In a study with sows at various stages of the reproductive cycle, the effects of parturition, feed quantity and composition (content and type of crude fibre), exercise and access to water on dry matter content, and consistency of faeces were estimated. Parturition caused an increase in the dry matter content and reduced the defaecation frequency. The restriction of feed amounts in the last days of gestation and the change to lactation feed with reduced crude fibre content (6-3% in feed) intensified the physiologically occurring increase of the dry matter content. Moving activity and the amount of water ingested had only a small insignificant effect on the moisture of the faeces. The faeces became markedly softer when large amounts of fermentable fibre were used in the diet. The risk for constipation in periparturient sows increases when feed amounts and fibre content in the diet are strongly reduced. Therefore, it is recommended to offer sows daily minimum amounts of a diet (<2 kg) containing >7-8% crude fibre (including a highly fermentable fibre to improve faeces consistency) especially on the days near parturition.
Introduction Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency causes digestive disturbances in humans and animals. However, although clinical symptoms of pancreatic insufficiency, e.g. steatorrhoea, only occurs after loss of 80–90% normal pancreatic secretory capacity (D
iM
agno et al. 1973), pancreatic enzyme supplementation does not always result in normalization of digestion (especially of fat), even with high doses of enzymes (L&
ouml;
ser and F&
ouml;
lsch 1995). In order to better understand the physiological and the pathological consequences of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in humans as well as its therapy with enzyme substitution, studies have been made using an animal model of induced pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Hither to, studies concerning pancreatic duct ligation and/or the influence of enzyme substitution have mainly been focused on estimation of enzyme activities in chyme (e.g. A
bello et al. 1989) and/or on faecal analyses of total digestibility (e.g. I
mmondi et al. 1972). To get more information on effects of enzymes (natural or substituted) it seems necessary to investigate the site and extent of digestion more intensively (S
udendey 1995). Therefore a pig model of induced pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, via pancreatic duct ligation, was chosen and pre‐caecal digestibility was measured by means of an ileo‐caecal re‐entrant fistula. Studies on the digestibility of a high fat diet were made, since cystic fibrosis patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency are recommended to take in high amounts of energy to avoid catabolic metabolism and nowadays these high energy diets comprise increasing proportions of fat (D
urie and P
encharz 1989; S
hepherd et al. 1991).
The following aspects were investigated in controls and pancreatic duct‐ligated pigs that were fed a high fat diet: changes in the composition of ileal chyme and faeces; effects on nutrient digestibility (pre‐caecal and total); efficacy of enzyme substitution in total exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
BackgroundLawsonia intracellularis is one of the most economically important pathogens in swine production. This study tested the hypothesis that the composition of diets for pigs has an impact on the excretion of L. intracellularis in a natural infection model.ResultsFifty boars (~ 90 kg BW) from a SPF-farm with a strict hygiene and management regime for reducing the spread of an L. intracellularis infection up to the beginning of the final fattening period were transported, regrouped and randomly allotted to groups of five animals each at the research facility. After a 1-week acclimatisation period groups were fed one of five diets 4 weeks before slaughter. These were either a finely ground pelleted diet (FP) or a coarsely ground meal diet (CM), both consisting of wheat (40.0%), barley (39.3%), soybean meal (16.0%), soybean oil (2.0%) and minor components. In the other meal diets parts of wheat, barley and soybean meal were substituted either with 22% cracked corn (CORN), 16.9% dried whey (WHEY) or 30% raw potato starch (RPS). The animals had a comparable serological status in a blocking-ELISA immediately before the start and at the end of the feeding experiment. Values increased significantly during the trial. In all subgroups (FP/CM/CORN/WHEY/RPS), shedding was detected in week 0 (genome equivalents = GE; log10 GE L. intracellularis/g faeces: 2.46 ± 2.64/3.58 ± 2.54/3.43 ± 2.37/2.30 ± 3.16/2.58 ± 2.73). The average number of L. intracellularis microbes in faeces during the trial period did not differ between the groups (log10 GE L. intracellularis/g faeces: 3.40 ± 1.53/3.01 ± 1.41/3.80 ± 1.71/3.98 ± 2.20/4.08 ± 2.13). In animals fed the WHEY-diet, significantly lower counts of L. intracellularis were found in the caecal content. The acetate content in the caecum was negatively correlated with the serological results at the end of the trial (r = − 0.36; P = 0.010). Butyrate concentrations in the caecal content were negatively correlated with the number of L. intracellularis in the caecum (r = − 0.32; P = 0.023).ConclusionTherefore, this study provides preliminary evidence that there might be specific dietary effects on the course of a L. intracellularis infection.
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