Effect of antibiotics and low-crude protein diets on growth performance, health, immune response, and fecal microbiota of growing pigs

• Published in: Journal of animal science 2023-01, Vol.101
• Main Authors: Gomes, Maykelly da S, Duarte, Marcos E, Saraiva, Alysson, de Oliveira, Leandro L, Teixeira, Lucas M, Rocha, Gabriel C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; Animal Feed - analysis; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics; Carbonyl compounds; Carbonyls; Diarrhea; Diarrhea - prevention & control; Diarrhea - veterinary; Diet; Diet - veterinary; Diet, Protein-Restricted - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; Fecal microflora; Feces; Hogs; IgG antibody; Immune response; Immune response (humoral); Immune system; Immunity; Immunoglobulin G; Low protein diet; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Non Ruminant Nutrition; Nutrient deficiency; Oxytetracycline; Proteins; Relative abundance; Residual effects; Swine; Tiamulin; Weight Gain
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.1093/jas/skad357

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of diets with and without antibiotics supplementation and diets with 18.5% and 13.0% crude protein (CP) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, disease incidence, fecal microbiota, immune response, and antioxidant capacity of growing pigs. One hundred and eighty pigs (59-day-old; 18.5 ± 2.5 kg) were distributed in a randomized complete block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, nine replicates, and five pigs per pen. The factors were CP (18.5% or 13.0%) and antibiotics (none or 100 mg/kg tiamulin + 506 mg/kg oxytetracycline). Medicated diets were fed from days 59 to 73. After that, all pigs were fed their respective CP diets from 73 to 87 days. Data were analyzed using the Mixed procedure in SAS version 9.4. From days 59 to 73, pigs fed antibiotics diets had higher (P