Abstract:

Effects of a live yeast dietary supplement on fecal coliform counts and on peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte subpopulations in nursery pigs

Humberto Gustavo Monroy-Salazar, MSc; Luis Pérez-Sotelo, PhD; Yolanda González-Hernández, MSc; Gilberto Vaughan, PhD; Salvador Lagunas-Bernabé, MVZ; Jose Cuarón-Ibargüengoytia, PhD; Juan Antonio Montaño-Hirose, PhD; María Uxúa Alonso-Fresán, PhD; Pedro Pradal-Roa, PhD; Juan Carlos Vázquez-Chagoyán, PhD

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Objective: To assess the effects of a dietary supplement, active dry yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain NCYC Sc47; Sc47), on CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte subpopulations and total fecal coliform counts in nursery pigs.

Materials and methods: Forty-eight nursery pigs were used in this experiment. At 35 days of age, pigs were randomly assigned to two treatments (control and yeast-supplemented groups) with 24 pigs per treatment. Blood and fecal samples were collected on study days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42. Proportions of subpopulation of T lymphocytes (CD4+, CD4+CD8+, and CD8+) were analyzed by flow cytometry, and fecal coliform counts were performed according to standard techniques.

Results: When active dry yeast was supplied as a probiotic at 0.3% in the diet of nursery pigs, total fecal coliform counts were lower and proportions of peripheral CD4+, CD4+CD8+, and CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets were higher (P < .05), when compared to those of the control group.

Implications: This study shows two pathways through which Sc47 may have a positive influence on pig health. Under the conditions of this study, numbers of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes increase when Sc47 is included in the feed of nursery pigs, which may have a positive impact on animal health. Additionally, reduction of intestinal coliform numbers in nursery pigs receiving active dry yeast contributes to improving intestinal health and therefore to explaining why yeast as a feed additive may contribute to reducing the use of antibiotics as growth promoters or therapeutic agents.

Keywords: coliforms, probiotic, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sc47, lymphocytes


RIS citationCite as: Monroy-Salazar HG, Pérez-Sotelo L, González-Hernández Y, et al. Effects of a live yeast dietary supplement on fecal coliform counts and on peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte subpopulations in nursery pigs. J Swine Health Prod 2012;20(6):276-282.

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