Nutritional Interventions for Gut Development and Health in Nursing and Weaned Pigs
A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 3083
Special Issue Editor
Interests: neuroscience; gastrointestinal physiology; fatty liver disease; animal behavior (pigs); cell biology assays; vaccine development
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The structural and functional gastrointestinal system of newborn pigs is poorly developed at birth and undergoes rapid specialization in the first few weeks of the animal’s life. In addition, the mucosal immunity of newborn pigs does not reach maturity until 6 weeks of age, making them more susceptible to severe enteric infections and subsequent antibiotic overuse. Weaning and transition from milk to solid feed are considered the major adaptive stressors for nursing piglets, which may cause gut dysbiosis and disturbances in the intestinal mucosa integrity and immunity, negatively impacting feed efficiency and growth. Currently, nutritional interventions, including prebiotics and probiotics, and feed additives such as essential oils, organic acids, protein supplements, oligosaccharides, short-chain fatty acids and microbials are being evaluated for restoring intestinal balance, enhancing nutrient digestion, and aiding in better management of the nursing and weaning periods. The emerging importance of the microbiota–immune crosstalk in regulating homeostasis of intestinal flora brings to our attention how nutritional intervention may modulate and contribute to pig gut development and health.
This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in all innovative nutritional strategies in pigs aimed at improved intestinal health, balanced gut microbiota, and integrated gut barrier function. We also welcome studies utilizing in vitro models of the piglet GI tract to explore mechanisms of pig intestinal health.
Dr. Magdalena A. Maj
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- swine
- microbiome
- gut dysbiosis
- protein
- diet
- development
- immune cells
- immune–microbiota crosstalk
- taxa
- host immunity
- immunomodulation
- probiotics
- gut health
- disease
- feed efficiency
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.