Effect of different levels of mannan‐oligosaccharide supplementation on some immunological variables in weaned piglets

Abstract

The effect of different doses of mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) on specific and non-specific immune responses was studied in piglets, weaned at 28 days. A total of 58 piglets were used in six groups. Five groups were fed 0, 1, 2, 4 g MOS product per kg diet or with growth promoting antibiotics and immunized by inactivated Aujeszky’s disease virus (AyV) vaccine at week 1 and 3 of the experiment (35 and 49 days). A sixth group, receiving the same non-supplemented diets was not immunized. Blood samples for lymphocyte stimulation (LST) and AyV neutralization (VN) tests were taken from all pigs on the first day of the experiment and at weekly intervals for 5 weeks. At week 8, the immunized piglets were infected orally with transmissible gastroenteritis virus. All piglets were weighed and slaughtered at week 10, digesta from small intestine were collected and tested for the presence of secretory (s)IgA. Feeding MOS supplementation resulted in enhanced specific and non-specific immune responses, however, a regressive dose-response of MOS was observed. Both the specific cellular (LST) and humoral responses (VN) were enhanced after 2 weeks of feeding 1 g/kg MOS and significantly differed from the antibiotic positive control. The same tendency was detected in case of the non-specific LSTs, although these started some weeks later showing significant differences by the fifth week. Higher doses of MOS had no further beneficial effect on systemic immunity. In addition, 1 g/kg MOS supplementation group also showed some advantage in local immune responsiveness. Therefore, based on the studied immune variables, 1 g/kg MOS product is suggested in the diet of weaned piglets.

The effects of inulin, dried Jerusalem artichoke tuber and a multispecies probiotic preparation on microbiota ecology and immune status of the large intestine in young pigs

“…Secretory IgA is a predominating immunoglobulin at mucosal sites which prevent pathogens invasion and contributes to acquired and innate immunity, whereas IEL have an important regulatory function in the intestinal immune system associated with immune activation and quiescence (Kunisawa et al 2007). Prebiotic oligosaccharides may directly stimulate immune functions of the gut, which was shown for inulin-type fructans and mannans in humans, pigs and rodents (Davis et al 2004;Nakamura et al 2004;Seifert and Watzl 2007;Ito et al 2008;Nochta et al 2009). Probiotics also have such a potential through the improvement of intestinal barrier, influence on immune cell populations and competitive adherence to mucus layer and epithelial cells (Forchielli and Walker 2005;Bontempo et al 2006;Ohland and MacNaughton 2010).…”

Effects of feed-borne Fusarium mycotoxins with or without yeast cell wall adsorbent on organ weight, serum biochemistry, and immunological parameters of broiler chickens

“…The effects of diets supplemented with yeast cell wall on performance and immune responses have been re-ported in many animals, such as cows (Franklin et al, 2005), pigs (Nochta et al, 2009), andchickens (Zou et al, 2006). A recent report suggested that yeast cell wall mannan-oligosaccharide enhanced weight gain and reduced feed conversion at 21 d and 49 d in broiler chickens (Gómez-Verduzco et al, 2009).…”

Mannan-oligosaccharide and organic acids for weaned piglets

“…Higher N retention was also observed by Mroz et al (2000), working with growing pigs supplemented with a complex of formic, fumaric, and butyric acids. The beneficial effect of organic acids and mannanoligosaccharides may be attributed to changes in the intestinal microflora, with modifications associated with the immune response (DAVIS et al, 2004;NOCHTA et al, 2009) and improvement in the small intestine morphology (SAVAGE et al, 1996). In the current experiment, the additive effect was more pronounced in the starter phase, which is consistent with the higher digestibility values observed at this stage, due to a maturation improvement in the gastrointestinal tract of the piglet.…”