Assessing intestinal health status through number of Lactobacillus and Coliforms, E. coli in weaning piglets

Abstract

This research was carried out in two industrial scale pig farms to determine the intestinal health status of the weaning piglets. The stool samples were collected respectively one day pre-weaning (piglets weaned at 26 days old) and 4 times in the post-weaning stage until 44 days old. The number
of Lactobacillus bacteria at 7.80 log CFU/g (farm A) and 7.98 log CFU/g (farm B) tended to decrease at the 1st day post-weaning (pig at 27 days old) at both pig farms. At 6 days post-weaning (pig at 32 days old ), Lactobacillus bacteria remained stable between 8.05 log CFU/g and 8.50 log CFU/g until 
the piglets reached 44 days old. The number of Coliforms isolated from the stool samples showed between 6.01 log (CFU/g) and 6.55 log (CFU/g) throughout the survey period. The number of E. coli (approximately 6 log CFU/g) was below the bacteria number could cause diarrhea in the piglets. In the pre-weaning period, 20% of the fecal samples showed the Lactobacillus:Coliforms ratio ≤ 1.3 in both farms, indicating that the risk of diarrhea was low, however 60% of fecal samples showed this proportion was lower than 1.3 at one day post-weaning. This indicated a significant change in the intestinal microbial flora, associating with the risk of diarrhea in the weaning piglets, and preventive
measures must be undertaken as a priority.