Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-k8lnt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-29T16:27:42.966Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Interrelationships between gut morphology and faeces consistency in newly weaned piglets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

M. A. M. Vente-Spreeuwenberg ,
J. M. A. J. Verdonk ,
A. C. Beynen  and
M. W. A. Verstegen
M. A. M. Vente-Spreeuwenberg*
Affiliation:
Swine Research Centre, Nutreco, PO Box 240, 5830 AE Boxmeer, The Netherlands
J. M. A. J. Verdonk
Affiliation:
ID TNO Animal Nutrition, PO Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
A. C. Beynen
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, PO Box 80·152, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands
M. W. A. Verstegen
Affiliation:
Division of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wageningen, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
† E-mail:Mirjam.Vente@nutreco.com
Get access

Abstract

A total of 104 weanling piglets was used to study the interrelationships between faeces consistency and mucosal integrity, as assessed by specific aminopeptidase and isomaltase-sucrase activity, villus height and crypt depth. Piglets were weaned at 26 (s.d. 1·4) days of age, weighing 8·4 (s.d. 0·70) kg. On the day of weaning (day 0), dissection was performed on one group of eight piglets. The remaining piglets were given restricted amounts of diets containing different protein sources. However, during the first 7 days post weaning 72% of the piglets ate on average less than 0·9 of the amount offered and thus actually had ad libitum access to food. On days 3 or 7 post weaning pigs were weighed and euthanased. Diet composition did not effect small intestine integrity and the data were pooled for further analysis. The weight of the stomach, large intestine and pancreas increased with time post weaning (P < 0·001). Small intestine weight decreased from day 0 to 3 and was increased again on day 7, exceeding the pre-weaning value (P < 0·001). Isomaltase-sucrase and aminopeptidase activities were decreased on days 3 and 7 when compared with day 0. Villus height was decreased after weaning, followed by an increase on day 7 post weaning at the proximal small intestine, but by a further decrease at the mid small intestine (P < 0·001). Crypt depth was increased after weaning (P < 0·001). Faeces consistency was scored twice a day on a scale from 0 to 3 with increasing liquid nature. The average percentage of days during which piglets had more-liquid faeces was 26%. During the 1st week post weaning, 73% of the piglets showed a faeces score of 2 during at least 1 day. Villus height was positively correlated with food intake level, brush-border enzyme activity and dry matter content of the chyme. Villus height was negatively correlated with more-liquid faeces. Crypt depth was positively associated with the weight of various parts of the gastro-intestinal tract. It is concluded that this study supports the concept that food intake by weaned piglets determines villus height in the small intestine and brush-border enzyme production which in turn determine the risk of diarrhoea development.

