Effect of feeding a milk replacer to early-weaned pigs on growth, body composition, and small intestinal morphology, compared with suckled littermates.

Feeding forages containing condensed tannins (CT) can reduce intestinal absorption of amino acids (AA) and peptides. This experiment tested the hypothesis that CT in Lotus pedunculatus altered small intestinal mucosal morphology reducing absorptive capacity of the gut. Thirteen young Romney wethers were fed ad libitum either Lotus pedunculatus (cv. Grasslands Maku, N = 7) containing 5.5% CT in the dry matter (DM) or white clover-perennial ryegrass pasture (N = 6), which did not contain CT, for 4 wk. The wethers were euthanized at the end of the feeding trial and samples were collected for histological examination from the proximal and distal duodenum, proximal, mid-, and distal jejunum and ileum, and ventral rumen. There was no effect of feeding L. pedunculatus containing 5.5% CT (P > 0.05) on rumen or gut morphological parameters in sheep. The cause of reduced AA absorption in the presence of CT is not known, but this study suggests it is not due to changes in intestinal morphology. Key words: Lotus pedunculatus, condensed tannins, gut morphology, sheep

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Small intestinal morphology and bacterial populations in ileal digesta and feces of newly weaned pigs receiving a high dietary level of zinc oxide

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/a01-043 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 511-516 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

B. T. Li ◽

A. G. Van Kessel ◽

W. R. Caine ◽

S. X. Huang ◽

R. N. Kirkwood

Keyword(s):

Zinc Oxide ◽

Small Intestine ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

Bacterial Populations ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Post Surgery ◽

Mucosal Thickness ◽

Small Intestinal ◽

Mucosal Morphology

A study was carried out to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of 3000 mg kg–1 zinc oxide (ZnO) on the small intestinal morphology and populations of enterobacteriaceae, lactobacilli and clostridia in ileal digesta and feces of weaned pigs. At 17 d of age, 36 pigs from nine litters were fitted with simple T-cannulae at the distal ileum and after a 2-h post-surgery recovery returned to their sows. At 21 d of age, the pigs were weaned and housed in individual metabolism crates. Pigs were allocated to receive a standard starter diet supplemented with or without 3000 mg kg–1 of ZnO. Ileal digesta and fecal samples were collected immediately before weaning and then on days 2, 4, 7, 9, and 11 after weaning and were used to quantify enterobacteriaceae, lactobacilli and clostridial populations by colony enumeration on selective media. Pigs were euthanized following the final sampling, and 2 cm sections of tissue were collected from sites 25, 50 and 75% along the length of the small intestine for determination of mucosal thickness (MT), crypt depth (CD), villous height (VH) and villous width (VW). Zinc oxide supplementation altered the mucosal morphology of the small intestine. Mucosal thickness (P < 0.08) and VH (P < 0.05) were increased at sites 25 and 50% along the length of the small intestine by ZnO supplementation. Overall VW also increased (P < 0.01) with ZnO supplementation. Crypt depth decreased (P < 0.05) at 75% along the length of the small intestine with ZnO supplementation. The ratio of VH to CD was higher (P < 0.05) for ZnO-supplemented than for control-fed pigs at sites 25, 50 and 75% along the length of the small intestine. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of supplementary ZnO on bacterial populations in ileal digesta or feces. The present study indicates that supplementing ZnO in starter diets changes the epithelial morphology of the small intestine, which may affect nutrient digestion and absorption in newly weaned pigs. Key words: Pigs, zinc oxide, bacteria, intestinal morphology

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