Diseases and conditions in pigs, horses and chickens arising from incomplete digestion and absorption of carbohydrates

In this review we have described a number of economically important diseases which arise from the incomplete digestion and absorption of carbohydrate in the small intestine. It is evident that processes which occur in the large intestine as a consequence of microbial digestion predispose some animals to certain diseases and conditions. In this review, we have referred to swine dysentery in pigs, laminitis in equines, and wet litter in poultry. Furthermore it is likely that some diseases, such as those caused by Escherichia coli in pigs, are associated with the presence of dietary fibre in the small intestine. The expression of diseases and conditions originating in both the large and small intestine can be controlled by diet ( e.g. feeding a diet of low fermentability/high digestibility to pigs to control swine dysentery and E. coli), by the use of antibiotics ( e.g. feeding virginiamycin in the form of FounderguardTM to horses), and by the use of enzymes ( e.g. wet litter in broiler chickens). The control of acidic conditions in the large intestine and (or) increased digestion of carbohydrates in the small intestine appears to be associated with a reduced incidence of these diseases and conditions.