Influence of ad Libitum Feeding of Piglets With Bacillus Subtilis Fermented Liquid Feed on Gut Flora, Luminal Contents and Health.

ABSTRACT: Some scholars caution that long-term ad libitum feeding with probiotic fermented food poses potential health risks to baby animals. We conducted a feeding experiment to investigate the influence of ad libitum feeding of pre-and post-weaned piglets with a Bacillus subtilis fermented diet on the gut microbiome, gut metabolomic profiles, bile acid metabolism, proinflammatory cytokines and faecal consistency. Compared with piglets fed a Bacillus subtilis-supplemented pellet diet, piglets fed the Bacillus subtilis fermented liquid diet had lower intestinal bacterial diversity (P?>?0.05), higher intestinal fungal diversity (P?>?0.05), more Firmicutes (P?>?0.05), fewer Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria (P?>?0.05), higher concentrations of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (P??0.05) and lithocholic acid (P??0.05). The data show that ad libitum feeding of piglets with a Bacillus subtilis fermented liquid diet during the suckling and early post-weaning periods promotes the growth of lactic acid bacteria, bile salt hydrolase-active bacteria and 7a-dehydroxylase-active bacteria in the intestinal lumen; disturbs the normal production of lactic acid, orotic acid and unconjugated bile acids; and increases circulating interleukin-6 levels and diarrhoea incidence.

SUBMITTER: He Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5349548 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature