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Title: Dietary butyrate and valerate glycerides impact diarrhea severity and immune response of weaned piglets under ETEC F4-ETEC F18 coinfection conditions.
Author: Kovanda L, Park J, Park S, Kim K, Li X, Liu Y.
Journal: J Anim Sci; 2023 Jan 03; 101():. PubMed ID: 38044688.
Abstract:
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) causes post-weaning diarrhea in piglets, significantly impacting animal welfare and production efficiency. The two primary ETEC pathotypes associated with post-weaning diarrhea are ETEC F4 and ETEC F18. During the post-weaning period, piglets may be exposed to both ETEC F4 and ETEC F18. However, the effects of coinfection by both strains have not been studied. Short chain fatty acid feed additives, such as butyrate and valerate, are being investigated for their potential to improve animal performance and disease resistance. Therefore, this pilot experiment aimed to test the effects of butyrate glycerides or valerate glycerides on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, and immune responses of piglets under ETEC F4-ETEC F18 coinfection conditions. Twenty piglets were individually housed and assigned to one of the three dietary treatments immediately at weaning (21 to 24 d of age). The dietary treatments included control (basal diet formulation), control supplemented with 0.1% butyrate glycerides or 0.1% valerate glycerides. After a 7-d adaptation, all pigs were inoculated with ETEC F4 and ETEC F18 (0.5 × 109 CFU/1.5 mL dose for each strain) on three consecutive days. Pigs and feeders were weighed throughout the trial to measure growth performance. Fecal cultures were monitored for hemolytic coliforms, and blood samples were collected for whole blood and serum analysis. Pigs fed valerate glycerides tended (P = 0.095) to have higher final body weight compared with control. The overall severity of diarrhea was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in both treatment groups than control. Pigs fed valerate glycerides tended (P = 0.061) to have lower neutrophils and had significantly (P < 0.05) lower serum TNF-α on day 4 post-inoculation. This pilot experiment established an appropriate experimental dose for an ETEC F4-ETEC F18 coinfection disease model in weaned piglets. Results also suggest that butyrate glycerides and valerate glycerides alleviated diarrhea and regulated immune responses in piglets coinfected with ETEC F4 and ETEC F18. Piglets suffer from post-weaning diarrhea associated with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4 and F18, two prevalent strains on swine farms globally. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate and valerate, are natural, organic compounds that could potentially promote intestinal health when used as dietary supplements. During the post-weaning period, piglets are vulnerable to simultaneous infection by ETEC F4 and F18. Therefore, this experiment aimed to develop an experimental disease model for coinfection with ETEC F4 and F18, employing a dose of 0.5 × 109 CFU/1.5 mL of each strain, administered over three consecutive days. In addition, the experiment evaluated treatment diets supplemented with 0.1% butyrate or valerate glycerides compared with the control diet. Results from this experiment revealed that the inoculation dose incited infection and diarrhea in piglets, implying its suitability for use in a disease challenge model. Moreover, the results indicated that the inclusion of butyrate and valerate glycerides to pig’s diet reduced the severity of diarrhea. Furthermore, pigs fed SCFA glycerides exhibited lowered levels of inflammatory blood markers. In conclusion, the experimental dose induced diarrhea in piglets, and dietary supplementation of butyrate and valerate glycerides alleviated the severity of diarrhea while augmenting inflammatory status.

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