New trends in rabbit feeding: Influence of nutrition on intestinal health
Abstract and Figures
The role of gut barrier against pathogens and its interaction with dietary factors in weaned rabbits affected with digestive disorders, especially epizootic rabbit enteropathy is reviewed. This interaction was studied identifying nutritive factors that influence gut barrier function of mucosa. It was examined the morphology, and enzyme activity of mucosa and the gut associated immune system. Besides, it was characterized the substrate that reaches the caecum and its capacity to favour pathogen bacteria growth, by reviewing the effect of diet on ileal digestibility of nutrients, transit time and microbiota population. The nutritional factors which affect health of early weaned rabbits are level and type of both fibre and protein. The optimal dietary level of insoluble fibre to minimise mortality is 30-32%. Furthermore, a moderate inclusion of soluble fibre (12%) improves mucosa integrity and decreases mortality and the frequency of detection of Clostridium perfringens and Campylobacter spp in the caecum. The reduction of ileal nitrogen flow had a positive effect on pups viability and frequency of detection of C. perfringens. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with 1 % of glutamine reduced fattening mortality, the frequency of detection of C. perfringens, and Helicobacter spp, and diminished the counts of Eimeria spp at the jejunum. In conclusion, a correct diet formulation may help to limit the epizootic rabbit enteropathy incidence in weaned rabbits.
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... The disease of digestive tract is the most important disease in rabbits, accounting for 70% (Carabaño et al. 2008). The mortality of the weaned rabbits up to 60% due to epizootic rabbit enteropathy (Fann et al. 2001;Carabaño et al. 2008). ...
... The disease of digestive tract is the most important disease in rabbits, accounting for 70% (Carabaño et al. 2008). The mortality of the weaned rabbits up to 60% due to epizootic rabbit enteropathy (Fann et al. 2001;Carabaño et al. 2008). Rabbit diarrhoea is a big problem in present rabbit production, especially in the weaning stage (Martens and Van Herck 2000). ...
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Humulus scandens (HS) in diet on the production performance and intestinal barrier of rabbits. One hundred and sixty Laiwu black rabbits at 35 days of age with body weight of 692.5 ± 48.3 g were divided into four groups (five replicates per group and eight rabbits per replicate): fed on a basal diet free of HS (control), 4%, 8% or 12% HS powder supplement. The results showed that the dietary addition of HS decreased the ADFI, F/G, diarrhoea ratio and mortality ratio. Besides, the final body weight and ADG (P < .05) increased with the level of HS. Rabbits in 12% HS group had a higher sIgA and IgG concentration in serum and ileum than control, while lower TNFα, IFN-γ and IL-6 concentration (P < .05). Compared with the control, the HS supplementation groups for 12% level could decrease the mRNA expression of ZO-1, JAM3 and mucin1 (P < .05). In conclusion, dietary supplement of HS modulates immune responses and enhances intestinal barrier, meanwhile inhibits the synthesis of cytokine. Besides, our experiment offers positive evidence in improving rabbit health of HS as rabbit feed resource.
... The increase in intraluminal stomach pH due to the lack of hydrochloric acid synthesis results in the loss of the protective barrier function against the entry of pathogens [9], allowing their passage to the distal digestive tract and favouring their subsequent colonization [3,13,14]. This situation, in conjunction with an insufficient digestive enzyme activity due to the immaturity of the digestive system [15,16], can result in poor nutrient digestion after weaning, thereby increasing the risk of enteropathy [17]. ...
Simple Summary
This study aimed to evaluate rabbits’ responses to the administration of six organic acids (OAs) through drinking water at three concentrations (pH levels). Animal drinking and feeding behaviour, pH evolution along the animal’s gastrointestinal tract, and gastric pepsin activity were monitored in post-weaning rabbits for seven days. The screened combinations were used to identify the optimal OA candidates and pH values, while eliminating those that may exhibit early adverse effects in young rabbits. During our short-term assessment period, the OAs with the greatest potential for use in rabbit farming were formic acid, acetic acid, and citric acid at pH 4. However, further validation with a larger population of animals, and extending the duration of OA supplementation during the growing period could improve performance outcomes and enhance the modulation effect of the gastrointestinal environment.
