Nutritional And Physiological Of Enterococcus Faecalis In Weaner Piglets

This trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of Enterococcus faecalis on growth performance, the incidence of diarrhea, blood biochemical parameters, antioxidant ability, immune organs index, intestinal morphology and cecal microflora in weaner piglets. One hundred and twenty crossbred piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) weaned at (28±2) days of age with an average body weight of (7.60±0.81) kg were selected and divided into 5 groups with 6 replicates per group (3 males and 3 females) and 4 piglets per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, the antibiotic group was fed the basal diet+100 mg/kg colistin sulphate and 400 mg/kg bacitracin Zinc, and the three Enterococcus faecalis groups were fed the basal diet+40,200 and 1000 mg/kg Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. The trial lasted 31 days.The results showed:1) In 1～14 days, the diets supplemented with antibiotic and Enterococcus faecalis had no significant differences in average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed/gain (F/G) (P>0.05). In 15～31 days, compared with the control and antibiotic groups, Enterococcus faecalis 200 and 1000 mg/kg groups could significantly increased ADFI and ADG (P<0.01). In 1～31 days, compared with the control group, ADFI in Enterococcus faecalis 200 and 1000 mg/kg groups were significantly increased (P<0.01), and ADG was significantly increased (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). Compared with the antibiotic group, Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg group could significantly increased ADFI (P<0.01), while Enterococcus faecalis 200 and 1000 mg/kg groups could significantly increased ADG (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively).2) In 1～14 days, Enterococcus faecalis 40 mg/kg group could significantly decreased diarrhea index and diarrhea rate compared with the control groups (P<0.05). In 15-31 days and 1～31 days, Enterococcus faecalis 40 and 1000 mg/kg groups could decreased diarrhea rate in some degree compared with the control and antibiotic groups (P>0.05).3) Compared with the control group, the total protein content in blood in Enterococcus faecalis 40,200 and 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly increased (P<0.05,P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively), and the globulin content in Enterococcus faecalis 200 and 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly increased (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). Compared with the antibiotic group, the total protein content in Enterococcus faecalis 200 and 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the albumin/globulin in antibiotic and Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly decreased (P<0.05), besides, the activities of alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST) in antibiotic group were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the activities of alanine transferase (ALT) in control group was significantly decreased (P<0.05).4) Compared with the control group, the diets supplemented with Enterococcus faecalis had no significant differences in serum malondialdehyde content(P>0.05), while antibiotic could significantly decreased serum malondialdehyde content(P<0.05). Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg groups could significantly increased glutathione peroxidase activity(P<0.05), had the trends to increase catalase activity (P>0.05). Enterococcus faecalis 200 mg/kg groups could significantly increased catalase activity (P<0.05), had the trends to increase the activity of glutathione peroxidase (P>0.05). Enterococcus faecalis 40 mg/kg groups could significantly increased catalase activity (P<0.05). The activity of superoxide dismutase in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly increased compared with the control and antibiotic group (P<0.01), while Enterococcus faecalis 200 mg/kg groups had the trends to increase the activity of superoxide dismutase (P>0.05).5) The liver weight and spleen index in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg group had increasing trends compared with the control group (P>0.05), the liver weight in Enterococcus faecalis 200 and 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly increased compared with the control group (P<0.05).6) The villus height/crypt depth in ileum was significantly increased in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg group compared with the control group (P<0.05), and the villus height in duodenum and crypt depth in ileum had increasing and decreasing trends in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg group P>0.05), respectively. The villus height/crypt depth in ileum was significantly increased in Enterococcus faecalis 1000mg/kg group compared with the antibiotic group (P<0.05), and the crypt depth in ileum had decreasing trends in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg group (P>0.05).7) The diets supplemented with antibiotic and Enterococcus faecalis had no significant differences in the effective sequence number, operational taxonomic units (OTU) number and a-diversity index (Chaol、Shannon、Ace and Simpson index) of cecal microflora in weaner piglets (P>0.05).Compared with the control groups, antibiotic could increase and decrease the ratio of proteobacteria and actinobacteria in some degree (P>0.05), respectively, and Enterococcus faecalis 40 and 1000 mg/kg groups could decreased the ratio of proteobacteria in some degree (P>0.05). Compared with the control groups, the ratio of firmicutes and proteobacteria in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg group had increasing and decreasing trends (P>0.05), respectively, and the ratio of proteobacteria in 40 mg/kg group had decreasing trends (P>0.05). Further analysis of cecal microflora constitution in family level shows that, compared with the control groups, the ratio of bacillaceae in Enterococcus faecalis 1000 mg/kg groups was significantly increased (P<0.05), the tatio of clostridiaceae and streptococcaceae was significantly decreased (P<0.05) the ratio of lactobacillaceae had decreasing trends (P>0.05).The ratio of bacillaceae and clostridiaceae had increasing and decreasing trends in Enterococcus faecalis 40 mg/kg groups (P>0.05). Compared with the control groups, antibiotic could increase the ratio of enterobacteriaceae in some degree (P>0.05), while Enterococcus faecalis could decrease the ratio of enterobacteriaceae in some degree (P>0.05),and there had a significantly difference in the group of antibiotic and Enterococcus faecalis (P<0.05).The results suggest that supplementation of Enterococcus faecalis could improve growth performance (in 15～31 days), decrease diarrhea rate, increase immunity and antioxidant ability, promote the development of intestinal morphology, optimize the cecal microflora in weaner piglets, and the optimum supplemental level of Enterococcus faecalis is 1000 mg/kg.