduce antibiotic resistance of E. coli in piglets.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1491-1498
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• 2021

Objective: This research was carried out to investigate the effects of corn particle size on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients fed to pigs at four different growth stages and therefore to provide basis for better application of corn in pig feeds. Methods: Eighteen weanling piglets, 18 growing barrows, 24 gestating sows and 24 lactating sows were used in this study. Within each stage, pigs were allotted to 1 of 3 or 4 corn-soybean meal diets which were formulated with different corn particle size in a completely randomized design with 6 replicate pigs per diet. Each stage lasted for 19 days, including 7 days for cages adaptation, 7 days for adaptation to diets and followed by 5 days for total collection of feces and urine. Results: For nursery and growing stages, the results showed that digestible energy content and ATTD of gross energy (GE), dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) was increased (p<0.05) as the corn particle size reduced. Meanwhile, the metabolizable energy content and ATTD of crude protein (CP) tended to increase. For gestating sows, no differences were found in the ATTD of nutrients among dietary treatments. As for lactating sows, there were linear and quadratic increases (p<0.05) in the ATTD of DM, GE, NDF as the corn being finer milled. Quadratic response in ATTD of ADF and CP (p<0.05) were observed as sows fed with four different diets. Conclusion: Reducing corn particle size can increase digestibility of nutrients fed to young pigs and lactating sows. No effects were observed in present experiment when gestating sows were fed with different particle sized corn.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.787-796
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• 2003

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of germanium biotite (GB) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and fecal gas emission in pigs. In Exp 1., a total of one hundred nursery pigs (initial body weight 13.12${\pm}$0.15kg) were used in a 21 d growth assay. The five treatments were control (CON, basal diet), GB0.5-200 (basal diet + 0.5% GB, 200mesh), GB1.0-200 (basal diet + 1.0% GB, 200mesh), GB0.5-325 (basal diet + 0.5% GB, 325mesh), GB1.0-325 (basal diet + 1.0% GB, 325mesh). Each treatment had four replicates with five pigs per replicate. ADG, ADFI and gain/feed were not significantly different among the treatments. Fecal NH3-N concentration of pigs fed the GB325 diet was lower than that of pigs fed the GB200 diet (P=0.01). The GB treatments reduced fecal volatile fatty acids significantly compared to the CON (propionic acid, P=0.01; butyric acid, P=0.01; acetic acid, P=0.02). Especially, fecal propionic acid concentration of pigs fed the GB325 diets was lower than that of pigs fed the GB200 diets (P=0.02). In Exp 2., a total of seventy five pigs (initial body weight 21.18${\pm}$0.15kg) were used in a 28 d growth assay. The treatments were same as described for Exp. 1. Each treatment had five replicates with three pigs per replicate. The GB1.0 treatments significantly increased the ADG compared to the GB0.5 treatments (P=0.03). The DM and N digestibility of pigs fed the GB1.0 diets were higher than that for pigs fed the GB0.5 diets (P=0.01). Also, the Ca digestibility of pigs fed the GB diets was higher than that for pigs fed the CON diets (P=0.01). The fecal NH3-N concentrations for the GB treatments were lower than that for the CON (P=0.01). The GB325 treatments significantly decreased the fecal NH3-N concentration compared to the GB200 treatments (P=0.03). The fecal butyric acid concentration for the GB325 treatments was lower than that for the GB200 treatment (P=0.04). In conclusion, the results obtained from these feeding trials suggest that the dietary GB for nursery pigs affects fecal noxious gas emission. In growing pigs, dietary GB was effective to improve ADG and decrease fecal noxious gas emission.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.403-409
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• 2018