Abstract
Organic acids (OAs) are employed in animal feed to regulate gastrointestinal disorders and diarrhoea thanks to their ability to modulate the gastrointestinal environment and their antimicrobial capacity. However, there is not enough evidence regarding the most adequate OA and its effectiveness in rabbit farming. Therefore, the aim of this study was to screen and evaluate the response of young rabbits to six OAs, administered via drinking water, at three different concentrations (pH levels). Organic acids (acetic, ACET; formic, FOR; propionic, PROP; lactic, LAC; citric, CIT; and butyric, BUT) were tested at three concentrations (pH 3, 4, and 5). A negative control (CON; non-acidified water) was also included. We used 240 weaned rabbits (28 days old) divided into 2 batches. In each batch, animals were randomly allocated to 1 of the 19 experimental treatments and were housed in group cages of 6 animals per cage, treatment, and batch. Among the 240 rabbits, an additional cage with 6 animals was included to determine the initial physiological state of the animals. All animals were fed with commercial pelleted feed throughout the whole experiment. The duration of the study was 7 days, until 35 days of age. At 31 and 35 days of age, in each batch, three animals per day and treatment were slaughtered. The pH of the digestive contents in the fundus, antrum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum, as well as the gastric pepsin enzyme activity, was measured. Water and feed consumption per cage and individual body weight (BW) were recorded daily. The type and dosage of OAs affected water intake. ACET 3, PROP 3, and BUT 3 reduced water intake compared to CON, negatively impacting feed intake and weight gain. FOR and CIT acids led to the highest BW and weight gain at 35 days, compared to PROP, LAC, and BUT (p < 0.05); showing ACET intermediate values. While OAs had limited effects on gastric and small intestine pH, acidified water at pH 4 and 5 lowered ileum and caecum pH (p < 0.05) compared to pH 3. Acidified water at pH 4 showed the highest (p < 0.05) pepsin activity compared to pH 3 and pH 5. Considering the limited sample size and short-term assessment period of our screening test, the OAs with the highest potential for use in post-weaning rabbits were FOR, ACET, and CIT at pH 4. The selected combinations did not exhibit any early adverse effects in young rabbits. These results should be further confirmed in a broader population of animals. It would also be advisable to extend the application of OAs over longer periods to evaluate their effects throughout the entire growing period of rabbits.
... Moreover, the limitation on the prophylactic use of antibiotics in animal production produced in Europe in the last years led to an increase in rabbit mortality in many farms, often making production almost economically unsustainable [7,8]. In this respect, the main challenge in rabbit production is to maintain gut health in the rabbits during the post-weaning period [9][10][11], when the digestive tract is very vulnerable and susceptible to the proliferation of bacterial pathogens (e.g., Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli) and parasitic protozoa (e.g., coccidians) [12]. In this context, alternatives to antibiotics that improve the gut health and resilience of rabbits to pathogens are required [6], and dietary strategies are especially key in the post-weaning period [13,14]. ...
The limitation on the prophylactic use of antibiotics in animal feed in Europe has critically challenged the rabbit meat industry, which urgently needs to find solutions. A feasible alternative could be using macroalgae in the diet to improve the gut health. This research studied seven species of marine macroalgae in four formats (dehydrated, enzymatically hydrolyzed, aqueous extract, and aqueous extract of hydrolyzed macroalgae) in order to select the most promising ones for their use in rabbit feed. Chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, in vitro caecal gas, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against common pathogens were studied. All S. latissima products showed high caecal fermentability and VFA production, especially in both types of extracts. The H. elongata aqueous extract was remarkable due to its high in vitro butyrate production, which can be of great interest for improving gut health. The MIC results did not indicate any clear inhibition of the pathogens tested. The macroalgae tested appear to have a potentially prebiotic effect, rather than a direct antimicrobial activity. However, these results must be confirmed in vivo, in order to observe the real benefits of feeding macroalgae during the rabbit weaning period.
... In terms of growth parameters, the GMQ obtained with the F3 and Control diets was higher than the weight gains obtained with the F1, F2 and F4 diets. These performances could be explained by the qualitative protein supply of the residues because, to ensure optimal growth of the animals, dietary proteins must provide them with amino acids in a balanced way (Carabano et al., 2008). Indeed, plant proteins generally have a limited content of some essential amino acids, which is not the case of animal proteins, which often have surpluses compared to egg, which is the reference protein (Vliet et al., 2015). ...
