Effect of different levels of copper on growth performance and cecal ecosystem of newly weaned piglets

Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of copper sulfate on the growth performance and cecal ecosystem in newly weaned piglets. One hundred piglets weaned at 28±2 d were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 5 replicates of 5 piglets each. Piglets received for 28 d the base diet with i) no addition (control) or with copper addition (from copper sulfate) at ii) 100, iii) 175, and iv) 250 mg/kg -1 . On day 21, twenty piglets were randomly selected (one from each replicate) to slaughter and investigate the population and diversity of cecal microorganisms. The results showed that the diets containing 175 and 250 mg/kg -1 copper improved the average daily gain (ADG) by 51% and 60% and decreased the feed to gain ratio (F/G) by 21% and 16%, respectively. Adding 175 or 250 mg/kg -1 copper improved crude protein, ether extract, calcium and phosphorus digestibility. Viable counts of Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacilli in cecum tended to be reduced, while the concentrations of cecal volatile fatty acids (VFA) were increased in pigs fed diet supplemented as copper level increased. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results showed that adding 175 or 250 mg/kg -1 copper reduced the lactobacilli in cecum. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) maps showed that band numbers and intensity of cecal bacterial 16S rDNA decreased as the copper levels increased. The results suggested that the effects of high dietary copper on microflora and their activities and metabolic products might contribute to the intestinal health and result in improved growth performance.

Extensive Literature Search on the ‘Effects of Copper intake levels in the gut microbiota profile of target animals, in particular piglets’

“…In study P69 (Ma et al, 2007) no effect of addition of 49 mg/kg Cu as CuMM was detected on the population of lactobacilli in content from the SI or colon. In study P72 (Mei et al, 2010) a numeric reduction in the population of lactobacilli was detected by addition of 100, 175 and 250 mg/kg Cu as CuSO 4 to piglet diets when the population density were enumerated using selectively cultivation, however if the population of lactobacilli were quantified by use of qPCR the reduction found for 175 and 250 mg/kg Cu as CuSO 4 were significant different from the results found in the control fed piglets.…”

“…Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been used in one investigation with piglets (P72, Mei et al, 2010) to detect the effect of copper supplementation on bacterial populations (lactobacilli, enterobacteria or total anaerobic bacteria) in gastrointestinal content. It was shown that The present document has been produced and adopted by the bodies identified above as author.…”

“…The microbial community was investigated in four studies with piglets (P41, P72, P80 and P85). In study P80 (Namkung et al, 2006), study P72 (Mei et al, 2010) and study P85 (Pérez et al, 2011) the microbial community was determined by isolating bacterial DNA, amplifying the V3 region of the 16S ribosomal DNA and performing denaturing gradient gel electrophoreses (DGGE). In study P41 (Højberg et al, 2005) the microbial community was determined by use of terminal restriction fragment polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiles of PCR amplified products of the 16S rRNA genes.…”

“…Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition 21, 903-909. P74* (In Chinese)Mei SF, Yu B, Ju CF, Zhu D and Chen DW, 2010. Effect of different levels of copper on growth performance and cecal ecosystem of newly weaned piglets.…”

Effects of graded levels of cupric citrate on growth performance, antioxidant status, serum lipid metabolites and immunity, and tissue residues of trace elements in weaned pigs

“…Comparably, the dose range of CuSO 4 , which significantly improved growth performance in pigs was typically higher at 100 to 250 mg/kg [3,17,18]. Furthermore, another study predicted that peak ADG and ADFI in weaned pigs were obtained with supplemental Cu levels at 150 and 114 mg/kg, respectively, in the form of CuSO 4 [19].…”