EVALUATION OF LOW NUTRIENT, HIGH-FIBER DIETS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PORCINE ESCHERICHIA-COLI ENTEROTOXAEMIA

Weaned pigs (n = 401) were inoculated with E. coli O 139 : K 82 (B) and fed one of 13 different diets for 2.5 weeks. With a diet extremely low in nutrients and high in fibre content, the number of pathogenic E. coli shed with the faeces was markedly reduced, and there was no mortality due to enterotoxaemia, as compared to a loss of 26% in the controls. By adding herring meal, but not starch or fat, the protective effect of this diet was neutralized. After replacement of the poor diet by a commercial feed, the number of organisms in the faeces increased, and pigs were affected by fatal enterotoxaemia. The smallest overall loss was observed in treatments with moderately diluted diets. In experiments without inoculation of the pigs (n = 291), the mortality on a diet with only 8.9% crude protein was still 7% as compared to 30% in the controls fed the normal complete feed with 18% crude protein. A diet with 7.6% crude protein led to a loss of 12%, which did not occur until some days after replacement of the poor diet by the normal feed. It is concluded that prevention of E. coli enteretoxaemia by means of special diets cannot be achieved without simultaneous active immunization. © 1979.