In Côte d’Ivoire, the challenges facing rabbit breeders are essentially food-related. The aim of this study is also to produce low-cost mixed foods based on residues that can feed rabbits in the same way as those sold on the market. To do this, plants, agricultural and industrial residues were collected, treated, and powdered. Dietary supplements (F1, F2, F3, and F4) are formulated and granulated. They were tested on 5 lots of 10 rabbits each, in comparison to a commercial food. Physicochemical characteristics of diet, zootechnical parameters, mortality and morbidity rates of the animals were determined. The biochemical parameters and the organoleptic quality of the meat were determined. The dry matter contents of the diets range from 82 3.10% for diet F3 to 89.2 1.95% for diet F2. All results are significantly different at P<0.05. The mean protein content ranged from 20.47 ±2.52 to 23.27 ±1.56% DM for F1 and F2 respectively. The crude fiber contents vary from 16.23 ±2.50 to 26.71 ±5.73% DM for F1 and F4 respectively. The carbohydrate contents varied from 15.03 ± 1.25% DM (for F3) to 21.6 ±1.80% DM (for F2). The cost of feeding a rabbit for 56 days on the F2 diet was 724 FCFA, which was the least expensive, followed by the F1 diet (744 FCFA) and the F3 diet (845 FCFA). Of the experimental diets formulated, diet F4 was obviously the most expensive (1163 FCFA). However, its price was lower than the amount paid for the control diet (1628 FCFA). For the carcass, there were no significant differences in the values obtained for weight and yield at P > 0.05. The average scores obtained for odor were 3.42 ± 0.93, for taste, 3.45 ± 1.10 and for tenderness, 3.48 ± 1.07. The overall scores for F1, F2 and F4 were statistically identical and significantly higher than F3 and the control. Cholesterol, creatinine, and urea levels were within the range of the standard, whereas triglyceride levels were above the standard.
... However, they are important farm animals; in fact, they are valued for their dietetic type of meat with its high-quality proteins and low fat and cholesterol content, suitable for human nutrition [77]. Digestive disorders account for 70% of rabbit diseases [78]. The exploitation of the positive effects derived from the SIL use against 19 Accepted Manuscript This article is protected by copyright. ...
Milk thistle, Silybum marianum, is a medicinal plant grown for its bioactive compounds with well-documented antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. Milk thistle has a well-established pharmacological reputation for treatments of human liver disease, but it is also used in animals. This review summarizes the experimental evidence of milk thistleʼs effects on animals when administered as silymarin extract (feed additive)
or a feed ingredient, if administered as seed or expeller/cake with the seed residue still containing the bioactive components. The use as a feed additive or feed ingredient is motivated by the complexity of silymarin registration as a veterinary drug. In farm animals, the drug improves the animalsʼ performance and product quality and oxidative stability, supports liver function during the productive life-cycle, improves gut-health and morphology, and can reduce intestinal pathogens. In dogs and cats, the treatment is focused on acute and chronic liver diseases including the detoxification processes
and support of drug treatments including chemotherapy. In equine athletes, milk seed cake showed positive effects and a faster return of cortisol to the resting values before exercise occurred. In aquaculture, it confirms its usefulness in supporting animal health and performance. In certain studies it is not clear what has been administered, and the composition and doses are not always clearly reported. A few studies reported no effects, but none reported problems connected to milk thistle administration. However, the overall picture shows that the use of milk thistle results in improved or restored health parameters or better animal performance.
