Raw potato starch diet supplement in weaned pigs could reduce

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Microbiology
• Immunology

Background:

• Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) causes gastroenteritis in pigs.
• Raw potato starch (RPS) supplementation improves pig gut health by altering microbiota and increasing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of RPS supplementation in mitigating ST infection severity and reducing fecal shedding in pigs.

Main Methods:

• Weaned pigs were fed either a control diet or a diet with 5% RPS for 21 days before ST inoculation.
• Post-infection monitoring included body weight, clinical signs, and fecal ST shedding.
• Gut tissues were analyzed for histopathology and cytokine gene expression; blood was analyzed for gene ontology.
• Gut microbiome and SCFA concentrations were assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography, respectively.

Main Results:

• Pigs fed RPS showed higher average daily weight gain and lower histopathological lesion scores during ST infection.
• RPS supplementation significantly increased the abundance of butyrate- and acetate-producing bacteria.
• Interleukin-18 (IL-18) expression was lower in the jejunum and colon of RPS-fed pigs, while Reg3γ expression differed in the cecum and colon.

Conclusions:

• RPS supplementation promotes a gut microbiota rich in butyrate- and acetate-producing bacteria.
• This dietary strategy can reduce ST infection severity in pigs by enhancing immune status.