Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?

Intensive farming may involve the use of diets, environments or management practices that impose physiological and psychological stressors on the animals. In particular, early weaning is nowadays a common practice to increase the productive yield of pig farms. Still, it is considered one of the most...

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Main Authors: E. Barba-Vidal, S.M. Martín-Orúe, L. Castillejos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2018-01-01
Series:Animal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731118000873
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author E. Barba-Vidal
S.M. Martín-Orúe
L. Castillejos
author_facet E. Barba-Vidal
S.M. Martín-Orúe
L. Castillejos
author_sort E. Barba-Vidal
collection DOAJ
description Intensive farming may involve the use of diets, environments or management practices that impose physiological and psychological stressors on the animals. In particular, early weaning is nowadays a common practice to increase the productive yield of pig farms. Still, it is considered one of the most critical periods in swine production, where piglet performance can be seriously affected and where they are predisposed to the overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens. Pig producers nowadays face the challenge to overcome this situation in a context of increasing restrictions on the use of antibiotics in animal production. Great efforts are being made to find strategies to help piglets overcome the challenges of early weaning. Among them, a nutritional strategy that has received increasing attention in the last few years is the use of probiotics. It has been extensively documented that probiotics can reduce digestive disorders and improve productive parameters. Still, research in probiotics so far has also been characterized as being inconsistent and with low reproducibility from farm to farm. Scientific literature related to probiotic effects against gastrointestinal pathogens will be critically examined in this review. Moreover, the actual practical approach when using probiotics in these animals, and potential strategies to increase consistency in probiotic effects, will be discussed. Thus, considering the boost in probiotic research observed in recent years, this paper aims to provide a much-needed, in-depth review of the scientific data published to-date. Furthermore, it aims to be useful to swine nutritionists, researchers and the additive industry to critically consider their approach when developing or using probiotic strategies in weaning piglets.
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spelling doaj.art-84c233c236904a38a4f2fbf015aac0932022-12-21T20:04:34ZengElsevierAnimal1751-73112018-01-01121224892498Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?E. Barba-Vidal0S.M. Martín-Orúe1L. Castillejos2Animal Nutrition and Welfare Service, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainAnimal Nutrition and Welfare Service, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainAnimal Nutrition and Welfare Service, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainIntensive farming may involve the use of diets, environments or management practices that impose physiological and psychological stressors on the animals. In particular, early weaning is nowadays a common practice to increase the productive yield of pig farms. Still, it is considered one of the most critical periods in swine production, where piglet performance can be seriously affected and where they are predisposed to the overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens. Pig producers nowadays face the challenge to overcome this situation in a context of increasing restrictions on the use of antibiotics in animal production. Great efforts are being made to find strategies to help piglets overcome the challenges of early weaning. Among them, a nutritional strategy that has received increasing attention in the last few years is the use of probiotics. It has been extensively documented that probiotics can reduce digestive disorders and improve productive parameters. Still, research in probiotics so far has also been characterized as being inconsistent and with low reproducibility from farm to farm. Scientific literature related to probiotic effects against gastrointestinal pathogens will be critically examined in this review. Moreover, the actual practical approach when using probiotics in these animals, and potential strategies to increase consistency in probiotic effects, will be discussed. Thus, considering the boost in probiotic research observed in recent years, this paper aims to provide a much-needed, in-depth review of the scientific data published to-date. Furthermore, it aims to be useful to swine nutritionists, researchers and the additive industry to critically consider their approach when developing or using probiotic strategies in weaning piglets.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731118000873feed additivegut healthantibiotic alternativenutritionswine
spellingShingle E. Barba-Vidal
S.M. Martín-Orúe
L. Castillejos
Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?
Animal
feed additive
gut health
antibiotic alternative
nutrition
swine
title Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?
title_full Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?
title_fullStr Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?
title_full_unstemmed Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?
title_short Review: Are we using probiotics correctly in post-weaning piglets?
title_sort review are we using probiotics correctly in post weaning piglets
topic feed additive
gut health
antibiotic alternative
nutrition
swine
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731118000873
work_keys_str_mv AT ebarbavidal reviewareweusingprobioticscorrectlyinpostweaningpiglets
AT smmartinorue reviewareweusingprobioticscorrectlyinpostweaningpiglets
AT lcastillejos reviewareweusingprobioticscorrectlyinpostweaningpiglets