Reference | Galina2017 (10191)

Feed additives used: buckwheat bran, herbal powder, and commercially available probiotics ‘ProbioHelp’. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum L.) bran was chosen from an organic farm. Composition of herbals was made by authors: the aerial parts of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) and leaves of greater plantain (Plantago major) and nettle (Urtica dioica) were collected in the Livani and Dobele districts of Latvia in 2015 and authenticated by the Institute of Horticulture of the LLU. The experiment (6 weeks) was conducted in a conventional pig fattening farm in Latvia, in 2015. A total 44 Duroc – Landrace crossbred piglets were used. The age of piglets was 14 days. Piglets were divided into 4 treatment groups (11 pigs / pen): group C received basal diet, group P received basal diet + ’ProbioHelp’, group PB received basal diet + ’ProbioHelp’ + 3% buckwheat bran and group H received basal diet + 1.5% composition of herbals. Buckwheat bran and herbals were mixed into basal diet, but ’ProbioHelp’ was added to drinking water, depending on the age of piglets: 14, 28, 35, 42 and 49 days old ones received the concentration of 1%, 0.75%, 0.45%, 0.34%, and 0.32%, respectively.

Blood samples(n = 38) were obtained via jugular vein puncture and sampled into 5 mL EDTAK2 tubes and into 10 mL tubes without anticoagulant at the end of experiment. The faecal samples (n = 77) were collected from the first defecation after the daily cleaning of the pens on days 14, 35 and 56. On day 56, piglets (four from each treatment group and two from control) were slaughtered. The gastrointestinal tract was removed and digestive contents (n = 14) from jejunum were collected.

AST Method: None

Reference explicitly reports AST breakpoints: True

Reference reports using a MIC table: False