358. Fermented Pomegranate Pomace with Clostridium Butyricum Reduced Diarrhea of Weaned Piglets with F18 Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of fermented pomegranate pomace (FPP) with Clostridium butyricum on growth performance and diarrhea in weaned piglets experimentally infected with F18 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). A total of 50 piglets (6.66 ± 1.01 kg; 21 to 24 d of age) were individually housed and randomly assigned to five dietary treatments (10 replicates/treatment) in a randomized complete block design, with initial body weight and sex as random factors. The dietary treatments include: control, supplemented with 1% pomegranate pomace (PP), 2× 109 CFU/kg Clostridium butyricum (CB), a combination of 1% PP and 2× 109 CFU/kg CB (PPCB), and 1% FPP. The FPP was prepared by fermenting pomegranate pomace with Clostridium butyricum, containing approximately 5.7 ×1010 CFU/kg and a final pH 5.7 to 6.0. The experiment lasted 28 days, including 7 days of adaptation and followed by 21 days post inoculation (PI). All pigs were orally inoculated with F18 ETEC (1010 CFU/3 mL) for three consecutive days from day 0 PI. Body weights were recorded weekly to calculate average daily gain. Fecal scores (1 = normal to 5 = watery) were recorded twice daily, with diarrhea defined as a fecal score ≥ 3. The frequency of diarrhea was calculated throughout the experimental period. Fecal swabs were collected on days -7 and d 0 before ETEC inoculation and on days 2, 7, 10, 14, and 21 PI to detect β- hemolytic coliforms by fecal culture. All data except frequency of diarrhea were analyzed by ANOVA using PROC MIXED of SAS, with individual pig as the experimental unit. Frequency of diarrhea was analyzed using the Chi-square test. Pigs supplemented with PPCB or FPP had 8.6% and 6.4% higher final body weight, and 13.4% and 10.5% higher ADG, respectively, compared with control during the overall experimental period. ETEC inoculation increased the daily diarrhea scores in pigs across all treatments from day 1 to 6 PI. All dietary supplements reduced (P < 0.05) the frequency of diarrhea from day 0 to 20 PI, with FPP supplemented pigs showing the lowest frequency compared with control (21.4% vs. 39.5%). On day 2 PI, pigs in control had the lowest (P < 0.05) percentage of β-hemolytic coliforms in feces among all treatments. However, no differences were observed among treatments for the remaining dates. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with FPP reduced the frequency of diarrhea in weaned piglets challenged with F18 ETEC. Its potential growth promoting effects require further investigation.