Comparison of competitive exclusion with classical cleaning and disinfection on bacterial load in pig nursery units.
BACKGROUND
Colonisation of the environment of nursery units by pathogenic micro-organisms is an important factor in the persistence and spread of endemic diseases in pigs and zoonotic pathogens. These pathogens are generally controlled by the use of antibiotics and disinfectants. Since an increasing resistance against these measures has been reported in recent years, methods such as competitive exclusion (CE) are promoted as promising alternatives.


RESULTS
This study showed that the infection pressure in CE units after microbial cleaning was not reduced to the same degree as in control units. Despite sufficient administration of probiotic-type spores, the analysed bacteria did not decrease in number after 3 production rounds in CE units, indicating no competitive exclusion. In addition, no differences in feed conversion were found between piglets raised in CE and control units in our study. Also, no differences in faecal consistency (indicator for enteric diseases) was noticed.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that the CE protocol is not a valuable alternative for classical C&D.
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Melle, Belgium.
K
K
Luyckx
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit, Melle, Belgium.
S
S
Millet
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Melle, Belgium.
S
S
Van Weyenberg
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Melle, Belgium.
L
L
Herman
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Melle, Belgium.|Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Merelbeke, Belgium.
M
M
Heyndrickx
Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
J
J
Dewulf
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Melle, Belgium. koen.dereu@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
K
K
De Reu
D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology; D004203:Disinfection; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000592:standards*; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
D004202:Disinfectants; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide
Bacterial load; Cleaning and disinfection; Competitive exclusion; Pig nursery units