Effect of Enterococcus faecium CECT 4515 on health status and live performance in piglets fed ZnO-free diets Rita Horváth , Andrea Barna1, Botond Alpár, Mario Müller1, Maike Naatjes1, Álvaro Ortiz1 Agrofeed Ltd., Dunakapu tér 10, H-9022 Győr, Hungary, 1 Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH, Hanau, Germany
Introduction During weaning period, piglets face a number of challenges: abrupt separation from the mother, cross-fostering, transports and change from milk to solid, less digestible feed. The piglet and its gut microflora suffer from this situation. Lactobacilli population decreases and at the same time E. coli numbers increase due to the abundance of undigested fermentable substrates in the intestine. This leads to a major imbalance in gut homeostasis causing digestion and nutrient absorption problems, usually resulting in post-weaning diarrhea (PWD). Efficacy and practicability of commonly used PWD treatments, such as Colistin or ZnO, have been questioned for some years due to several reasons. Fecinor® (Enterococcus faecium CECT 4515) is a well-known lactic acid bacteria with a high growth rate. Its supplementation enables the piglet to adapt easier to the new conditions after weaning, and smoothens the transition from milk to solid feed.
Hypothesis and Study Objective
Experimental Design
Fecinor® has a significant capacity to produce L-lactic acid resulting in a local drop of digestive tract’s pH. Additionally, its fast rate of colonization and affinity for the environment enables Fecinor® to successfully compete with enterobacteria for the loci and nutrients in the intestinal environment preventing their multiplication. It was hypothesized that a supplementation of Enterococcus faecium CECT 4515 to the feed during the weaning period can successfully replace the common PWD treatment with ZnO.
Location Animals Replicates Duration Treatments Parameters
VIVAFARM Kft., Lovászpatona, Hungary 320 piglets, (Large White x Landrace) x Duroc 8 replicates, 20 piglets per pen, two consecutive trials 54 days, 2 phases (21 days prestarter, 33 days starter) Control: 2.400 ppm ZnO Trial: 1 x 106 CFU Fecinor® per g feed body weight, weight gain, feed intake, FCR, mortality
Composition of the starter diet Ingredients, %
Control
Fecinor® Ingredients, %
Control
Fecinor®
Corn Barley
15.0 35.6
15 35.8
DL-Methionine L-Threonine
0.17 0.26
0.17 0.26
Wheat
20.0
20.0
L-Tryptophan
0.07
0.07
Soybean meal Proteinmix Full fat soya Sunflower oil L-Lysine HCl
10.0 4.50 4.00 1.20 0.55
10.0 4.50 4.00 1.20 0.55
L-Valine Premix ZnO Fecinor®
0.07 0.50 0.24
0.07 0.50 0.10
Results and Discussion Control
Fecinor®
Initial body weight, kg
5.84
5.88
n.s.
Weight gain, g/day
177
191
n.s.
Prestarter
750.00
750.00
Feed intake, g/day
254
260
n.s.
Starter
360.00
360.00
Feed conversion, kg/kg
1.44
1.36
n.s.
Total feed intake, kg
Body weight, kg
9.55
9.88
n.s.
Weight gain, g/day
417a
550b
< 0.001
Feed intake, g/day
883
1000
n.s.
Feed conversion, kg/kg
2.11b
1.82a
< 0.001
Feed cost per piglet, EUR
Body weight, kg
23.3a
28.0b
< 0.001
Difference, EUR/piglet
Weight gain, g/day
324a
410b
< 0.001
Feed intake, g/day
639
713
n.s.
1.97b
1.74a
< 0.001
Live performance
Prestarter Phase (19-40 days)
Starter Phase (41-73 days)
Overall results
Feed conversion, kg/kg
p
Economic assessment
Control Fecinor®
Feed Price, EUR/t
5379
6123
Total Feed cost, EUR
2270.00
2542.00
Weight gain, kg
2739.00
3537.00
Feed cost per kg weight gain, EUR
0.83
0.72
18.23
15.81 - 2.42
Health status Substitution of ZnO by Fecinor® did neither result in a higher mortality nor an increased incidence of diarrhea.
Summary and Conclusion Fecinor® improved feed conversion and weight gain during the starter phase.
Health status remained comparable between both treatments.
Overall, body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion were significantly higher in the animals receiving the probiotic.
Feed cost per piglet was reduced by feeding Fecinor®.
Fecinor® can protect the piglet’s intestine during weaning period, and is successfully replacing ZnO during this production phase.