Acidifiers and prebiotics in the diets of nursery-stage piglets as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and intestinal health nursery-phase piglets (22 64 days age) fed a diet supplemented with organic acids prebiotics or colistin. One hundred fifty weaned 22 old an initial weight 5.56 kg were allotted pens based on BW in completely randomized block design one three treatment diets: T1, negative control; T2, colistin (10 mg/kg); T3, mannan oligosaccharides + beta-glucans ammonium formate, formic acid, propionate acetic acid (1 kg/ton). daily feed intake, gain, conversion, diarrhea score, cecal Lactobacillus, E. coli fecal coliform content, proinflammatory anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations evaluated. results considering whole nursery phase showed better (P < 0.05) conversion for T3 (1.593) T2 (1.602) compared T1 (1.679). score lower than that similar ≥ 0.05). received presented greater concentration cytokines at 36 age (p 0.05), exception TNFa, where superior all groups, whereas 57 inflammatory cytokines. diets combination oligosaccharides, acidifiers, representing alternative growth-promoting antibiotics, performed similarly those colistin-supplemented diets.