In vivo study of circadian variations of the cecal fermentation pattern in postweaned and adult rabbits.

Bellier, R.; Gidenne, T.; Vernay, M.; Colin, M.

doi:10.2527/1995.731128x

Cited by 58 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In conformity with the data of the literature (Bellier et al, 1995;Padilha et al, 1995;, the proportion of propionic acid (C3) was higher than that of butyric acid (C4) before weaning, but thereafter this became reversed, so that the ratio of the two fatty acids (C3 : C4) decreased from .1.0 to ,1.0. The increase of the butyrate concentration might be explained by an increase in some butyrate-producing bacteria.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Kovács

Bónai

Szendrő

et al. 2012

Animal

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The effect of different weaning ages, that is, 21 (G21), 28 (G28) or 35 (G35) days, on growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract was examined in rabbits to assess the risk of early weaning attributable to the less-developed digestive system. On days 35 and 42, G35 rabbits had 10% to 14% and 10% higher BW, respectively (P , 0.05), than those weaned at days 21 and 28. In the 4th week of life, early weaned animals had 75% higher feed intake than G28 and G35 rabbits (P , 0.05). The relative weight of the liver increased by 62% between 21 and 28 days of age, and thereafter it decreased by 76% between 35 and 42 days of age (P , 0.05), with G21 rabbits having 29% higher weight compared with G35 animals on day 35 (P , 0.05). The relative weight of the whole gastrointestinal (GI) tract increased by 49% and 22% after weaning in G21 and G28 rabbits, respectively (P , 0.05). On day 28, the relative weight of the GI tract was 19% higher in G21 than in G28 rabbits, whereas on day 35 G21 and G28 animals had a 12% heavier GI tract compared with G35 rabbits (P , 0.05). Age influenced the ratio of stomach, small intestine and caecum within the GI tract; however, no effect of different weaning age was demonstrated. The pH value of the stomach and caecum decreased from 5.7 to 1.6 and from 7.1 to 6.3, respectively, whereas that of the small intestine increased from 6.8 to 8.4 (P , 0.05); the differences between groups were not statistically significant. Strictly anaerobic culturable bacteria were present in the caecum in high amounts (10 8 ), already at 14 days of age; no significant difference attributable to weaning age was demonstrable. The concentration of total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) was higher in G21 than in G28 and G35 throughout the experimental period (P , 0.05). The proportion of acetic and butyric acid within tVFA increased, whereas that of propionic acid decreased, resulting in a C 3 : C 4 ratio decreasing with age. Early weaning (G21) resulted in higher butyric acid and lower propionic acid proportions on day 28 (P , 0.05). No interaction between age and treatment was found, except in relative weight of the GI tract and caecal content. In conclusion, early weaning did not cause considerable changes in the digestive physiological parameters measured, but it resulted in 10% lower growth in rabbits.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Kovács

Bónai

Szendrő

et al. 2012

Animal

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“…However, Maertens and Peeters (1988) or Taranto et al (2003) observed a higher pH and a lower VFA concentration in the caecum of young restricted rabbits, since measurements were performed in the morning (9-10 h) just after meal distribution and thus before the peak of digestion in the caecum. In contrast, the fermentative activity of ad libitum-fed rabbits is relatively stable over the nycthemere (Bellier et al, 1995), thus explaining their relatively lower VFA concentration of the AL group. Irrespective of the restriction level, the xylanasic and pectinasic activity of caecal bacteria was higher than that of the cellulase.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Feed restriction strategy in the growing rabbit. 1. Impact on digestion, rate of passage and microbial activity

Gidenne

Feugier

2009

Animal

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The effects of a quantitative feed restriction on the digestive physiology of the young rabbit remain largely unclear. Several digestive functions were thus analysed in the rabbit after weaning, using a monofactorial design that produces a linear reduction of the intake, from ad libitum (AL group) to 80%, 70% and 60% of AL (I80, I70 and I60). The restriction programme was applied by giving a daily meal during 21 days after weaning (34 days), and then a 4-day transition period was managed where the feed intake was fixed at 80% of the AL group, before to be fed ad libitum till 69 days of age. The young rabbit quickly adapted to the restriction programme, since within 4 days after weaning they ate totally their ration within 6-7 h after the feed distribution at 8:00, while AL animals consumed 75% of their feed between 15:00 and 8:00. From 55 to 59 days old, rabbits of I70 and I60 groups reached the intake of the I80 group within 1 day, and then the feed intake of restricted animals increased progressively without over-eating. From 54 to 69 days old, the intake of the four groups did not differ and averaged 143.7 g/day per rabbit. During restriction, the live weight and the weight gain decreased linearly with the restriction level. From 55 to 69 days, the weight gain increased linearly according to the restriction level previously applied, but the final weight of restricted rabbits remained lower than AL ones (23%, 25% and 27%, respectively, for I80, I70 and I60). After 7 days of restriction, the digestibility was not significantly affected by the restriction level, except for crude protein that presented a slightly higher (11.5 unit, P 5 0.05) coefficient in I70 and I60 groups. The mean retention time (MRT) of particles increased by 50% for restricted animals (mean: 26.2 h for I80 and I60) compared to the AL ones, while that of the liquid phase (three times longer than the particles) was linearly and moderately increased with restriction (120% between AL and I60). In restricted groups, the caecal pH was lower (20.3 unit, P , 0.05) and could be related to their higher volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration (116 mmol/l compared to AL, P , 0.05). The fermentation pattern, ammonia concentration and the caecal bacterial fibrolytic activity remained similar among treatments, although the butyrate proportion tended to be higher in restricted animals. Impact of feed restriction on performances and digestive health is reported in the second part of this study.

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“…Inversely, the total VFA concentration was lower than that mentioned by Padilha et al [18] (30-35 mmol-L-1 ) using SPF (but weaned) rabbits, or that observed in conventional weaned rabbits (50-80 mmol-L-1 ) [2,16,19,20]. The [20] and in vivo [16].…”

mentioning

confidence: 71%

Caecal microflora and fermentation pattern in exclusively milk-fed young rabbits

Padilha

Licois²,

Gidenne³

et al. 1999

Reprod. Nutr. Dev.

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-Thirty-two SPF New Zealand White rabbits of both sexes were used in this experiment. They were sequentially slaughtered at 22, 29, 35 and 42 days of age. The rabbits were only milked by their mother and by foster mothers (no access to solid food) throughout the experiment. They exhibited a caecal fermentation pattern that turned towards a proteolytic metabolic activity (high levels in NH 3 and in branched-chain fatty acids and valeric acid: 17 mmol ' L ' ' and 1 mmol-L-', on average, respectively). The absence of caecal cellulolytic microflora and the low concentration of the total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) could be explained by the lack of substrate that would have been brought by a solid feed. From day 29 onwards, the low tVFA (12.5 mmol-L-1 ) and high NH 3 concentrations (16.5 mmol-L-1 ) explained the high pH value (6.8 on average). This could be considered as a pathological value in weaned rabbits, but in our case no clinical signs of diarrhoea were observed. The evolution of the colibacilli flora according to age was similar to that usually described and thus was not correlated with pH, tVFA or cellulolytic flora. The evolution of the colibacilli population (from 10! bact/g on day 22 to 10 3 on day 42) seemed dependent on ontogenic factors rather than on the composition of the caecal media (pH, etc.

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In vivo study of circadian variations of the cecal fermentation pattern in postweaned and adult rabbits.

Cited by 58 publications

References 20 publications

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Feed restriction strategy in the growing rabbit. 1. Impact on digestion, rate of passage and microbial activity

Caecal microflora and fermentation pattern in exclusively milk-fed young rabbits

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