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of a lipid-coated zinc oxide (ZnO) supplement Shield Zn (SZ) at the sub-pharmacological concentration on intestinal morphology and gene expression in weanling pigs, with an aim to gain insights into the mechanism of actions for SZ. Methods: Forty 22-day-old weanling pigs were fed a nursery diet supplemented with 100 or 2,500 mg Zn/kg with uncoated ZnO (negative control [NC] or positive control [PC], respectively), 100, 200, or 400 mg Zn/kg with SZ for 14 days and their intestinal tissues were taken for histological and molecular biological examinations. The villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) of the intestinal mucosa were measured microscopically following preparation of the tissue specimen; expression of the genes associated with growth and immune function was determined using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: There was no difference in daily gain, gain:feed, and diarrhea score between the SZ group and either of NC and PC. The VH and VH:CD ratio were less for the SZ group vs NC in the jejunum and duodenum, respectively (p<0.05). The jejunal mucosal mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and interleukin (IL)-10 regressed and tended to regress (p = 0.053) on the SZ concentration with a positive coefficient, respectively, whereas the IL-6 mRNA level regressed on the SZ concentration with a negative coefficient. The mRNA levels of IGF-I, zonula occludens protein-1, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and IL-10 did not differ between the SZ group and either of NC and PC; the occludin and transforming growth $factor-{\beta}1$ mRNA levels were lower for the SZ group than for PC. Conclusion: The present results are interpreted to suggest that dietary ZnO provided by SZ may play a role in intestinal mucosal growth and immune function by modulating the expression of IGF-I, IL-6, and IL-10 genes.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2011

A total of 96 crossbred weanling barrows aged 21 days were randomly allocated to 32 pens of a new nursery to investigate the effects of antibiotics, phytogenics, and probiotics on intestinal growth and development. The animals were fed a set of three-phase basal diets containing 0.3% zinc oxide (CON) or the basal diets supplemented with 353 ppm of a combination of tiamulin, neomycin, chlortetracycline, and oxytetracycline (ANTI), 75 ppm triterpenoid saponin plus 150 ppm mixed saccharides (HERB; Sacchapin$^{(R)}$), or $1{\times}10^7$ brewer's yeasts plus $8{\times}10^7$ spores of each of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis per kilogram feed (PROBIO; Yeasture Plus 2B$^{(R)}$) for five weeks. Thirty-two pigs representing as many pens were slaughtered at the end of the feeding trial, after which morphological measures and digestive enzyme activities of intestinal mucosa were determined. Weight gain and gain:feed of the pigs were not affected by the dietary treatments (TRT) during the overall feeding trial. Total intestinal length was greater in PROBIO than in ANTI (P<0.05). Wet mucosa weight of the duodenum was not affected by TRT. However, jejunal mucosa weight was greater in PROBIO than in any other group sum of mucosa weights of the duodenum and jejunum was greater (P<0.05) in PROBIO than in ANTI and HERB. The height and width of duodenal villus were not affected by TRT, but crypt depth decreased (P<0.05) in response to HERB and PROBIO vs CON. Specific activities of alkaline phosphatase, sucrase, maltase, lactase, and leucine aminopeptidase in the duodenum and jejunum were not changed by TRT. In conclusion, results suggest that the present dietary treatments have no effects on growth performance of weanling pigs and that of PROBIO enhances intestinal growth and development under a clean experimental setting.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.1314-1327
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• 2021

Bacillus is characterized by the formation of spores in harsh environments, which makes it suitable for use as a probiotic for feed because of thermostability and high survival rate, even under long-term storage. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Bacillus-based probiotics on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, immune response, and intestinal microbiota of weaned pigs. A total of 40 weaned pigs (7.01 ± 0.86 kg body weight [BW]; 28 d old) were randomly assigned to two treatments (4 pigs/pen; 5 replicates/treatment) in a randomized complete block design (block = BW and sex). The dietary treatment was either a typical nursery diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON) or CON supplemented with 0.01% probiotics containing a mixture of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis (PRO). Fecal samples were collected daily by rectal palpation for the last 3 days after a 4-day adaptation. Blood, ileal digesta, and intestinal tissue samples were collected from one pig in each pen at the respective time points. The PRO group did not affect the feed efficiency, but the average daily gain was significantly improved (p < 0.05). The PRO group showed a trend of improved crude protein digestibility (p < 0.10). The serum transforming growth factor-β1 level tended to be higher (p < 0.10) in the PRO group on days 7 and 14. There was no difference in phylum level of the intestinal microbiota, but there were differences in genus composition and proportions. However, β-diversity analysis showed no statistical differences between the CON and the PRO groups. Taken together, Bacillus-based probiotics had beneficial effects on the growth performance, immune system, and intestinal microbiota of weaned pigs, suggesting that Bacillus can be utilized as a functional probiotic for weaned pigs.