The effect of dietary probiotic supplementation on intestinal microbiota and growth performance in pigs from 5 to 22 weeks of age
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Abstract
This study investigated the effects of probiotic (Probios®) supplementation in swine diets throughout the rearing period on growth performance and gastrointestinal microbial populations. Five treatment groups were established: T1 (diet with 18% protein), T2 (diet with 17% protein), T3 (diet with 17% protein + 200 g/ton of probiotic), T4 (diet with 17% protein + 300 g/ton of probiotic), and T5 (diet with 17% protein + 400 g/ton of probiotic). Data were collected from pigs throughout three growth phases, covering the age range of 5 to 22 weeks. The results showed that probiotic supplementation in groups T4 and T5 (300 and 400 g/ton, respectively) significantly improved growth performance during the grower and finisher phases (P<0.05), as reflected by increased final weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P<0.05). Additionally, these groups showed the lowest feed cost per gain (FCG) during the grower and finisher periods. Analysis of the gastrointestinal microbiota revealed that groups T4 and T5 tended to have the most beneficial effects on intestinal microflora, particularly in reducing the counts of E. coli (3.24 log CFU/g) and Enterobacteriaceae (2.69 log CFU/g) at 20 weeks of age. Moreover, group T4 exhibited the best fecal consistency score at 20 week (2.00 ± 0.00). In conclusion, probiotic supplementation at levels of 300–400 g/ton enhances growth performance and positively influences intestinal microbial balance in pigs. These findings suggest that probiotic supplementation could serve as a viable alternative for improving productivity and reducing antibiotic use in commercial swine production.
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References
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