Alteration of the ileal microbiota of weanling piglets by the growth-promoting antibiotic chlortetracycline.

ABSTRACT: Antibiotics such as chlortetracycline (CTC) have been used to promote growth of pigs for decades, but concerns over increased antibiotic-resistant infections in humans have prompted the development of alternative strategies. Developing alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) could be informed by information on the mechanisms of growth promotion, notably, how AGPs affect the microbial populations of the gastrointestinal tract. Pigs from three sows were aseptically delivered by cesarean section. Six piglets were distributed to each of two foster mothers until weaning, when piglets were fed a diet with or without 50 mg/kg CTC for 2 weeks. The ileal bacterial microbiota was characterized by using a cultivation-independent approach based on DNA extraction, PCR amplification, cloning,

SUBMITTER: Rettedal E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2737922 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature