Effects of dietary supplementation of bacteriophage cocktail on health status of weanling pigs in a non-sanitary environment

Background The study evaluated the effects of bacteriophage cocktail(BP)and ZnO administered during weaning time for piglets exposed to a non-sanitary environment.The bacteriophages were designed to eliminate Escherichia coli(K88,K99 and F41),Salmonella(typhimurium and enteritidis),and Clostridium perfreingens(types A and C).Forty 21-day-old crossbreed piglets were assigned to four treatments,including the PC(sanitary environment),NC(nonsanitary environment),BP(NC plus 108 pfu/kg BP),and ZO(NC plus 2,500 mg/kg ZnO).Piglets in the NC,BP and ZO were kept in a non-sanitary environment for 14 d,which was contaminated with the feces of infected pigs.Results Pigs in the BP and ZO treatments had a higher final body weight compared with the NC.The NC treatment showed the highest concentration of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-αin the plasma.The administration of BP and ZO showed lower myeloperoxidase concentrations compared with the NC.The NC treatment showed a lower concentration of superoxide dismutase in serum compared with the PC.Among the treatments in non-sanitary environment,the NC treatment showed a higher concentration of malondialdehyde compared with the ZO.The PC treatment showed a lower concentration of butyric acid in the feces compared with the BP treatment.Among non-sanitary treatments,the villus height in the duodenum was greater in the BP and ZO compared with the NC.The lower abundance of Proteobacteria phylum was observed in the BP and PC treatments compared with the NC.The highest relative abundance of Eubacterium was recorded in the BP treatment.The abundance of Megasphaera and Schwartzia was higher in the NC pigs compared with the BP piglets.The abundance of Desulfovibrio was lower in the supplemented treatments(BP and ZO)compared with non-supplemented(NC and PC).The abundance of Cellulosilyticum genera was higher in the BP and ZO treatments rather than in the NC.The piglets in the NC treatment had the highest abundance of Escherichia-Shigella,followed by the PC and ZO treatments.Conclusion In conclusion,these results suggest that the supplementation of bacteriophage cocktail could effectively control Proteobacteria phylum,Clostridium spp.and coliforms population and mitigated the adverse influences of weaning stress in piglets.

Endometrial response to conceptus-derived estrogen and interleukin-1β at the time of implantation in pigs

The establishment of pregnancy is a complex process that requires a well-coordinated interaction between the implanting conceptus and the maternal uterus. In pigs, the conceptus undergoes dramatic morphological and functional changes at the time of implantation and introduces various factors, including estrogens and cytokines,interleukin-1β2(IL1 B2), interferon-γ(IFNG), and IFN-δ(IFND), into the uterine lumen. In response to ovarian steroid hormones and conceptus-derived factors, the uterine endometrium becomes receptive to the implanting conceptus by changing its expression of cell adhesion molecules, secretory activity, and immune response. Conceptus-derived estrogens act as a signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy by changing the direction of prostaglandin(PG) F2αfrom the uterine vasculature to the uterine lumen. Estrogens also induce the expression of many endometrial genes,including genes related to growth factors, the synthesis and transport of PGs, and immunity. IL1 B2, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is produced by the elongating conceptus. The direct effect of IL1 B2 on endometrial function is not fully understood. IL1 B activates the expression of endometrial genes, including the genes involved in IL1 B signaling and PG synthesis and transport. In addition, estrogen or IL1 B stimulates endometrial expression of IFN signaling molecules,suggesting that estrogen and IL1 B act cooperatively in priming the endometrial function of conceptus-produced IFNG and IFND that, in turn, modulate endometrial immune response during early pregnancy. This review addresses information about maternal-conceptus interactions with respect to endometrial gene expression in response to conceptus-derived factors, focusing on the roles of estrogen and IL1 B during early pregnancy in pigs.