Effect of yeast probiotics in lactation and yeast cell-wall prebiotic and Bacillus subtilis probiotic in nursery on lifetime growth performance, immune response, and carcass characteristics

Abstract Twenty-eight mixed-parity sows (Line 241; DNA) and their offspring were used to evaluate live yeast supplementation during lactation with or without a pre/probiotic combination during the nursery period on lactation performance, lifetime growth performance, and immune response. On day 110 of gestation, sows were allotted to a lactation diet with or without a live yeast probiotic (0.10% Actisaf Sc 47 HR+; Phileo by Lesaffre, Milwaukee, WI). At weaning, their offspring (350 pigs; initially 6.1 ± 0.02 kg) were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of sow treatment and nursery treatment consisting of a control diet or a diet with a yeast cell wall prebiotic and Bacillus subtilis probiotic (0.10% YB; Phileo by Lesaffre, Milwaukee, WI) fed for 42 d followed by common diets fed until marketing. Two nursery pens were combined into 1 finishing pen, such that there were 5 and 10 pigs per pen with 17 or 18 and 8 or 9 replications per treatment during the nursery and finishing periods, respectively. There were no significant effects of yeast supplementation on lactation performance (P ≥ 0.079). There was a sow × nursery diet interaction (P = 0.024) on nursery ADG. Pigs from yeast-fed sows had increased ADG when fed control nursery diets compared to pigs from control sows fed the control nursery diet with pigs fed pre/probiotic nursery diets intermediate, regardless of sow diet. Pigs from yeast-fed sows tended (P = 0.067) to have greater final body weight (BW) (day 165). A subset of pigs was sampled throughout their lifetime to determine serum porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae antibody sample-to-positive (S/P) ratios and percentage inhibition of Lawsonia intracellularis. There was a tendency for a PCV2 S/P ratio sow diet × day interaction (P = 0.097) where progeny from yeast-fed sows had higher PCV2 S/P ratios at 101 d of age compared to control sow progeny (P = 0.046). There was a PCV2 S/P ratio nursery diet × day interaction (P = 0.036) where pigs fed a pre/probiotic combination had reduced S/P ratios at 66, 78, and 162 d of age (P ≤ 0.022); however, at 22 d of age pigs fed a pre/probiotic combination tended to have an increased S/P ratio (P = 0.051). In conclusion, the effects of combining a yeast probiotic in lactation diets and a pre/probiotic in nursery diets were not additive. However, feeding a live yeast probiotic during lactation resulted in tendencies (P ≤ 0.10) for increased progeny final BW and hot carcass weight.