| Summary: | This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration with <i>L. plantarum</i> CAM6 on the hematological profile, relative weight of digestive organs, and cecal traits in growing pigs. A total of 36 castrated male pigs [(Landrace × Pietrain) × Duroc] aged 49 to 139 days old were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups with 12 animals per treatment. The treatments included a control diet without additives (CTRL), a positive control with subtherapeutic antibiotics (TRT1), and CTRL supplemented with 5 mL <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> CAM6 preparation providing 10<sup>9</sup> CFU/pig/day (TRT2). The TRT2 group showed a higher (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) small intestine length and the cecum relative weight compared to the CTRL group. Moreover, <i>L. plantarum</i> CAM6 supplementation promoted (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) increased thickness of the muscular and mucosal layers, as well as enhanced depth and width of the cecal crypts. The TRT2 group also showed well-defined crypts without lesions, while the CTRL and TRT1 groups exhibited congestion, lymphocytic infiltration in the crypt, and intestinal-associated lymphoid tissue atrophy, respectively. Additionally, TRT2 stimulated (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) the growth of the autochthonous cecal microbiota compared to other experimental groups. Overall, the results indicate that oral administration of <i>L. plantarum</i> CAM6 improved intestinal health and enhanced the growth of autochthonous cecal lactic acid bacteria and had no impact on the complete blood count in growing pigs.
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