Effect of different butyrate supplementations on growth and health of weaning pigs challenged or not with E. coli K88

In a full factorial design (4 diets X challenge, Yes/No), 72 weaning pigs were assigned to one of the diets: Control; experimental diets, obtained with the addition of 2 g/kg free sodium butyrate (fNaB), or 0.6 g/kg fat-protected sodium butyrate (pNaB), or 2 g/kg INVE-NutriAd commercial mixture (Mix, based on 75 g/kg protected butyrate). Oral challenge with Escherichia coli K88 was done on 2/3 of pigs on d 7. Pigs were slaughtered on d 13. The mortality in challenged pigs, tended to be higher in control group (50.0 %) than in the three supplemented groups (23.5%). Growth tended to be increased averagely by the supplements (P = 0.100) after the challenge, that also significantly reduced growth. In general the diet did not affect the fecal shedding of Escherichia coli and Lactobacilli, the K88-specific IgA activity in blood, the morphology of oxyntic mucosa and the expression of H+/K+-ATPase gene. The supplementations tended to increase villous length of jejunum (P = 0.101). On the whole, growth, villous height and surviving rate can be positively affected either when the supplementation is done by free butyrate, by protected butyrate or by the special Inve Nutri-Ad product and these effects are distributed both on pigs infected or not with Escherichia coli K88.