Research progress on diarrhoea and its mechanism in weaned piglets fed a high‐protein diet

Abstract

In order to pursue faster growth and development of weaned piglets, increased dietary protein (CP) levels were favoured by the pig industry and the feed industry. The digestive organs of piglets were not fully developed at weaning, and the digestive absorption capacity of protein was limited. High‐protein diets can cause allergic reactions in piglets, destroy intestinal structural integrity, reduce immunity, and cause intestinal flora imbalance. Undigested proteins were prone to produce toxic substances, such as ammonia and biogenic amines, after fermentation in the hindgut, which negatively affects the health of the intestine and eventually causes reduced growth performance and diarrhoea in piglets. This review revealed the mechanism of diarrhoea caused by high‐protein diets in weaned piglets and provided ideas for preventing diarrhoea in weaned piglets.

Crude protein content in diets associated with intestinal microbiome and metabolome alteration in Huanjiang mini-pigs during different growth stages

“…The inconsistency of our results might be related to the test pigs’ breed and the age in the present study, which was different, and the small intestinal microbiota composition was affected differently. A higher CP content in the diet (CP > 20%) affects the intestinal structure and barrier function, thereby affecting intestinal health, which ultimately leads to an increased rate of diarrhea in piglets ( Xia et al, 2022 ). Previously, we found the diarrhea index was increased in the Huanjiang mini-pigs at 5–10 kg BW stage with a higher CP content in the diet (20% CP) compared to the lower CP content (14–16% CP) ( Liu et al, 2022 ), which may be related to the lower Firmicutes abundance and the higher Proteobacteria abundance in the small intestine of pigs.…”

Xylo-oligosaccharides improve the adverse effects of plant-based proteins on weaned piglet health by maintaining the intestinal barrier and inhibiting harmful bacterial growth

“…Protein is one of the most important nutrients for life and a key factor determining whether a diet is healthy or not (Wolfe et al, 2018 ). The selection of dietary protein sources for weaned piglets, especially the application of plant-based proteins, is important in the pig industry because high levels of plant-based proteins in the diet can cause intestinal damage in piglets due to the influence of antigen proteins; this affects the digestion and utilization of protein, the incidence of diarrhea, and the growth performance, resulting in economic losses to animal husbandry (Xia et al, 2022 ). In our experiment, the dietary treatment had no significant effect on the growth performance of weaned piglets.…”

Effects of the increased protein level in small intestine on the colonic microbiota, inflammation and barrier function in growing pigs

“…The increased content of cadaverine from lysine decarboxylation due to SPH treatment observed in this study suggests an increased transformation of lysine towards cadaverine production rather than butyrate production. Moreover, a higher concentration of other amino acid metabolites, including putrescine, ammonia, and isovalerate was also shown after SPH infusion, which may imply that a potential cytotoxity, oxidative stress and inflammation were stimulated in the colon [ 26 ]. Marakova et al reported that both putrescine and cadaverine levels can be used as potential biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [ 27 ].…”