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Weaning is one of the most stressful events in the swine production process and disturbs the intestinal flora of piglets, often compromising the intestinal structure and mucosal barrier. The appearance of post-weaning diarrhea is therefore common in piglets and results in significant economic loss to swine producers. For this reason, non-antibiotic measures for managing post-weaning diarrhea are critically needed. Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented egg white, was reported to enhance host resistance to infections. In order to improve the growth performance of early-weaned piglets, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain S288c was tamed to grow well in egg white. A yeast probiotic was developed by fermenting egg white (P). Thus, P is a combination of live yeast and active egg white (Duan-Nai-An). The aim of the present study was to study the effects of P supplementation on mucosal integrity and immunity in pig intestine, by examining the microstructure and ultrastructure of the intestines of weaned pigs with or without P as a feed supplement. For that purpose, 108 healthy 20 day-old piglets (Duroc × Yorkshire × Landrace crossbred pigs) were chosen and randomly divided into 3 treatment groups. Group I was given the basal feed supplemented with P; Group II was given the basal feed and the original Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented malt; and Group III was given the basal feed only (with no supplements) and served as a control group.
As a result, the piglets of the P-fed group developed intestines with intact columnar epithelia covered by tightly packed microvilli on the apical surface; whereas control piglets showed villous atrophy and thinning, microvillus slough, and in the severe cases, damage of intestinal epithelia and exposure of the underlying lamina propria. Moreover, piglets of the P-fed group showed apparent plasmocyte hyperplasia, increased lymphoid nodule numbers, well-developed Peyer’s Patches, and apparent germinal centers. The lymphoid tissues of the control group were far less developed, showing lymph node atrophy, lymphocyte reduction, degeneration, and necrosis.
Therefore, these results suggest that The P supplementation improved the development of the intestinal structures and lymphoid tissues and promoted intestinal health in weaned piglets.
Zhaxi, Y., Meng, X., Wang, W., Wang, L., He, Z., Zhang, X., & Pu, W. (2020). Duan-nai-An, A Yeast probiotic, improves intestinal Mucosa integrity and immune function in Weaned piglets. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61279-6