Volume 53 (2003) Issue: 2003 No#4

EFFECT OF HIGHLY FERMENTABLE DIETARY FIBER ON PIG PERFORMANCE IN A LARGE UNIT, INFECTED WITH ENDEMIC SWINE DYSENTERY

Author(s): Bilic B, Bilkei G

Keywords:fattening unit, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, swine dysentery, fiber, fermentable fiber

In a large south Hungarian fattening unit, 5637 pigs were allocated to 10 large barns and treated until slaughter as follows: Group 1 (n =2722): fed with diets containing 9.6 % highly fermentable neutral detergent fiber. Group 2 (n =2915): fed with diets containing 6.1 % poorly fermentable neutral detergent fiber. In each group, the 200 smallest pigs were selected as test subjects (= 7.35% in group 1 and 6.86% in group 2). The animals were subjected to the following diagnostic procedures: fecal shedding of B. hyodysenteriae, antibody response, clinical signs, growth performance gross and microscopic lesions specific for swine dysentery (SD). Seroconversion to and fecal shedding of B. hyodysenteriae were diagnosed in the majority of the pigs at day 30 after transport to the fattening unit. At necropsy, 187 animals in group one and all pigs in group two, revealed SD specific gross pathological lesions in the colon. All animals in both groups showed histological lesions of colon, typical for SD. The clinical impressions and diarrhea scores revealed significant differences (p<0.05) between the animals offered a diet with 9.6 % highly fermentable fiber and those fed on a diet with 6.1 % poorly fermentable fiber. Production parameters showed no significant differences, but mortality differed significantly between the two groups (p<0.05 - Š4.07% in group 1 and 7.07% in group 2¹). Implications: highly fermentable neutral detergent fiber positively influences the clinical expression and productivity in fattening pigs, infected with endemic swine dysentery.