Investigations on potential dietetic effects of lactulose in pigs
Kamphues, J., Tabeling, R., Stuke, O., Bollmann, S., Amtsberg, G. (2007) Livestock Science 109: 93-95
25-Oct-2007 (18 years 7 months 13 days ago)Lactulose (Lac) is used in human medicine for dietetic purposes, being one of
these purposes to provoke laxation and to reduce the counts of Salmonella
or E. coli. Thus, it could be expected to have the same effects in the
gastrointestinal tract of the pig. The objective of the work was to study the
fate of Lac within the intestinal tract of the pig, to test its effects on chime
characteristics and to prove the potential prophylactic effects of the Lac containing
diets in pigs experimentally infected with Salmonella derby.
Two trials were conducted in order to achieve the objectives. In the first trial ten reared piglets were fed with two diets, a control diet, or the experimental diet (28.6 g lac/kg DM), and were sacrificed on day 11-15. In this study it was evaluated the laxation effect of Lac, also Lac persistence in the digestive tract, and chemical properties of digesta. In the second experiment, 20 fattening pigs were fed a control diet (0 lac) or a diet with Lac (26.9 g lac/kg MD), after an adaptation to the diets, the pigs were infected orally with Salmonella derby (2.6 x 108 cfu/pig). Then, the fecal shedding of Salmonella derby was tested and on day 14, 21, 28 and 42 after infection, the animals were sacrificed and different substrates were tested for Salmonella.
Results from the first trial indicated that Lac in the diet did not result in laxation. The Lac contents in the digestive tract indicated that higher amounts of Lac were digested and absorbed up to the end of small intestine, and Lac amounts entering the hindgut were fermented very fast. Results obtained in the second trial showed the infection of animals was achieved, being the detection of Salmonella higher in Lac fed animals, both in the ileal contents (10 positive vs 2 in Control diet) and in the colonic content (8 positive vs 3 in the control). Thus, the use of a 2.7% of Lac favoured a longer persistency of Salmonella in the gastrointestinal contents, while not provoking differences in the detection of Salmonella in the tonsils.
From the results obtained it may be concluded that the inclusion of a 2.7% of Lac in the diet may not result in fermentative diarrhoea, and may favour a longer persistence of Salmonella in the gastrointestinal tract.
Two trials were conducted in order to achieve the objectives. In the first trial ten reared piglets were fed with two diets, a control diet, or the experimental diet (28.6 g lac/kg DM), and were sacrificed on day 11-15. In this study it was evaluated the laxation effect of Lac, also Lac persistence in the digestive tract, and chemical properties of digesta. In the second experiment, 20 fattening pigs were fed a control diet (0 lac) or a diet with Lac (26.9 g lac/kg MD), after an adaptation to the diets, the pigs were infected orally with Salmonella derby (2.6 x 108 cfu/pig). Then, the fecal shedding of Salmonella derby was tested and on day 14, 21, 28 and 42 after infection, the animals were sacrificed and different substrates were tested for Salmonella.
Results from the first trial indicated that Lac in the diet did not result in laxation. The Lac contents in the digestive tract indicated that higher amounts of Lac were digested and absorbed up to the end of small intestine, and Lac amounts entering the hindgut were fermented very fast. Results obtained in the second trial showed the infection of animals was achieved, being the detection of Salmonella higher in Lac fed animals, both in the ileal contents (10 positive vs 2 in Control diet) and in the colonic content (8 positive vs 3 in the control). Thus, the use of a 2.7% of Lac favoured a longer persistency of Salmonella in the gastrointestinal contents, while not provoking differences in the detection of Salmonella in the tonsils.
From the results obtained it may be concluded that the inclusion of a 2.7% of Lac in the diet may not result in fermentative diarrhoea, and may favour a longer persistence of Salmonella in the gastrointestinal tract.