ORGANIC FATTY ACID DERIVATIVES AS ALTERNATIVES TO IN-FEED ANTIBIOTICS TO IMPROVE WEANLING PIG HEALTH AND GROWTH

The over-arching goal of this project is to help the pork industry deploy feed-based health technologies to best effect in improving weanling pig health with the restriction of using in-feed antibiotics and without increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The overall objective of this project is to fill a knowledge gap concerning the biological efficacy of different types of organic fatty acid derivatives and mechanisms of action with potential to aid in prevention and control of post-weaning diarrhea, serving as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. We will test three specific objectives:(1) To determine the influence of dietary supplementation of organic fatty acid derivatives on diarrhea, performance, systemic immunity and digestibility of energy and nutrients of weanling pigs experimentally infected with a pathogenic E. coli cocktail containing both F4 and F18 E. coli;(2) To explore the effects of dietary organic fatty acid derivatives on gut barrier function and mucosal immunity of weanling pigs infected with F4 and F18 E. coli;(3) To investigate the effects of F4 and F18 E. coli coinfection and dietary organic fatty acid derivatives supplementation on indigenous microbiota change and their metabolites in weanling pigs.(4) To compare the influences of organic fatty acid derivatives vs. pharmacological dose of zinc oxide vs. carbadox on weanling pig intestinal health and performance.Thisproject is a logical extension of our long-standing interest in enhancing intestinal health of weanling pigs in order to reduce post-weaning diarrhea.