The effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the occurrence of enteropathogenic E. coli in weaned piglets

Probiotics, including live yeast and lactic acid bacteria cultures, have been reported to improve performance of weaned piglets (1, 2). Piglets fed by milk replacer supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sc 47 (SC) show an increased postweaning growth and reduced TNF- a expression in the intestinal and liver tissues, suggesting an important immunomodulatory role of the treatment (3).

E. van Heugen et al. evaluated the effects of SC supplementation on faecal microflora and assessed whether live yeast could replace antibiotics and growth-promoting effect of Zn and Cu in nursery pigs. They found variable responses, and determined the conditions under which a measurable response can be expected (4). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of SC dietary supplementation on the presence of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strains and Clostridium perfringens in faeces, general signs of diarrhea and performance of postweaning piglets.

Jan Bernardy¹ Dana Kumprechtova¹ Pavel Alexa² Eric Auclair³

1. University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic;

2. Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic; 3. Lesaff re Feed Additive, Marq en Baroeul, France

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