title: A Comparison of Diets Supplemented with a Feed Additive Containing Organic Acids, Cinnamaldehyde and a Permeabilizing Complex, or Zinc Oxide, on Post-Weaning Diarrhoea, Selected Bacterial Populations, Blood Measures and Performance in Weaned Pigs Experimentally Infected with Enterotoxigenic E. coli.
abstract: The effects of feeding a diet supplemented with zinc oxide (ZnO) or a blend of organic acids, cinnamaldehyde and a permeabilizing complex (OACP) on post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) and performance in pigs infected with enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) were examined. Additionally, changes in selected bacterial populations and blood measures were assessed. A total of 72 pigs weaned at 22 d of age and weighing 7.2 ± 1.02 kg (mean ± SEM) was used. Treatments were: base diet (no antimicrobial compounds); base diet + 3 g ZnO/kg; base diet + 1.5 g OACP/kg. Dietary treatments started on the day of weaning and were fed ad libitum for 3 weeks. All pigs were infected with an F4 ETEC on d 4, 5 and 6 after weaning. The incidence of PWD was lower in pigs fed ZnO ( p = 0.026). Overall, pigs fed ZnO grew faster ( p = 0.013) and ate more ( p = 0.004) than the base diet-fed pigs, with OACP-fed pigs performing the same ( p > 0.05) as both the ZnO- and base diet-fed pigs. Feed conversion ratio was similar for all diets ( p > 0.05). The percentage of E. coli with F4 fimbriae was affected a day by treatment interaction ( p = 0.037), with more E. coli with F4 fimbriae found in pigs fed ZnO on d 11 ( p = 0.011) compared to base diet-fed pigs. Only significant time effects ( p < 0.05) occurred for blood measures. Under the conditions of this study, inclusion of OACP gave statistically similar production responses to pigs fed ZnO, however pigs fed ZnO had less PWD compared to OACP- and the base diet-fed pigs.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. ingunnstensland@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ingunn
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stensland
authors.affiliation: Pork Innovation, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, South Perth, WA 6150, Australia. jae.kim@agric.wa.gov.au.
authors.forename: Jae Cheol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, PMB 4008, Narellan 2567, Australia. bethany.bowring@dpi.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Bethany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bowring
authors.affiliation: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, PMB 4008, Narellan 2567, Australia. alison.collins@dpi.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. J.Mansfield@murdoch.edu.au.
authors.forename: Josephine P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mansfield
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. J.Pluske@murdoch.edu.au.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pluske
keywords: cinnamaldehyde; enterotoxigenic E. coli; organic acids; permeabilizing complex; pigs; post-weaning diarrhoea; zinc oxide