To assess this study, weaned piglets (at 28 days) received three dietary treatments until 39 days of age: (1) 12,5 mg alpha tocopheryl acetate/kg feed (2) 6,75 mg/l d-alpha tocopherol in drinking water (ratio 1:2) (3) 4,5 mg/l d-alpha tocopherol in drinking water (ratio 1:3). Alpha- Tocoferol accumulation was not significantly affected in any of the tissues analysed which would indicate a more efficient absorption of natural vitamin E in drinking water than the synthetic source in feed. Moreover, the lowest supplementation in drinking water (group 1:3) led to similar concentrations of vitamin E in tissues than the group supplemented with higher concentration (group 1:2). Consequently, when weaned piglets are fed under the minimum established requirements the minimum natural vitamin E supplementation to produce an equivalent tissues vitamin E concentration would be establish at 1:3 (water:feed).

Um experimento foi realizado com o objetivo de verificar os efeitos da indução do consumo de água com edulcorante, na fase de berçário (10 aos 30 dias de idade), sobre o desempenho de 270 leitões (machos e fêmeas) submetidos ao desmame precoce segregado e os efeitos residuais nas fases de pré-creche (30 aos 45 dias) e de creche (45 aos 62 dias de idade). Três tratamentos com dois sexos e três repetições (fatorial 3 x 2) foram utilizados dos 10 aos 30 dias de idade dos leitões, sendo: T1- água sem edulcorante, T2 - água com edulcorante e T3 - água com e sem edulcorante oferecidos simultaneamente em bebedouros distintos. Foram avaliados o ganho diário de peso, o consumo diário de ração e a conversão alimentar. O consumo diário de água somente foi medido na fase de berçário. A incidência de diarréia foi observada até o 10º dia após o desmame. Aos 22 dias de idade, seis leitões por tratamento foram sacrificados para avaliação da altura das vilosidades e profundidade das criptas da mucosa do duodeno e jejuno. Não foram observadas diferenças para as variáveis estudadas, exceto para o ganho diário de peso e consumo diário de ração nas fases compreendidas entre 30 e 45 dias e 45 e 62 dias e para o ganho diário de peso entre 10 e 62 dias, a favor das fêmeas. O uso de edulcorante na água não influenciou o consumo de água, o desempenho dos leitões e a qualidade da mucosa intestinal. | An experiment was conducted with the objective to evaluate the effects of the induction of the drinking water with sweetener consumption in the nursery phase (10th to 30th day of age), on the performance of 270 piglets (male and females) submitted to segregated early weaned and its residual effects on their pre nursery (30th to 45th day) and nursery phases (45th to 62nd day) were evaluated. A completely randomized design in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement with three treatments with two sexes and three replications were used from 10 to 30 days of age of the piglets. The treatment were: T1- drinking water without sweetener; T2 - drinking water with sweetener and T3 - drinking water with and without sweetener simultaneously offered. Average daily gain, daily feed intake and feed: gain was recorded at 30th, 45th and 62nd days. Daily drinking water consumption was recorded only from the 10th to 30th day. Six piglets per treatment were slaughtered at the 22nd day and a medium part of the duodenum and jejunum samples were collected to measure villi height and crypt depth. Diarrhea incidence was observed up to 10 days after weaning. It was not observed differences for the studied variables, except for average daily gain and daily feed intake from 30th to 45th and 45th to 62nd days phases and for average daily gain from 10th to 62nd days that favored the female piglets. The use of drinking water with sweetener did not affect the water consumption, the piglet performance and the mucosa intestinal quality.

A new group of RNA virus was described in 1988 by Pereira. This group of viruses has only two segments of RNA; it was called Picobinavirus (PBV). Since then, it has been reported in animals and humans in several countries, but not in Mexico. In this paper the finding of these viruses in Merida, Mexico is reported. Faecal specimens were obtained from two hundred and eighty nine pigs with diarrhoea during their first month of life. Stools were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel elelctrophoresis (PAGE). Seventy four pigs showed electrophoretic pattern for rotavirus, whereas only three showed a typical electrophoretic pattern for PBV. Characterization of the strains showed segment sizes which ranged from 2600-1600 bp. The nucleic acid was shown double-stranded RNA by nuclease digestion. This pattern resembles PBV. These findings suggest that PBV could be a new group of virus associated with gastroenteritis in pigs | En 1988, en Brasil, Pereira describio un nuevo grupo de virus con genoma bisegmentado de acido ribonucleico (ARN), al que nombro picobirnavirus (PBV), desde entonces este se ha localizado en animales y en humanos de todo el mundo. En Mexico no existe ningun dato sobre este virus, por lo que al encontrar patrones electroforeticos semejantes a los mencionados en tres muestras de heces de lechones con diarrea infecciosa aguda (DIA), se decidio identificar este hallazgo de dos segmentos de ARN encontrado por medio de la tecnica de electroforesis en geles de poliacrilamida (PAGE) con tincion de nitrato de plata. De las muestras analizadas, 74 presentaron un patron electroforetico de 11 segmentos de ARN caracteristico de los rotavirus (RV) y en 3 muestras se observaron unicamente 2 bandas con distribucion diferente a los RV. A estas 3 muestras se les realizo digestion enzimatica con DNAsa I y RNAsa A, encontrandose que corresponden a segmentos de ARN de doble cadena de aproximadamente 2600-1600 pares de bases, semejante a lo que se ha informado para los "picobirnavirus"; por lo que estos hallazgos sugieren la existencia de un virus con dos segmentos de doble cadena de ARN, que son particulas representativas de un nuevo virus intestinal, asociado con gastroenteritis en lechones, aunque no se conoce el papel que desempena en ellas