The impact of epidermal growth factor supernatant on pig performance and ileal microbiota

Weaning of pigs can lead to low-feed intake resulting in a lag in growth performance, reduced gut health, and diarrheal diseases. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), the most abundant growth factor in milk, increased weaned pig BW gain and feed efficiency in our previous work. It is believed that intestinal microbiota plays an important role in gut health and pig growth, but limited data are available on the impact of feed additives, such as EGF, on the microbial communities of the intestines. The objective of the study was to investigate if the positive influence of EGF supplementation on weight gain and gut health was related to differences in intestinal microbiota. To examine the efficacy of EGF, a 21-d animal trial was performed using 72 pigs (two equal blocks of 36 pigs with three barrows and three gilts/ pen). Pigs were assigned to one of two dietary treatments at weaning (20 ± 2 d of age; n = 6 pens/treatment) balancing across treatment for litter, gender, and initial BW. Recombinant yeast supernatant containing EGF at 120 µg/kg BW/d and without EGF (control) was added to the feed for 21 d, followed by a common diet for 7 d. Pig performance was measured weekly and ileal digesta was collected at day 21 from six pigs/treatment for microbiome analysis.