Amino Acids Can Enhance Pig Robustness
Highlights
- Average daily gain and feed efficiency in diseased pigs may be improved by a combination of functional amino acids supplemented above requirements for growth
- Functional amino acids improved the immune response associated with Salmonella infection
- Bacterial shedding and intestinal colonization can be reduced by functional amino acid supplementation
- Dietary protein level had limited effect on pig response
Research conducted at the Prairie Swine Centre and the University of Saskatchewan investigated the interaction between functional amino acid (AA) supplementation and dietary protein during disease challenge in growing pigs. To achieve this, growing pigs were either inoculated with an enteric pathogen (Salmonella typhimurium, ST) or received saline (Control, CT) and had ad libitum access to diets differing in crude protein content (low (16%, LP) vs high (20%, HP) containing either basal supplementation of amino acids at requirements according to NRC (2012) (AA-) or supplemented with a functional amino acid profile in which threonine, methionine, and tryptophan were provided at 20% above requirements (AA+). Diets contained no animal products or antibiotics.
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