Premium
Effects of oral administration of heat‐killed E nterococcus faecium strain NHRD IHARA in post‐weaning piglets
Author(s) -
Sukegawa Shin,
Ihara Yasuhiro,
Yuge Kaoruko,
Rao Shengbin,
Oka Kentaro,
Arakawa Fumihiro,
Fujimura Tatsuya,
Murakami Hiroshi,
Kurazono Hisao,
Takahashi Motomichi,
Morimatsu Fumiki
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
animal science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.606
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1740-0929
pISSN - 1344-3941
DOI - 10.1111/asj.12163
Subject(s) - probiotic , weaning , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , bacteria , oral administration , lactic acid , zoology , food science , endocrinology , genetics , anatomy
Probiotic bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria ( LAB ) have recently received attention as candidates for alternative anti‐microbial feed additives. We previously isolated E nterococcus faecium strain NHRD IHARA ( FERM BP ‐11090, NHRD IHARA strain) and reported its probiotic efficacy. However, we have not determined the effect of oral administration of heat‐killed cells of this strain. Here, we performed two experiments to investigate the effect of oral administration of the heat‐killed NHRD IHARA strain on post‐weaning piglets. In Experiment 1, there was a significant improvement in growth performance ( P = 0.04) and increase in serum immunoglobulin A ( IgA ) production ( P = 0.03) in the group fed heat‐killed cells. These results were similar to previous results we obtained with live cells. We also found changes in serum and fecal IgA production that were unrelated to the patterns of microbiotal change. In Experiment 2, we detected a significant improvement in villus growth in the jejunum ( P = 0.0002). In conclusion, oral administration of the heat‐killed NHRD IHARA strain in post‐weaning piglets had the same efficacy as administration of the live strain. The heat‐killed NHRD IHARA strain can be used as feed additives to improve pig growth and health on commercial farms.