This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of selenium-enriched probiotics (SeP) on production performance and intestinal microbiota of piglets raised under high ambient temperature. Forty-eight cross-bred weanling piglets (28 days old), randomly allotted into 12 pens (four piglets/pen) and four dietary treatments (three pens/treatment group), were fed ad libitum for 42 days a basal diet (Con) or the basal diet supplemented with probiotics (Pro), sodium selenite (ISe) or a SeP preparation. Blood and faecal samples were collected on days 0, 14, 28 and 42 post-treatment. The SeP group had higher final BW (p < 0.05), greater ADG (p < 0.05) and lower FCR (p < 0.01) than the Pro, ISe or Con group. The diarrhoea incidence rate of either SeP or Pro group was lower (p < 0.01) than the ISe or Con group. Blood Se concentration and GSH-Px activity were both higher (p < 0.01) in the SeP than in the Pro, ISe or Con group. On days 28 and 42, the serum concentrations of T3 were higher (p < 0.01) and T4 lower (p < 0.01) in the SeP than in the ISe group, and the T3 and T4 concentrations in the ISe group, in turn, were higher (p < 0.05) and lower (p < 0.01), respectively, than in the Pro or Con group. Also on days 28 and 42, the faecal counts of lactobacillus bacteria were higher (p < 0.01) while Escherichia coli lower (p < 0.01) in the SeP or Pro group as compared to the ISe or Con group. The results of RFLP showed that the faecal microbial flora in the SeP group changed the most (numerically) as compared to the Pro or ISe group. These results suggest that the SeP product may serve as a better alternative to antibiotics than the solo probiotics for using as a growth promoter for weanling piglets.

Lysine is the first-limiting amino acid (AA) in typical swine diets and plays very important roles in promoting growth performance of pigs. This research was conducted to study the effects of dietary lysine on blood plasma concentrations of protein, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolites of pigs. Eighteen crossbred finishing pigs (nine barrows and nine gilts; initial BW 92.3 ± 6.9 kg) were individually penned in an environment controlled barn. Pigs were assigned to three dietary treatments according to a randomized complete block design with gender as block and pig as experimental unit (6 pigs/treatment). Three corn and soybean meal-based diets were formulated to contain total lysine at 0.43%, 0.71%, and 0.98% (as-fed basis) for Diets I (lysine deficient), II (lysine adequate), and III (lysine excess) respectively. After 4 weeks on trial, jugular vein blood was collected and plasma was separated. The plasma concentrations of total protein, albumin, urea nitrogen (UN), triglyceride, total cholesterol, and glucose were determined using an ACE Clinical Chemistry System (Alfa Wassermann, Inc., West Caldwell, NJ, USA). Data were analysed using the GLM Procedure with PDIFF (adjust = T) option of SAS. No differences (p > 0.10) were found between barrows and gilts for any of the metabolites measured. While there were no differences (p > 0.10) between pigs fed Diets II and III in plasma concentrations of UN, albumin, and total cholesterol, the concentration of albumin in these pigs was higher (p < .05) than that of pigs fed Diet I, and the concentrations of UN and total cholesterol in these pigs were lower (p < .05) than that of pigs fed Diet I. There were no differences (p > 0.10) among the three dietary treatments in plasma concentrations of total protein, triglycerides, and glucose. These findings indicated that the plasma metabolite profile can be affected by changing dietary lysine content only. Thorough understanding how the plasma metabolite profile is alternated by dietary lysine will facilitate nutrient management for more sustainable swine production.

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