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In current intensive production systems, piglets must be weaned from their mothers at an early age. The set of changes to which the piglets are subjected at the time of weaning, together with their immaturity, produce alterations in intestinal function and structure that are often associated with the appearance of diarrhea. Probiotics have emerged as a useful tool to promote intestinal health and reduce the negative impact of post-weaning syndrome on suckling piglets. Moreover, some strains of Bacillus spp., such as Bacillus subtilis, have also been shown to promote an inhibitory activity against pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effects of dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051a, 1.6×109 CFU/ml) on the performance of weanling piglets. For that purpose, a total of 60 piglets with an average age of 30 ± 3 days and an initial body weight of 8.41 ± 0.92 kg were randomly allotted to 3 homogeneous groups: (i) non-supplemented control piglets (C), (ii) control diet + 1% Bacillus subtilis additive (E1) and (ii) control diet + 3% Bacillus subtilis additive (E2). Piglets were grouped into six pens (10 piglets/pen) with two replicates per group. The experimental diets were administered ad libitum for a period of 16 days. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) were measured throughout the study to assess growth performance. Diarrhea incidence, microbiological analysis and chemical composition of compound feed were also assayed.
As a result, dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis did not influence significantly the body weight or the ADG of the piglets. After the 16-day trial, the ADG was 1.13 times higher in E1 than in control and 1.04 times higher in E1 than in E2. The average daily feed intake increased 1.08-fold in control piglets in contrast with the E1 dietary group. Feed efficiency was 1.22 times higher in E1 than in control and 1.05 times higher in E1 than in E2 piglets. Finally, the addition of Bacillus subtilis decreased diarrhea incidence by 7.6% and 3.8% in the E1 and E2 groups when compared to the control, respectively.
In conclusion, although no statistical differences were observed in performance, the addition of Bacillus subtilis improved the piglets’ intestinal health by decreasing the incidence of diarrhea.
Dumitru, M., Habeanu, M., Sorescu, I., Tabuc, C., & Jurcoane, S. (2019). Effects of Bacillus subtilis use as dietary probiotic in weaning piglets. Journal of Biotechnology, 305, S71-S72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.05.249