Effects of microencapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum and fructooligosaccharide on growth performance, blood immune parameters, and intestinal morphology in weaned piglets

This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of a symbiotic, consisting of microencapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum (MLP) and fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on growth performance, blood immune parameters, and intestinal microbiota in weaned piglets. Ninety weaned piglets were assigned to three dietary groups (CON: basal diet; ANT: basal diet + aureomycin; SYN: basal diet + MLP and FOS) for a four-week trial. Compared to CON, pigs in the SYN group had higher weight gain and feed intake, and lower diarrhea rate (P<.05). Also, pigs in the SYN group had improved plasma IgA and IgG concentrations, and increased (P<.05) numbers of lactic acid bacteria in the colon compared to CON. In conclusion, feeding a synbiotic based on MLP and FOS had beneficial effects on growth performance, plasma immune parameters, and intestinal microbiota, indicating the potential of it to serve as an alternative to feed antibiotics in weaned pig diets.