Hydrolyzed brewery yeast product like immun omodulator in weaned piglets

Maintaining a good immune status in the gut helps the animal to protect itself against pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites. Low immune status often causes problems in animal production with high demands on production efficiency. The situation is typical in young animals, when passive immunity is lowered and active immunity has not yet fully developed. In commercial farming conditions always with multiple pathogen challenge, good immune status decreases the frequency of diarrhoea and gut infections and increase liveability of animals. Progut® is a hydrolyzed brewery yeast product (a complex carbohydrate product derived from brewery yeast after patented process) which contains both cell wall and extract components of the yeast. It is rich in betaglucans and nucleotides having immunostimulatory effects. Two groups of weaned piglets (N=46), crossbreed (SLxLW) x Pietrain, the same sex proportions, aged 28 days were involved in the trial. Piglets from all groups were fed on fodder mixture for weaned piglets. The experimental group (E) was added 0.2% Progut® in the feed mixture, during the whole experimental period. Body weight was controled every seven days after weaning day. No significant differences were determined in average body mass and feed conversion ratio. While total leukocytes count was significantly higher in the control group (C) 28th day, probably because of infection, share of lymphocytes was significantly higher in E group 14th, 21st, 28th and 35th day of the trial. Share of neutrophile was significantly higher in E group 21st day of the trial.