Dietary Amino Acid Deficiency Reduces the Utilization of Amino Acids for Growth in Growing Pigs after a Period of Poor Health.

Background: During immune system activation, partitioning of amino acids (AAs) changes between protein gain and use by the immune system.

Objective: We determined the effects of health status and dietary AA deficiency on nitrogen retention and AA utilization in pigs.

Methods: Barrows (55 d of age) were obtained from good health (GH, n = 14) or poor health (PH, n = 14) status farms and allocated to a diet either adequate in essential amino acids (Adq) or 25% deficient in Met + Cys, Thr, and Trp (Def).

[Multiresistant Brachyspira hyodysenteriae in a Dutch sow herd].

This case study describes the isolation ofa multiresistant strain ofBrachyspira hyodysenteriae in April 2007 in a Dutch sow herd with recurrent diarrhoea. Examination of faecal samples taken from 7-month-old breeding gilts with diarrhoea revealed the presence of resistance against tiamulin, lincomycin, tylosin, doxycycline, and tylvalosin (the active substance in Aivlosin) in four of five samples. Tiamulin resistance has not been reported in The Netherlands before.

Addition of chromic oxide to creep feed as a fecal marker for selection of creep feed-eating suckling pigs.

Objective: To determine whether the addition of chromic oxide (Cr(2)O(3)) to creep feed could be used as a visual marker in feces for selection of creep feed-eating suckling pigs.

Animals: 20 suckling pigs.

Procedures: Via syringe, 5 pigs (2 to 3 days old on day 0; 1 pig/treatment) from each of 4 litters received oral administrations of 10, 20, 30, or 40 g of creep feed containing 10 g of Cr(2)O(3)*kg(1) on each of 2 consecutive days (days 20 and 21) or 30 g of creep feed containing 10 g of Cr(2)O(3)*kg(1) on day 20 and 30 g of Cr(2)O(3)-free creep feed on day 21.

Effects of intermittent suckling and creep feed intake on pig performance from birth to slaughter.

An experiment was conducted to determine if the improved creep feed intake observed during intermittent suckling (IS) is important for postweaning performance. Therefore, creep feed intake of litters was assessed, and within litters, eaters and noneaters were distinguished using chromic oxide as an indigestible marker. Batches of sows were suckled intermittently (IS, 7 batches; n = 31) or continuously (control, 7 batches; n = 31).

Postweaning growth check in pigs is markedly reduced by intermittent suckling and extended lactation.

The objective of this study was to determine whether intermittent suckling (IS) combined with an extended lactation can reduce postweaning growth check in pigs. Three weaning regimens [conventional weaning (CW), IS with 6-h separation intervals (IS6), and IS with 12-h separation intervals (IS12)] were compared. In CW (n = 17 litters), litters had continuous access to the sow until weaning (d 21, d 0 = farrowing).