Small intestinal morphology in weaned piglets fed a diet containing spray-dried porcine plasma

The hypothesis tested in this study was that the reported beneficial effect s of spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) on piglet post-weaning performance a nd health arc associated with a trophic effect on small intestinal mucosa. At 24 days of age, the piglets of seven sows were assigned to one of three treatment groups. One group continued to be suckled. The other two groups w ere weaned and offered a diet containing either 15 per cent SDPP or casein. From each treatment group, one piglet was anaesthetised and samples were t aken from the small intestinal wall at 26, 28 and 31 days of age. There wer e no significant effects Of SDPP Versus casein on villus length. On average , there was less mitotic activity in the SDPP-fed piglets than in those fed casein on days 4 and 7 after weaning. As less mitotic activity leads to le ss immature enterocytes, this may provide a mechanism for the reported bene ficial effects Of SDPP on performance and health. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publish ers Ltd.