Growth Performance, Metabolomics, and Microbiome Responses of Weaned Pigs Fed Diets Containing Growth-Promoting Antibiotics and Various Feed Additives

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the potential biological mechanisms of improved growth performance associated with potential changes in the metabolic profiles and intestinal microbiome composition of weaned pigs fed various feed additives. Three separate 42 day experiments were conducted to evaluate the following dietary treatments: chlortetracycline and sulfamethazine (PC), herbal blends, turmeric, garlic, bitter orange extract, sweet orange extract, volatile and semi-volatile milk-derived substances, yeast nucleotide, and cell wall products, compared with feeding a non-supplemented diet (NC). In all three experiments, only pigs fed PC had improved (p p < 0.05) the relative abundance of potentially protective bacterial genera that may be beneficial during disease challenge in weaned pigs.

Keywords

• antibiotic growth promoters
• feed additives
• growth performance
• metabolomics
• microbiome
• weaned pigs