ORIGINAL PAPER
An interdisciplinary study on the mode of action of
probiotics in pigs
More details
Hide details
1
Speaker of the research group FOR 438 of the German Research Foundation,
Institute of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin,
Brümmerstr. 34, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
Publication date: 2010-05-09
Corresponding author
O. Simon
Speaker of the research group FOR 438 of the German Research Foundation,
Institute of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin,
Brümmerstr. 34, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
J. Anim. Feed Sci. 2010;19(2):230-243
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
An interdisciplinary research group granted by the German Research Foundation (FOR 438)
tested various hypotheses and tired to develop a model for the mode of action of probiotics in pigs.
The study included the fields of animal nutrition/digestion physiology, anatomy and histology of the
intestinal mucosa, transport and secretory properties of the mucosa, microbiology of the intestinal
tract, immune system (classes of intraepithelial lymphocytes, humoral responses), gene expression
of the mucosa and finally the in vitro and in vivo resistance against infection with Salmonella.
Five trials with ten sows per treatment each and their piglets and two probiotic strains were
included in this study. The studied bacterial strains were Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415 and
Bacillus cereus var. toyoi NCIMB 40112.
Concluding from our studies and the published data of others, the effects of probiotics on
performance are rarely significant. However, with one exception the incidence of post-weaning
diarrhoea under the effect of both probiotics was significantly reduced in the trials of the research
group. Furthermore, the identification frequency of various E. coli sero-pathovars relevant in post
weaning diarrhoea was reduced in these animals. On the other hand, no significant modifications
were found for the morphology and histology of the intestinal mucosa and also not on transport
properties of this tissue. A further important finding was that the mode of action for probiotics is
not unique but species or even strain specific. Most probably the studied probiotics act directly and/
or via modifications of the intestinal microbiota on the immune system (intraepithelial lymphocyte
population).
CITATIONS (21):