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Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and...
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Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 9122

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chunyan Xie

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Guest Editor
Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary, Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tianjin, China
Interests: piglets; poultry; plant extracts; intestinal health; trace elements; gut microflora
Dr. Kaimin Niu

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Guest Editor
Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, China
Interests: plant extracts; weaning piglets; gut microbiota; meat quality
Dr. Zhenya Zhai

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Guest Editor
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: intestinal healthy; intestine development; plant extract; gut microbiota

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Special nutritional strategies are frequently used in increasing the survival, intestine health and growth performance of weaning piglets. Adding novel ingredients into the feeds of weaning piglets, including plant extracts, probiotics, amino acids, microelement, etc., has been regarded as an effective strategy for relieving weaning stress, improving intestinal barrier and immunity and reducing the diarrhea rate of weaning piglets. Combined with the appropriate feeding management methods during weaning period, dietary some nutritional ingredients could enhance weaning piglets’ health and well-being status, thus positively contributing to the growth rate and feeding cost of piglets.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present original research and reviews on the effects of special nutritional strategies and management methods to improve the survival, health and growth performance of weaning piglets.

Dr. Chunyan Xie
Dr. Kaimin Niu
Dr. Zhenya Zhai
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • special nutritional strategies
  • management methods
  • survival rate
  • health status
  • growth performance
  • weaning piglets

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4769 KiB  
Article
Phosphatidylethanolamine Improves Postnatal Growth Retardation by Regulating Mucus Secretion of Intestinal Goblet Cells in Piglets
by Nan Wang, Chengming Wang, Ming Qi, Xingtong Lin, Andong Zha, Bie Tan, Yulong Yin and Jing Wang
Animals 2024, 14(8), 1193; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14081193 - 16 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 938
Abstract
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), a multifunctional phospholipid, is necessary for neonate development. This study aimed to explore the impact of the regulation of exogenous PE on postnatal growth retardation (PGR) by improving intestinal barrier function. Thirty-two neonatal pigs were divided into four groups according to [...] Read more.
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), a multifunctional phospholipid, is necessary for neonate development. This study aimed to explore the impact of the regulation of exogenous PE on postnatal growth retardation (PGR) by improving intestinal barrier function. Thirty-two neonatal pigs were divided into four groups according to their body weight (BW 2.79 ± 0.50 kg or 1.88 ± 0.40 kg) at 7 days old, CON-NBW, PE-NBW, CON-PGR, and PE-PGR. PE was supplemented to NBW piglets and PGR piglets during lactation and post-weaning periods. Compared with the NBW piglets, the growth performance of PGR piglets was lower, while PE improved the poor growth performance. PGR piglets showed injured intestinal morphology, as evidenced by the reduced ratio of villus height to crypt depth (VH/CD) and goblet cell numbers in the jejunum and ileum. PE recovered the intestinal barrier injury by increasing VH/CD and goblet cell numbers. The decreased MUC2 mRNA and protein expressions were observed in the small intestine of PGR piglets, and PE remarkably increased the expression of MUC2. Mechanistically, PE increased the goblet cell differentiation promoting gene spdef mRNA levels and reduced the mRNA expressions involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress in the jejunal and ileal mucosa of PGR piglets. Overall, we found that PE alleviated growth retardation by regulating intestinal health and generalized its application in neonates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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24 pages, 3231 KiB  
Article
Increased Dietary Trp, Thr, and Met Supplementation Improves Performance, Health, and Protein Metabolism of Weaned Piglets under Mixed Management and Poor Housing Conditions
by Joseane Penteado Rosa Gonçalves, Antonio Diego Brandão Melo, Qinnan Yang, Marllon José Karpeggiane de Oliveira, Danilo Alves Marçal, Manoela Trevisan Ortiz, Pedro Righetti Arnaut, Ismael França, Graziela Alves da Cunha Valini, Cleslei Alisson Silva, Nate Korth, Natasha Pavlovikj, Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos, Henrique Gastmann Brand, John Kyaw Htoo, João Carlos Gomes-Neto, Andrew K. Benson and Luciano Hauschild
Animals 2024, 14(8), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14081143 - 9 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1081
Abstract
A sanitary challenge was carried out to induce suboptimal herd health while investigating the effect of amino acids supplementation on piglet responses. Weaned piglets of high sanitary status (6.33 ± 0.91 kg of BW) were distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement [...] Read more.
A sanitary challenge was carried out to induce suboptimal herd health while investigating the effect of amino acids supplementation on piglet responses. Weaned piglets of high sanitary status (6.33 ± 0.91 kg of BW) were distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement into two similar facilities with contrasting sanitary conditions and two different diets. Our results suggest that increased Trp, Thr, and Met dietary supplementation could support the immune systems of piglets under a sanitary challenge. In this manner, AA+ supplementation improved the performance and metabolism of piglets under mixed management and poor sanitary conditions. No major temporal microbiome changes were associated with differences in performance regardless of sanitary conditions or diets. Since piglets often become mixed in multiple-site production systems and facility hygiene is also often neglected, this study suggests that increased Trp, Thr, and Met (AA+) dietary supplementation could contribute to mitigating the side effects of these harmful risk factors in modern pig farms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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16 pages, 7929 KiB  
Article
Mitigation of Aerosol and Microbial Concentration in a Weaning Piggery by Spraying Nanobubble Ozone Water with an Ultrasonic Sprayer
by Takumi Yoshino and Atuso Ikeguchi
Animals 2024, 14(5), 657; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050657 - 20 Feb 2024
Viewed by 979
Abstract
Enhancing biosecurity measures in livestock is an essential prerequisite for producing animal products with the highest levels of safety and quality. In Japan, 70% of the mortalities post-weaning are attributed to respiratory pathogens. The research has shown that microorganisms, including both viruses and [...] Read more.
Enhancing biosecurity measures in livestock is an essential prerequisite for producing animal products with the highest levels of safety and quality. In Japan, 70% of the mortalities post-weaning are attributed to respiratory pathogens. The research has shown that microorganisms, including both viruses and bacteria, do not merely float in the air independently. Instead, they spread by adhering to aerosols. Therefore, improving the control of aerosol dissemination becomes a critical strategy for reducing pathogenic loads and boosting the overall efficiency of livestock production. This study focused on reducing concentrations of aerosol particles, airborne microbial concentrations, and airborne mass concentrations by spraying ozone solution with an ultrasonic sprayer. The experiments were conducted at a farm in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, known for its integrated management system, overseeing a herd of 200 sows. Nanobubble ozone water particles were dispersed using an ultrasonic sprayer, which allowed the particles to remain airborne significantly longer than those dispersed using a standard nozzle, at a rate of 30 mL per weaning pig 49 days old, for a 10 min period. This procedure was followed by a 10 min pause, and the cycle was repeated for 17 days. Measurements included concentrations of airborne bacteria, aerosol mass, and aerosol particles. The findings demonstrated a substantial reduction in airborne microbial concentrations of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in the treated area compared to the control, with reductions reaching a peak of 85.7% for E. coli and 69.5% for S. aureus. Aerosol particle sizes ranging from 0.3–0.5 µm, 0.5–1.0 µm, 1.0–2.0 µm, 2.0–5.0 µm, to 5.0–10.0 µm were monitored, with a notable decrease in concentrations among larger particles. The average aerosol mass concentration in the test area was over 50% lower than in the control area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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14 pages, 5350 KiB  
Article
Non-12α-Hydroxylated Bile Acids Improve Piglet Growth Performance by Improving Intestinal Flora, Promoting Intestinal Development and Bile Acid Synthesis
by Jianwei Qin, Xinke Wei, Mingming Cao and Baoming Shi
Animals 2023, 13(21), 3380; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213380 - 31 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1576
Abstract
As an emulsifier and bioactive substance, bile acids (BAs) participate in the absorption of nutrients and in various physiological processes. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of non-12α-hydroxylated BAs (including hyocholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, from now [...] Read more.
As an emulsifier and bioactive substance, bile acids (BAs) participate in the absorption of nutrients and in various physiological processes. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of non-12α-hydroxylated BAs (including hyocholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, from now on referred to as NBAs) on growth performance, BAs metabolism and the intestinal flora of piglets. The experiment included four groups, with eight piglets per group. The four groups of pigs were fed 0, 60, 120 and 180 mg/kg of NBAs, respectively. The results show that adding NBAs significantly increased the final weight (FW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and digestibility of crude fat (EE) and organic matter (OM) in piglets (p < 0.05). Adding NBAs significantly increased the villus height (VH) of the jejunum and ileum (p < 0.05). In addition, NBAs supplementation increased the content of urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CREA) as well as the ratio of urea nitrogen to creatinine (BUN/CREA) in serum (p < 0.05). Adding NBAs can affect the genes related to BAs enterohepatic circulation. Specifically, adding NBAs significantly decreased the relative mRNA abundance of FXR in the liver (p < 0.05), significantly increased the relative mRNA abundance of CYP27A1 (p < 0.05), and significantly increased the relative mRNA abundance of NTCP (p < 0.05). Adding NBAs also significantly decreased the relative mRNA abundance of FXR in the ileum (p < 0.05). In the full-length 16S rDNA sequencing analysis, ten biomarkers were found from the gate to the species level. NBAs mainly enriched Lactobacillus_Johnsonii and decreased the abundance of Streptococcus_alactolyticus. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) content in the colon was significantly increased (p < 0.05). These results indicate that NBAs supplementation can improve the growth performance of piglets, promote the development of the bile acid replacement pathway and improve intestinal flora. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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15 pages, 1520 KiB  
Article
Expressions of Insulin-like Growth Factor System among Different Breeds Impact Piglets’ Growth during Weaning
by Mengying Dou, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Yating Cheng, Sujuan Ding, Yang Liu, Bo Song and Xiangfeng Kong
Animals 2023, 13(19), 3011; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193011 - 25 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1255
Abstract
The present study investigated the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors and binding proteins among three pig breeds during weaning. Sixty Duroc (DR), Taoyuan black (TYB), and Xiangcun black (XCB) piglets (20 piglets per breed) were selected at 21 and 24 (3 [...] Read more.
The present study investigated the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors and binding proteins among three pig breeds during weaning. Sixty Duroc (DR), Taoyuan black (TYB), and Xiangcun black (XCB) piglets (20 piglets per breed) were selected at 21 and 24 (3 days of post-weaning) days of age to analyze organ indices, plasma concentrations of IGF and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) using ELISA kits, and gene expression of IGF-system-related components in different tissues. The plasma IGFBP-3 concentration in TYB piglets was higher (p > 0.05) than in the XCB and DR piglets at 21 days of age. At 21 days of age, compared with the DR piglets, the IGF-1 expression was lower (p < 0.05) in the kidney, but it was higher (p < 0.05) in the spleen of XCB and TYB piglets. At 24 days of age, the IGF-1 expression was higher (p < 0.05) in the kidney of TYB piglets than in the XCB and DR piglets, while IGFBP-3 in the stomach and IGFBP-4 in the liver of XCB and TYB piglets were lower (p < 0.05) compared with the DR piglets. Weaning down-regulated (p < 0.05) IGF-1 expression in the jejunum, spleen, and liver of piglets, while it up-regulated (p < 0.05) IGFBP-3 expression in the stomach, IGFBP-4 in the liver, IGFBP-5 in the ileum, and IGFBP-6 in the jejunum of DR piglets. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a negative correlation (p < 0.05) between plasma IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-5 concentration and the organ indices of piglets. Collectively, there were significant differences in the IGF system components among the three pig breeds. The IGF system components were altered during weaning, which might be involved in weaning stress to decrease the growth of piglets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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12 pages, 4560 KiB  
Article
Abnormal Fetal Lung of Hoxa1−/− Piglets Is Rescued by Maternal Feeding with All-Trans Retinoic Acid
by Yixin Chen, Haimei Zhou, Huadong Wu, Wei Lu and Yuyong He
Animals 2023, 13(18), 2850; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13182850 - 7 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1295
Abstract
Neonatal Hoxa1−/− piglets were characterized by dyspnea owing to the Hoxa1 mutation, and maternal administration with ATRA alleviated the dyspnea of neonatal Hoxa1−/− piglets. The purpose of this experiment was to explore how maternal ATRA administration rescued the abnormal fetal lungs [...] Read more.
Neonatal Hoxa1−/− piglets were characterized by dyspnea owing to the Hoxa1 mutation, and maternal administration with ATRA alleviated the dyspnea of neonatal Hoxa1−/− piglets. The purpose of this experiment was to explore how maternal ATRA administration rescued the abnormal fetal lungs of Hoxa1−/− piglets. Samples of the lungs were collected from neonatal Hoxa1−/− and non-Hoxa1−/− piglets delivered by sows in the control group, and from neonatal Hoxa1−/− piglets born by sows administered with ATRA at 4 mg/kg body weight on dpc 12, 13, or 14, respectively. These were used for the analysis of ELISA, histological morphology, immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemistry staining, and quantitative real-time PCR. The results indicate that the Hoxa1 mutation had adverse impacts on the development of the alveoli and pulmonary microvessels of Hoxa1−/− piglets. Maternal administration with ATRA at 4 mg/kg body weight on dpc 14 rescued the abnormal lung development of Hoxa1−/− piglets by increasing the IFN-γ concentration (p < 0.05), airspace area (p < 0.01) and pulmonary microvessel density (p < 0.01); increasing the expression of VEGFD (p < 0.01), PDGFD (p < 0.01), KDR (p < 0.01), ID1 (p < 0.01), and NEDD4 (p < 0.01); and decreasing the septal wall thickness (p < 0.01) and the expression of SFTPC (p < 0.01) and FOXO3 (p < 0.01). Maternal administration with ATRA plays a vital role in rescuing the abnormal development of lung of Hoxa1−/− fetal piglets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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Review

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13 pages, 599 KiB  
Review
The Roles of Polyamines in Intestinal Development and Function in Piglets
by Bihui Tan, Dingfu Xiao, Jing Wang and Bi’e Tan
Animals 2024, 14(8), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14081228 - 19 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1133
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract plays crucial roles in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as in maintenance of a functional barrier. The development and maturation of the intestine is important for piglets to maintain optimal growth and health. Polyamines are necessary for [...] Read more.
The gastrointestinal tract plays crucial roles in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as in maintenance of a functional barrier. The development and maturation of the intestine is important for piglets to maintain optimal growth and health. Polyamines are necessary for the proliferation and growth of enterocytes, which play a key role in differentiation, migration, remodeling and integrity of the intestinal mucosa after injury. This review elaborates the development of the structure and function of the intestine of piglets during embryonic, suckling and weaning periods, the utilization and metabolism of polyamines in the intestine, as well as the role of polyamines in intestinal development and mucosal repair. The nutritional intervention to improve intestinal development and functions by modulating polyamine metabolism in piglets is also put forward. These results may help to promote the adaption to weaning in pigs and provide useful information for the development and health of piglets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Management Methods to Improve Survival, Health and Growth Performance of Weaning Piglets)
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