Oxidative stress in post-weaning piglets

Pernille Aagaard Madsen is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Aarhus University. She is in her final year of her Ph.D. program. Post-weaning diarrhea is a significant issue in the pig industry, caused by various complex factors, including oxidative stress. Pernille Aagaard Madsen's research focuses on the relationship between oxidative stress and post-weaning diarrhea in pigs. She proposes that reducing oxidative stress in post-weaning piglets could lead to a decreased need for antibiotics.

"It's a win-win situation as it also reduces the risk of antimicrobial resistance," says Pernille Aagaard Madsen. Her study explores how pre- and post-weaning piglets respond to supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids as found in hemp oil and fish oil with and without addition of vitamin E.

"Weanling piglets, around 28 days old, are particularly susceptible to stress due to weaning, transport, and the transition from milk to solid pellets," Pernille explains. Various factors contribute to stress in post-weaning piglets, increasing their risk of E. coli infection. Pernille emphasizes that diarrhea in weanlings leads to economic losses due to mortality, morbidity, decreased growth rates, and medication costs.

"Low levels of enzymatic antioxidants and vitamins have been reported in subjects with oxidative stress-related diseases. If we can increase the antioxidant status in the piglets and thereby try to control oxidative stress during weaning, it could have significant benefits," she notes.

The study found that oil supplements supplemented with vitamin E, positively influenced immune responses to E. coli infection at weaning. Hemp oil, in combination with vitamin E, enhanced oxidative status post-weaning more effectively than fish oil. However, Pernille Aagaard Madsen stresses that further research is needed to understand the impact of oxidative stress on immunity in pigs during inflammatory responses, such as E. coli infections.

Pernille finds it interesting for the future perspectives of pig welfare and antimicrobial resistance that vitamin E supplementation combined with hemp appears to positively affect the severity of E. coli infection.