Effects of a pre- and probiotic mixture and an autogenous vaccine on growth performance in newly weaned piglets experimentally challenged with an enterotoxigenic strain.

Beneficial effects of pro- and prebiotics in weanling piglets are of great interest in livestock production. Similarly, the use of specific vaccines is of interest as alternative to antibiotics to reduce postweaning performance losses. The aim of this study was the assessment of the effect of a dual-strain probiotic ( and ) and a prebiotic (fructo-oligosaccharides) as well as the additional vaccination with an autogenous inactivated vaccine on the performance of newly weaned piglets after experimental infection with an enterotoxigenic Forty piglets at the age of 28 d were randomly allotted to one of five groups: nonchallenged control (NC); challenged positive control (PC); challenged and vaccinated (CV); challenged and diet supplemented with pre- and probiotic mix (CM) and challenged, diet supplemented with pro- and prebiotic mix and vaccinated (CMV).