Evidence of Protection against Diarrhoea in Suckling Piglets by a Hormone‐like Protein in the Sow's Milk

Abstract

The antisecretory factor (ASF) is a protein with a molecular weight of about 60,000, which reverts intestinal hypersecretion. The factor in sow's milk had an isoelectric point of 5.0 and was neutralized by antibodies against pituitary ASF. The concentration of ASF was similar in sow's colostrum and milk taken 3-14 days after farrowing.Thus, four litters with diarrhoea due to enterotoxinogenic E.coli were compared with four healthy control litters; and in a second experiment six litters with diarrhoea were compared with their paired controls. Both experiments showed that all the animals with diarrhoea had received milk with exceptionally low levels of ASF, while the controls had received milk with high concentrations of ASF, the average value f SEM being 0.24 f 0.04 and 1.05 t 0.06 units per ml in each respective group (n = 10, p < 0.01).The present findings suggest further that the ASF content in sow's milk is important for resistance to neonatal diarrhoea in piglets.

Clostridium difficile toxin A induces a specific antisecretory factor which protects against intestinal mucosal damage.

“…The diarrhoea decreased after 16 hours, abundant antisecretory factor activity then being found in the pituitary gland. The extracted antisecretory factor from one such gland inhibited 93 (10)% (mean (SEM)) of the secretion induced by toxin A, corresponding to a dose of 1.8 ED,0.…”

“…After 16 hours the pituitary glands were removed and immediately placed in ice cold 145 mM NaCl, 50 Mm Na2HPO4, 0-1% Na,S203, pH 7.2 (phosphate buffered saline with sodium thiosulphide, PBST), homogenised with a loose fitting glass homogeniser, and centrifuged at 27 000 x g for 10 minutes. The clear supernatant was run in a preparative isoelectrofocusing column with a linear sucrose gradient.20 Ampholine (LKB), pH 3-5-10 or 4-6, was used as the carrier electrolyte; the anode solution was 0 1 M glutamic acid, 0 5 M phosphoric acid and the cathode solution Fractions were asayed for pH and dialysed against PBST for 48 hours and then tested for antisecretory activity.…”

The pathogenesis of the post‐weaning syndrome in weaned piglets; a review

“…Further investigations have shown that skimmed milk causes an inhibition similar to that of sow's milk (29). The antisecretory factor in sow's milk also inhibits severe hypersecretion induced by choleratoxin or E. coli heat-labile toxin (68). Secondly, antibodies block adhesion to enterocytes and promote phagocytosis.…”

Growth promotants in feeding pigs and poultry. III. Alternatives to antibiotic growth promotants

“…Soon after weaning, the AF-blood level decreases, but increases again following weaning. Piglets suffering from diarrhoea have lower blood plasma AF-concentrations than healthy littermates [77]. Similarly, the viscosity of droppings of broiler chicken at slaughter after transportation was found to be related to the blood plasma AF-concentration [68].…”