Speaker
Description
Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), commonly caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F18, is a major health challenge in pig production and a driver of antimicrobial use. Given concerns over antimicrobial resistance and restrictions on zinc oxide, nutritional strategies to enhance gut resilience are important. We evaluated 4% arabinoxylan (AX), xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), or chito-oligosaccharides (COS) in an ETEC F18 challenge model.
Eighty piglets were allocated to a non-challenged Control and four ETEC-challenged groups (Control-ETEC, AX-ETEC, XOS-ETEC, COS-ETEC).
COS-ETEC showed faecal consistency and dry matter profiles closest to Control. During acute infection, diarrhoea probability remained below ~50% in COS-ETEC versus ~50–100% in other challenged groups, although differences were limited by variation. COS did not reduce ETEC shedding, suggesting resilience rather than pathogen suppression. AX-ETEC resembled Control-ETEC in diarrhoeal outcomes and showed numerically the highest ETEC shedding. Haptoglobin was lowest in XOS-ETEC on days 2 and 4 post-challenge (P<0.05), intermediate in AX-ETEC and COS-ETEC, and highest in Control and Control-ETEC. Daily gain was lowest in supplemented challenged groups (P<0.05), highest in Control, and intermediate in Control-ETEC.
NDC structure differentially modulated ETEC F18 responses, supporting nutritional strategies to enhance resilience and potentially reduce antimicrobial reliance.
Keywords
Prebiotic, ETEC F18, post-weaning diarrhoea, non-digestible carbohydrates, gut health, antibiotic resistance
| Registration ID | OHS26-243 |
|---|---|
| Professional Status of the Speaker | Postdoc |
| Junior Scientist Status | Yes, I am a Junior Scientist. |
Author
Co-authors
External references
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