The effect of increasing levels of insoluble dietary fibre on the establishment and persistence of Oesophagostomum dentatum in pigs

This investigation compared the effect of diets with increasing content of insoluble dietary fibre (DF) on the establishment and persistence of Oesoph agostomum dentatum in growing pigs. Twenty-eight worm-free pigs, From a spe cific pathogen-free farm were randomly divided to four groups of seven anim als. The animals were assigned to the following diets. diet A, barley flour plus protein mixture (70 % : 30 %); diet B, barley Flour, oat husk meal pl us protein mixture (65 % : 7 % : 28 %); diet C, barley flour, ddt husk meal plus protein mixture (60 % : 14 % : 26 %) and diet D, barley flour, oat hu sk meal plus protein mixture (55 % : 21 % : 24 %). The diets were formulate d to provide increasing content of DF but constant levels of digestible pro tein per feeding unit for pigs. All pigs were experimentally inoculated wit h 6,000 infective O. dentatum larvae and followed coprologically for 11 wee ks post infection, whereafter they were slaughtered. The experimental diets influenced the mean transit lime and the metabolism in the large intestine significantly. Diets C and D, with highest content of insoluble DF, provid ed Favourable conditions For establishment of O. dentatum, but diets A and B led to a significant lower worm numbers and fecundity.