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The effect of dietary carbohydrates with different digestibility on the populations of Oesophagostomum dentatum in the intestinal tract of pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2001

S. PETKEVIČIUS
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Ridebanevej 3, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark Lithuanian Veterinary Institute, LT-4230 Kaišiadorys, Lithuania
K. E. BACH KNUDSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Research Centre Foulum, P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
P. NANSEN
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Ridebanevej 3, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
K. D. MURRELL
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Ridebanevej 3, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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Abstract

An experiment was undertaken to study the effect of dietary carbohydrates with different digestibility on the populations of Oesophagostomum dentatum in the intestinal tract of pigs. Sixty-four worm-free pigs from a specific pathogen-free farm were randomly divided into 8 equal groups. The animals in 4 groups were assigned to a diet with partially undegradable carbohydrates (diet 1), while the pigs in the 4 remaining groups were given a diet with fermentable carbohydrates (diet 2). Diet 1 was comprised of barley flour, oat husk meal, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals and diet 2 of barley flour, inulin and sugar beet fibre, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals. The pigs in 6 of the groups (n = 48) were inoculated with 6000 infective larvae of O. dentatum. To determine O. dentatum populations at the early stage of infection, 16 pigs were slaughtered 3 weeks p.i., while the remaining 4 groups continued on the diets for a further 9 weeks after which they were slaughtered. In a diet cross-over experiment 6 weeks after inoculation, 8 pigs changed from diet 1 to diet 2 (diet 1>diet 2), and 8 pigs from diet 2 to diet 1 (diet 2>diet 1). The results showed that partially undegradable carbohydrates provided favourable conditions not only for parasite establishment and sustainability, but also for already established O. dentatum infection while, in contrast, the diet composed of highly degradable carbohydrates decreased worm establishment, size and female fecundity. The implications for pastured pigs or pigs fed different complex carbohydrate diets is discussed.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Table 1. Composition of the plant material and chemical composition of the experimental diets

Figure 1

Table 2. Composition (g/kg dry matter or mmol/kg digesta) of digesta materials from the rectum of pigs fed diet 1 and diet 2

Figure 2

Table 3. Total short chain fatty acids (mmol/kg digesta) and molar proportions (%) of SCFA of pooled digesta materials from the caecum and colon after feeding diet 1 or diet 2 to non-infected and infected pigs for 3 weeks and 12 weeks p.i.

Figure 3

Fig. 1. Geometric mean Oesophagostomum dentatum egg counts of pigs fed permanent diet 1 ([squf ]), permanent diet 2, (○), changed diet 1> diet 2 group ([bull ]) and changed diet 2>diet 1 group (□).

Figure 4

Fig. 2. The mean location of Oesophagostomum dentatum worm burdens in the intestine of pigs slaughtered 3 weeks post-inoculation. Sections of the large intestine: (1) Ce-caecum; (2) Co1-0–20%; (3) Co2-21–40%; (4) Co3-41–60% and (5) Co4,5-61–100%.

Figure 5

Fig. 3. The mean location of Oesophagostomum dentatum worm burdens in the intestine of pigs in the cross-over design slaughtered 12 weeks post-inoculation. Sections of the large intestine: (1) Ce-caecum; (2) Co1-0–20%; (3) Co2-21–40%; (4) Co3-41–60% and (5) Co4,5-61–100%.

Figure 6

Fig. 4. The mean length of Oesophagostomum dentatum female and male worms 3 and 12 weeks post-inoculation in the cross-over design experiment.