Evaluation of Oral Administration of <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> CAM6 Strain as an Alternative to Antibiotics in Weaned Pigs
2020
César Betancur | Yordan Martínez | Ruben Merino-Guzman | Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco | Rogel Castillo | Roman Rodríguez | Guillermo Tellez-Isaias
The objective was to evaluate the effect of oral administration of <i>Lactobacillus</i> <i>plantarum</i> CAM6 strain as an alternative to antibiotics in weaned pigs on productive parameters, blood biochemical profile, and IgA serum levels. Thirty-six 21-day-old weaned piglets were randomly assigned to three groups with three replicates of four piglets each. Treatments consisted of a basal diet (BD; T0) without probiotics or antibiotics; BD + antibiotics and the same basal diet used in T0 plus oral administration of 5 mL × 10<sup>9</sup> CFU/mL of <i>L. plantarum</i> CAM-6 (T2). During the study (21 to 49 days of age) T2 obtained a similar live weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio when compared to the T1. Both treatments were better in these variables compared to T0 (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, T2 increased serum IgA levels (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Additionally, hematological parameters and acid-base balance remained similar in all groups. However, significant reductions in the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, platelets, and metabolic hydrogen ions were observed in T1 (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). The results of this study suggest that supplementation with <i>L. plantarum</i> CAM6 can be an alternative to antibiotics. Studies to evaluate its efficacy under commercial conditions and water administration require further evaluation.
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