Chestnut extract but not sodium salicylate decreases the severity of diarrhea and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4 shedding in artificially infected piglets

Abstract

The development of alternatives to antibiotics is crucial to limiting the incidence of antimicrobial resistance, especially in prophylactic and metaphylactic use to control post-weaning diarrhea (PWD). Feed additives, including bioactive compounds, could be a promising alternative. This study aimed to test two bioactive compounds, sodium salicylate (SA) and a chestnut extract (CE) containing hydrolysable tannins, on the occurrence of PWD. At weaning, 72 piglets were assigned to four treatments that combined two factors: CE supplementation (with 2% of CE (CE+) or without (CE-)) and SA supplementation (with 35 mg/kg BW of SA (SA+) or without (SA-)). Then, 4 days after weaning, all piglets were infected with a suspension at 10 8 CFU/ml of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC F4ac). Each piglet had free access to an electrolyte solution containing, or not, SA. This SA supplementation was administered for 5 days (i.e., from the day of infection (day 0) to 4 days post-infection (day 4). During the 2 weeks post-infection, supplementation with SA had no effect (P > 0.05) on growth performances nor on fecal scores. A significant SA × time interaction (P < 0.01) for fecal scores and the percentage of diarrhea indicated that piglets with SA did not recover faster and did have a second episode of diarrhea. In contrast to SA treatment, inclusion of CE increased (P < 0.05) growth performances and feed intake. In the first week postinfection, CE decreased (P < 0.001) the overall fecal scores, the percentage of piglets with diarrhea, the days in diarrhea, and ETEC shedding in the feces. There was a SA×CE interaction (P < 0.05) for ETEC shedding, suggesting a negative effect of combining SA with CE. This study highlighted that, in contrast to SA, CE could represent a promising alternative to antibiotics immediately after weaning for improving growth performance and reducing PWD.

Evaluation of Tannin Extracts, Leonardite and Tributyrin Supplementation on Diarrhoea Incidence and Gut Microbiota of Weaned Piglets

“…In this study, due to their different mechanisms of action these compounds may also have contributed to the reduction in diarrhoea. In fact, Chestnut and Quebracho tannins are antimicrobial and antioxidant substances with a powerful effect on enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, which are the main pathogens involved in diarrhoea occurrence in weaned piglets [51,52]. Tannins may directly affect bacterial growth, impairing the bacterial cell wall and indirectly supporting the antioxidant status of animals [23,24].…”

Can Hydrolysable Tannins in Diet of Entire Male Pigs Affect Carcass, Pork Quality Traits, Amino and Fatty Acid Profiles, and Boar Taint, Skatole and Androstenone Levels?

“…Pigs, wild and domestic, have developed this defense strategy to prevent intoxication with diets rich in hydrolysable tannins [ 69 , 70 ]. On the contrary, tannins also show positive properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiarrheal, especially important in piglets after weaning [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ].…”

“…Extract from sweet chestnut wood ( Castanea sativa Mill. ), consisting mainly of hydrolysable tannins, is commonly used in animal nutrition, especially in piglets, to prevent diarrhea after weaning [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].…”

A Single Dose of Synbiotics and Vitamins at Birth Affects Piglet Microbiota before Weaning and Modifies Post-Weaning Performance

“…The use of probiotics, prebiotics, or polyphenols [ 34 , 35 , 36 ] or a combination of all three is a nutritional strategy used to prevent pathogenic infections in monogastric organisms by modulating the gut microbiota composition [ 37 ]. In our study, the single-dose supplementation of E. faecium and S. cerevisiae strains, together with prebiotics, did not influence either the abundance or biodiversity of the microbial community, compared to the SUP− group.…”