title: Effects of a bovine colostrum-supplemented diet on some gut parameters in weaned piglets.
abstract: The present study investigated the effects of a bovine colostrum-supplemented diet on gut post-weaning adaptation and health in piglets. Thirty-six 21-d-old piglets were allocated to one of the three following dietary treatments: sow-reared (SR), weaned on a control starter diet (WCtrl) or on a starter diet supplemented with bovine colostrum (WCol) until slaughter at 28 d or 35 d of age. Gastric pH and intestinal bacteriological, structural and functional parameters were determined. Compared to WCtrl, the gastric pH was lower (P < 0.05) and the duodenal lactobacilli:coliform ratio was higher (P = 0.05) in WCol piglets. The relative small intestine weight was 18% (P < 0.05) higher in WCol piglets than in SR piglets. Duodenal villous height was lower (P < 0.01) in WCtrl than in SR piglets, whereas the value for WCol piglets was intermediate. The weaning-increased crypt cell proliferation was not affected by bovine colostrum supplementation. The mucosal ribosomal capacity was higher (P < 0.05) in W than in SR piglets. In conclusion, a diet supplemented with colostrum induced, although not always significantly, variations of gut parameters, suggesting that globally, colostrum may limit weaning-induced gut structural and microbial alterations. The observed effects occurred early and were maintained throughout the post-weaning adaptive phase.
authors.affiliation: Unité Mixte de Recherches, Systèmes d'Elevage, Nutrition Animale et Humaine, INRA, Domaine de la Prise, 35590 St-Gilles, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huguet
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sève
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Le Dividich
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Le Huërou-Luron
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002452:Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D003126:Colostrum / Q000378:metabolism*; D005745:Gastric Acidity Determination; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size; D011897:Random Allocation; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014886:Weaning