Keywords

diarrhoeapigletssmall intestine morphology

Information

Type
Non-ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 77 , Issue 1 , August 2003 , pp. 85 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Ball, R. O. and Aherne, F. X. 1982. Effect of diet complexity and feed restriction on the incidence and severity of diarrhoea in early-weaned pigs. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 62: 907–913.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruininx, E. M. A. M., Peet Schwering, C. M. C. van der, Schrama, J. W., Vereijken, P. F. G., Vesseur, P. C., Everts, H., Hartog, L. A. den and Beynen, A. C. 2001. Individually measured feed intake characteristics and growth performance of group-housed weanling pigs: effects of sex, initial body weight, and body weight distribution within groups. Journal of Animal Science 79: 301–308.Google Scholar
Cera, K. R., Mahan, D. C., Cross, R. F., Reinhart, G. A. and Whitmoyer, R. E. 1988. Effect of age, weaning and postweaning diet on small intestinal growth and small intestinal morphology in young swine. Journal of Animal Science 66: 574–584.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunsford, B. R., Knabe, D. A. and Haensly, W. E. 1989. Effect of dietary soybeanmeal on the microscopic anatomy of the small intestine in the early weaned pig. Journal of Animal Science 67: 1855–1863.Google Scholar
Efird, R. C., Armstrong, W. D. and Herman, D. L. 1982. The development of digestive capacity in young pigs: effects of age and weaning system. Journal of Animal Science 55: 1380–1387.Google Scholar
Fan, M. Z., Stoll, B., Jiang, R. and Burrin, D. G. 2001. Enterocyte digestive enzyme activity along the crypt-villus and longitudinal axes in the neonatal pig small intestine. Journal of Animal Science 79: 371–381.Google Scholar
Fraser, D., Milligan, B. N., Pajor, E. A., Philips, P. A., Taylor, A. A. and Weary, D. M. 1998. Behavioural perspectives on weaning in domestic pigs. In Progress in pig science (ed. J. Wiseman, M. A. Varley and Chadwick, J. P.), pp. 121–138. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham.Google Scholar
Hall, G. A. and Byrne, T. F. 1989. Effects of age and diet on small intestinal structure and function in gnotobiotic piglets. Research in Veterinary Science 47: 387–392.Google Scholar
Hampson, D. J. 1986a. Attempts to modify changes in the piglet small intestine after weaning. Research in Veterinary Science 40: 313–317.Google Scholar
Hampson, D. J. 1986b. Influence of creep feeding and dietary intake after weaning on malabsorption and occurrence of diarrhoea in newly weaned pig. Research in Veterinary Science 41: 63–69.Google Scholar
Kelly, D., Smyth, J. A. and McCracken, K. J. 1991a. Digestive development of the early weaned pig; effect of continuous nutrient supply on the development of the digestive tract and on changes in digestive enzyme activity during the first week post-weaning. British Journal of Nutrition 65: 169–180.Google Scholar
Kelly, D., Smyth, J. A. and McCracken, K. J. 1991b. Digestive development of the early weaned pig; effect of level of food intake on digestive enzyme activity during the immediate post-weaning period. British Journal of Nutrition 65: 181–188.Google Scholar
Le Dividich, J. and Herpin, P. 1994. Effects of climatic conditions on the performance, metabolism and health status of weaned piglets: a review. Livestock Production Science 38: 79–90.Google Scholar
Leibbrandt, V. D., Ewan, R. C., Speer, V. C. and Zimmerman, D. R. 1975. Effect of weaning and age at weaning on baby pig performance. Journal of Animal Science 40: 1077–1080.Google Scholar
Lopez-Pedrosa, J.M, Torres, M. I., Fernandez, M. I., Rios, A. and Gill, A. 1998. Severe malnutrition alters lipid composition and fatty acid profile of the small intestine in newborn piglets. Journal of Nutrition 128: 224–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marion, J., Biernat, M., Savaray, G., Thomas, F., Zabielski, R., Le Huërou-Luron, I. and Le Dividich, J. 2002. Effect d’un sevrage à l’âge de 7 jours et du niveau alimentaire après le sevrage sur les modifications structurales de l’intestine grêle chez le porcelet. Journées de la Recherche Porcine en France 34: 89–95.Google Scholar
Marouz, S., Louvard, D. and Barratti, J. 1973. The aminopeptidase of high intestinal brush border. Biochemical and Biophysical Acta 321: 282–295.Google Scholar
Messer, M. and Dahlqvist, A. 1966. A one step ultramicromethod for the assay of intestinal disaccharidases. Analytical Biochemistry 14: 376–392.Google Scholar
Miller, B. G., James, P. S., Smith, M. W. and Bourne, F. J. 1986. Effect of weaning on the capacity of pig intestinal villi to digest and absorb nutrients. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 107: 579–589.Google Scholar
Nabuurs, M. 1991. Etiologic and pathogenic studies on postweaning diarrhoea. Ph. D. thesis, University of Utrecht.Google Scholar
Nabuurs, M. J. A., Hoogendoorn, A., Molen, E. J. van der and Osta, A. L. M. van. 1993. Villus height and crypt dept in weaned and unweaned pigs, reared under various circumstances in the Netherlands. Research in Veterinary Science 55: 78–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Research Council. 1998. Nutrient requirements of swine, 10th edition. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Núñez, M. C., Bueno, J. D., Ayudarte, M. V., Almendros, A., Rios, A., Suarez, M. D. and Gil, A. 1996. Dietary restriction induces biochemical and morphometric changes in the small intestine of nursing pigs. Journal of Nutrition 126: 933–944.Google Scholar
Pluske, J. R., Hampson, D. J. and Williams, I. H. 1997. Factors influencing the structure and function of the small intestine in the weaned pig: a review. Livestock Production Science 51: 215–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pluske, J. R., Williams, I. H. and Aherne, F. X. 1996. Villous height and crypt depth in piglets in response to increases in the intake of cows’ milk after weaning. Animal Science 62: 145–158.Google Scholar
Powell, D. W. 1987. Intestinal water and electrolyte transport. In Physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, second edition (ed. Johnson, J. R.), pp. 1267–1305. Raven Press, New York.Google Scholar
Pusztai, A., Koninkx, J., Hendriks, H., Kok, W., Hulshcer, S., Van Damme, E. J. M., Puemans, W. J., Grant, G. and Bardocz, S. 1996. Effect of the insecticidal Galanthus nivalis agglutinin on metabolism and the activities of brush border enzymes in the rat small intestine. Nutritional Biochemistry 7: 677–682.Google Scholar
Smith, P. K., Krohn, R. I., Hermanson, G. T., Mallia, A. K., Gartner, F. H., Provenzano, M. D., Fujimoto, E. K., Goeke, N. M., Olson, B. J. and Klenk, D. C. 1985. Measurements of protein using bicinchoninic acid. Analytical Biochemistry 150: 76–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spreeuwenberg, M. A. M. 2002. Diet composition and gut integrity in weaned piglets. Ph. D. thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Spreeuwenberg, M. A. M., Verdonk, J. M. A. J., Gaskins, H. R. and Verstegen, M. W. A. 2001. Small intestine epithelial barrier function is compromised in pigs with low feed intake at weaning. Journal of Nutrition 131: 1520–1527.Google Scholar
Van Beers-Schreurs, H. M. G., Nabuurs, M. J. A., Vellenga, L., Wensing, Th. and Breukink, H. J. 1998. Role of the large intestine in the pathogenesis of diarrhoea in weaned pigs. Journal of Nutrition 59: 696–703.Google ScholarPubMed
Verdonk, J. M. A. J., Spreeuwenberg, M. A. M., Bakker, G. C. M. and Verstegen, M. W. A. 2001. Effect of protein source and feed intake level on the small intestine in newly weaned piglets. In Digestive physiology of pigs (ed. Lindberg, J. E. and Ogle, B.), pp. 347–349. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar