277 Effect of yeast probiotics in lactation and nursery diets on progeny lifetime growth performance, immune response, and carcass characteristics

Abstract Mixed parity sows (n = 28; Line 241; DNA) and their offspring were used in a farrow-to-finish study to evaluate the effect of live yeast supplementation during lactation with or without yeast extract supplementation during the nursery period on sow and litter performance and lifetime growth performance, antibody titers, and carcass characteristics. Sows were blocked by parity and body weight (BW) on d 110 of gestation and allotted to 1 of 2 dietary treatments with 14 replications per treatment which consisted of a standard corn-soybean meal lactation diet with or without a yeast-based probiotic (0.10% Actisaf Sc 47 HR+; Phileo by Lesaffre, Milwaukee, WI). Following weaning, pigs (n = 350; 241×600, DNA; initial BW = 6.1 ± 0.02 kg) were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial design within sow treatment to 1 of 2 nursery diets which consisted of a control diet or a diet with pre-probiotic combination (0.10% MS309; Phileo by Lesaffre, Milwaukee, WI) fed for 42 d after weaning followed by common diets until marketing. Two nursery pens were combined in the finisher, such that there were 5 and 10 pigs/pen with 18 and 9 replications/treatment during the nursery and finishing periods, respectively. There were no significant effects of live yeast supplementation on lactation performance (P > 0.079). There was a sow × nursery diet interaction (P = 0.024) during the nursery period where pigs from sows fed Actisaf had increased average daily gain (ADG) when fed control nursery diets compared with pigs from control sows fed control nursery diets (Table). Pigs fed MS309 in the nursery from either sow treatment were intermediate. Pigs from sows fed Actisaf tended to be heavier at marketing (P = 0.067) with heavier hot carcass weight (HCW; P = 0.101), but there were no differences in overall finishing growth performance with the inclusion of yeast in lactation diets or nursery diets (P > 0.10). A subset of pigs were sampled at 7 time points to determine serum porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae antibody sample-to-positive (S/P) ratios and at 5 time points to ascertain percent inhibition of Lawsonia intracellularis. For all 3 immunological criteria, there were no sow diet × nursery diet × day interactions. There was a sow diet × day interaction for PCV2 S/P ratio (P = 0.097) where offspring from Actisaf sows tended to have greater PCV2 S/P ratios at 101 d of age compared with offspring from control sows (P = 0.046). There was a PCV2 S/P ratio nursery diet × day interaction (P = 0.036) where pigs fed MS309 had reduced PCV2 S/P ratios at 66, 78, and 162 d of age (P ≤ 0.022). In conclusion, feeding a pre/probiotic combination in the nursery did not affect performance or immune criteria. Conversely, feeding a live yeast probiotic during lactation resulted in tendencies for increased nursery ADG, final BW, and HCW.