Post-weaning diarrhea in piglets. Reducing its incidence through nutrition

At weaning, feed is modified from liquid form (milk) to solids, accompanied by environmental, morphological and microbial changes within the piglet’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These changes are often associated with a high incidence of diarrhea during the post-weaning period.

Antimicrobial inclusion in feed has been widely implemented as an effective measure for the prevention of post-weaning diarrhea. However, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance sparked global concern regarding the negative effects associated with subtherapeutic antibiotic use. As a result, a ban on the use of antibiotics in feed was introduced in Europe in 2006 while the World Health Organization (WHO) published its Global Action Plan on AMR in 2015.

Therefore, it is essential to look for alternative nutritional strategies that help prevent post-weaning diarrhea. One of these is the reduction of crude protein (CP) in weaned piglets’ diets. Considering that undigested proteins and amino acids found within the small intestine are fermented by intestinal microbiota and this scenario leads to the onset of diarrhea.