Impacts of weaning weights and mycotoxin challenges on jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota,intestinal and systemic health,and growth performance of nursery pigs

Background:This study aimed at investigating the effects of mycotoxin challenge on the growth and physiology of nursery pigs with different weaning weights.Results:At weaning,10 pigs were euthanized to collect jejunal mucosa and 90 pigs were assigned following a randomized complete block design in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 3 pigs per pen.Factors were:weaning weight(light:body weight,BW<7.5 kg or heavy:BW>9.0 kg);and dietary mycotoxins(supplementation of 0.2 mg/kg aflatoxins,2.0 mg/kg deoxynivalenol).All diets had titanium dioxide as an external marker at 0.5%.Growth performance and fecal score were recorded until pigs achieved 20 kg BW(light pigs average BW=21.1 kg and heavy pigs average BW=20.5 kg).Pigs were sampled for blood,ileal digesta,jejunal tissue and mucosa at 20 kg BW.Data were analyzed using the mixed procedure of SAS.At weaning,light pigs had decreased(P<0.05)jejunal interleukin-8,increased(P<0.05)tumor necrosis factor-α,and increased(P<0.05)α-diversity indexes of jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota.At 20 kg of BW,light pigs had decreased(P<0.05)average daily gain(ADG),average daily feed intake(ADFI),and gain to feed ratio(G/F).Mycotoxins decreased(P<0.05)BW,ADG,ADFI,and G/F.Light pigs tended to have increased fecal score on d 0(P=0.080),d 10(P=0.069),and increased(P<0.05)fecal score at 20 kg.Mycotoxins decreased the apparent ileal digestibility of nitrogen(P<0.05).Light pigs had increased(P<0.05)intestinal malondialdehydes and interleukin 8.Mycotoxins tended to increase(P=0.060)intestinal tumor necrosis factor-α.Conclusions:Nursery pigs with light weaning weight were more susceptible to jejunal inflammation and had impaired intestinal health due to weaning stress,whereas mycotoxins diminished the health and growth of nursery pigs regardless of weaning weight.

Post-weaning and whole-of-life performance of pigs is determined by live weight at weaning and the complexity of the diet fed after weaning

The production performance and financial outcomes associated with weaner diet complexity for pigs of different weight classes at weaning were examined in this experiment. A total of 720 weaner pigs(360 entire males and 360 females) were selected at weaning(27 ± 3 d) and allocated to pens of 10 based on individual weaning weight(light weaning weight: pigs below 6.5 kg; medium weaning weight: 6.5 to8 kg; heavy weaning weight: above 8.5 kg). Pens were then allocated in a 3 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with the respective factors being weaning weight(heavy, medium and light; H, M and L,respectively), weaner diet complexity(high complexity/cost, HC; low complexity/cost, LC), and gender(male and female). Common diets were fed to both treatment groups during the final 4 weeks of the weaner period(a period of 39 days). In the first 6 d after weaning, pigs offered the HC diets gained weight faster and used feed more efficiently than those offered the LC diets(P = 0.031). Pigs fed a HC diet after weaning tended to be heavier at the sale live weight of 123 d of age compared with pigs fed the LC diet(P = 0.056). There were no other main effects of the feeding program on growth performance through to slaughter. Weaning weight had a profound influence on lifetime growth performance and weight at 123 d of age, with H pigs at weaning increasing their weight advantage over the M and L pigs(101.3,97.1, 89.6 kg respectively, P < 0.001). Cost-benefit analyses suggested there was a minimal benefit in terms of cost per unit live weight gain over lifetime when pigs were offered a HC feeding program to L,with a lower feed cost/kg gain. The results from this investigation confirm the impact of weaning weight on lifetime growth performance, and suggest that a HC feeding program should be focused on L weaner pigs(i.e., weaning weight less than 6.5 kg at 27 d of age) in order to maximise financial returns.