Table 3.
Clinical outcomes and organ dimensionsa.
| C5 | F5 | P1 | CC | CF | FC | FF | P2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 10–11 | 10–11 | 11–12 | 13–14 | 11–13 | 13 | |||
| Birth weight (g) | 1,104 ± 65 | 1,086 ± 91 | 0.684 | 1,135 ± 51 | 1,032 ± 80 | 976 ± 88 | 986 ± 84 | 0.643 | |
| Kill weight (g) | 1,190 ± 72 | 1,119 ± 94 | <0.05 | 1,437 ± 59 | 1,251 ± 103 | 1,120 ± 107 | 1,206 ± 108 | 0.757 | |
| Weight gain (g/day) | 21 ± 3 | 8 ± 3 | <0.05 | 33 ± 4 | 28 ± 4 | 25 ± 4 | 27 ± 4 | 0.789 | |
| Life time (h) | 96 ± 0.2 | 90 ± 3.0 | 0.355 | 193 ± 0.5 | 188 ± 4.5 | 189 ± 2.4 | 190 ± 2.1 | 0.524 | |
| Diarrhea incidence on day 4, n (%)b | 6 (16) | 18 (49) | <0.001 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Diarrhea incidence on day 8, n (%) | – | – | – | 3 (25)** | 6 (43)* | 9 (69) | 11 (85) | <0.001 | |
| NEC incidence, n (%) | 5 (45) | 8 (73) | 0.097 | 8 (67) | 10 (71) | 8 (62) | 10 (77) | 0.798 | |
| Severe NEC incidence, n (%) | 3 (27) | 7 (64) | <0.05 | 2 (17) | 3 (21) | 2 (15) | 2 (15) | 0.988 | |
| SI lesion score | 2.00 ± 0.43 | 2.36 ± 0.51 | 0.216 | 1.83 ± 0.34 | 2.07 ± 0.27 | 1.31 ± 0.17 | 1.38 ± 0.24 | 0.165 | |
| Colon lesion score | 1.64 ± 0.34 | 3.00 ± 0.49 | <0.01 | 2.50 ± 0.36 | 2.50 ± 0.27 | 2.62 ± 0.33 | 2.85 ± 0.22 | 0.780 | |
| Bacteria in bone marrow/CSF, n (%) | 6 (55) | 7 (78) | 0.290 | 5 (42) | 7 (54) | 9 (69) | 10 (83) | 0.288 | |
| Bacterial load in bone marrow, cfu/g, median (IQR) × 104 | 0.3 (0–0.5) | 1.3 (0–1.9) | 0.239 | 0 (0–4.7) | 1.0 (0–2.6) | 0.3 (0–11) | 0.6 (0.2–4.4) | 0.695 | |
| Organ dimensions, relative to kill weight | |||||||||
| Stomach (g/kg) | 5.8 ± 0.4 | 6.6 ± 0.5 | <0.05 | 7.6 ± 1.0 | 6.0 ± 0.3 | 8.7 ± 1.5 | 6.5 ± 0.3 | 0.225 | |
| Stomach content (g/kg) | 12.5 ± 1.7 | 11.1 ± 2.1 | 0.986 | 14.1 ± 2.4 | 15.2 ± 1.2 | 9.8 ± 2.4c | 16.0 ± 2.2 | 0.084 | |
| Small intestine (g/kg) | 29.2 ± 1.1 | 27.7 ± 1.0 | 0.466 | 34.7 ± 1.6 | 34.7 ± 1.5 | 31.3 ± 1.0 | 32.2 ± 1.2 | 0.167 | |
| Small intestinal length (cm/kg) | 276 ± 11 | 286 ± 13 | 0.404 | 267 ± 12 | 298 ± 17 | 300 ± 20 | 318 ± 21 | 0.360 | |
| Colon (g/kg) | 12.8 ± 0.8 | 13.3 ± 1.1 | 0.221 | 16.1 ± 1.1* | 21.6 ± 1.6 | 16.5 ± 1.1d | 20.4 ± 1.5 | <0.01 | |
| Liver (g/kg) | 22.5 ± 0.8 | 26.1 ± 1.4 | <0.05 | 25.2 ± 1.2 | 25.8 ± 0.8 | 26.4 ± 1.8 | 27.6 ± 2.0 | 0.948 | |
| Spleen (g/kg) | 1.85 ± 0.13 | 2.67 ± 0.36 | <0.001 | 2.96 ± 0.22 | 2.68 ± 0.18 | 2.56 ± 0.17 | 2.71 ± 0.16 | 0.342 | |
| Heart (g/kg) | 7.3 ± 0.2 | 7.3 ± 0.2 | 0.412 | 6.9 ± 0.3 | 7.0 ± 0.2 | 7.3 ± 0.2 | 6.8 ± 0.2 | 0.251 | |
| Lungs (g/kg) | 23.6 ± 1.7 | 25.5 ± 2.2 | 0.286 | 26.5 ± 1.9 | 26.1 ± 0.9 | 24.5 ± 1.0 | 24.2 ± 1.2 | 0.627 | |
| Kidneys (g/kg) | 9.1 ± 0.9 | 9.6 ± 0.6 | 0.961 | 8.8 ± 0.4 | 8.7 ± 0.3 | 9.2 ± 0.6 | 9.5 ± 0.5 | 0.499 | |
| Adrenal glands (g/kg) | 0.19 ± 0.01 | 0.19 ± 0.01 | 0.561 | 0.17 ± 0.02 | 0.18 ± 0.01 | 0.16 ± 0.02 | 0.18 ± 0.02 | 0.705 | |
Values are means ± SEMs unless otherwise noted; P1 indicates the P value comparing the two 5-day groups, i.e., C5 and F5; P2 indicates the P-value comparing the four 9-day groups, i.e., CC, CF, FC, and FF; The post-hoc comparison between the respective three groups and the control group (FF) was performed by Dunnett's test, and significance was indicated by superscript asterisks:
P < 0.05,
P < 0.01.
Values are diarrhea incidence on day 4 in all pigs fed colostrum or formula. N = 37 in each group.
FC vs. FF, P = 0.067.
FC vs. FF, P = 0.078.
C5, colostrum feeding until day 5; CC, colostrum feeding until day 9; CF, 4 days colostrum feeding followed by formula feeding until day 9; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; F5, formula feeding until day 5; FC, 4 days formula feeding followed by colostrum feeding until day 9; FF, formula feeding until day 9; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis.