Investigation of the impact of increased dietary insoluble fiber through the feeding of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on the incidence and severity of Brachyspira-associated colitis in pigs

PLoS One. 2014 Dec 8;9(12):e114741. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114741. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Diet has been implicated as a major factor impacting clinical disease expression of swine dysentery and Brachyspira hyodysenteriae colonization. However, the impact of diet on novel pathogenic strongly beta-hemolytic Brachyspira spp. including "B. hampsonii" has yet to be investigated. In recent years, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a source of insoluble dietary fiber, has been increasingly included in diets of swine. A randomized complete block experiment was used to examine the effect of increased dietary fiber through the feeding of DDGS on the incidence of Brachyspira-associated colitis in pigs. One hundred 4-week-old pigs were divided into five groups based upon inocula (negative control, Brachyspira intermedia, Brachyspira pilosicoli, B. hyodysenteriae or "B. hampsonii") and fed one of two diets containing no (diet 1) or 30% (diet 2) DDGS. The average days to first positive culture and days post inoculation to the onset of clinical dysentery in the B. hyodysenteriae groups was significantly shorter for diet 2 when compared to diet 1 (P = 0.04 and P = 0.0009, respectively). A similar difference in the average days to first positive culture and days post inoculation to the onset of clinical dysentery was found when comparing the "B. hampsonii" groups. In this study, pigs receiving 30% DDGS shed on average one day prior to and developed swine dysentery nearly twice as fast as pigs receiving 0% DDGS. Accordingly, these data suggest a reduction in insoluble fiber through reducing or eliminating DDGS in swine rations should be considered an integral part of any effective disease elimination strategy for swine dysentery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animal Feed / adverse effects
  • Animals
  • Brachyspira / pathogenicity*
  • Colitis / epidemiology*
  • Colitis / etiology
  • Colitis / pathology
  • Dietary Fiber / adverse effects*
  • Dysentery / epidemiology*
  • Dysentery / etiology
  • Dysentery / pathology
  • Edible Grain / adverse effects*
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / complications*
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Swine
  • Swine Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Swine Diseases / etiology
  • Swine Diseases / pathology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Innovative Swine Industry Enhancement Grant Program administered by the Iowa Attorney General's Office. The funding source had no involvement in data collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing the report, and decision to submit the article for publication.