The use of nanofibers in farm animal diets can enhance nutrient absorption, minimize environmental problems, and generate a sustainable source of income. In this study, we investigated the effects of the partial inclusion of nanofibers produced from the pupunha heart of the palm sheath (nanopupunha) in the diet of growing New Zealand White rabbits on zootechnical performance, organ morphometry, digestive content pH, intestinal histology, biochemical and immunological parameters, and cecum microbiota. Twenty-four male and female New Zealand White rabbits were distributed into the control group fed a basal diet with 14% crude fiber and treatment groups with the basal diet supplemented with 3.5% or 10.5% of nanopupunha, according to their initial weight. After euthanasia on day 42, we analyzed the pH of the stomach contents, jejunum, and cecum, and the relative weights of the digestive tract, liver, kidneys, and spleen. Duodenal and jejunal samples were collected for structural and ultrastructural analyses of the intestinal villi. Additionally, blood samples were collected to analyze blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and immunological analysis (IgG and IgM), and digesta samples from the cecum were collected to count enterobacteria and lactic acid bacteria. The inclusion of dietary nanopupunha did not affect the zootechnical performance of animals, but resulted in a linear decrease in the relative weight of the stomach and a linear increase in the relative weight of the spleen. No significant differences were observed in the pH of the digestive tract. Nanopupunha inclusion also resulted in a linear increase in the crypt depth of the duodenum, total mucosal thickness, and total cholesterol levels in growing rabbits. Including 10.5% of nanopupunha added to the diet showed the best results in terms of the intestinal health of the growing rabbits.
Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica L.) could be used in rabbit nutrition in compliance with circular economy principles, global warming issues, and reduction of production costs. This study aims to evaluate the effects of dietary incorporation of prickly pear seed cake (PPSC) on growth, physiological, and histometric parameters in rabbits. A total of 105 rabbits were divided into three experimental groups (n = 35) and fed different diets: a commercial feed (C group), the same feed with alfalfa replaced by PPSC at 10% (10PP group), and at 20% (20PP group). They were group-housed in cages with 5 animals per cage from weaning until slaughtering. While body weights and weight gains were similar in all groups, the coefficients of nutrient digestibility of dry matter, fibers, and ashes, as well as the characteristics of intestinal villi, were improved in the 10PP group compared to the others (p < 0.05). The 20PP group showed a reduction in perirenal and interscapular fat (p < 0.05), as well as lower plasma concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol compared to the C group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, PPSC can be incorporated into the diets of growing rabbits up to 20% as a partial substitute for alfalfa without the impairment of growth performance. Additionally, the inclusion of PPSC enhanced nutrient digestibility and increased the intestinal absorption surface area.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different dietary fibre sources on growth performance, gastrointestinal tract development, caecal fermentation and bacterial composition in the caecal contents of rabbits. A total of 120 35-day-old weaned Minxinan black rabbits were divided into three groups and fed a diet composed of peanut straw powder (Group A), alfalfa powder (Group B) and soybean straw powder (Group C) as the main fibre source. The final body weight and average daily gain in Group B were higher than those in Group C, and the average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio in Group A were lower than those in Group C (p < 0.05). The relative weights of the stomach, small intestine and caecum of rabbits in Group C were higher than those in Groups of B and A, and the relative weights of the caecal contents in Group C were lower than those in Groups A or B (p < 0.05). The pH value and propionic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid concentrations in the caecum of Group C were lower than those in the caecum of Groups A or B, and the concentration of acetic acid in the caecum was lower (p < 0.05). The dominant microbes in the caecal contents of Minxinan black rabbits were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria at the phylum level, and the number of species, Chao1 index and ACE index measured was different between the B-C and A-C groups (p < 0.05). Different dietary fibre sources could affect the growth performance, gastrointestinal tract development and intestinal microbiota of rabbits, and the nutritional value of alfalfa powder was better than that of peanut straw and soybean straw.
Rabbit meat has high nutritional and dietetic characteristics, but its consumption rate is comparatively lower than other meat types. The nutritional profile of rabbit meat, by comparison with beef, pork, and poultry, is attributed to relatively higher proportions of n-3 fatty acids and low amounts of intramuscular fat, cholesterol, and sodium, indicating its consumption may provide health benefits to consumers. But, the quality attributes of rabbit meat can be originated from different factors such as genetics, environment, diet, rearing system, pre-, peri-, and post-slaughter conditions, and others. Different rabbit breeds and the anatomical location of muscles may also affect the nutritional profile and physicochemical properties of rabbit meat. However, adequate information about the effect of those two factors on rabbit meat is limited. Therefore, cumulative information on nutritional composition and carcass and meat quality attributes of rabbit meat in terms of different breeds and muscle types and associated factors is more important for the production and processing of rabbits. Moreover, some studies reported that rabbit meat proteins exhibited angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory characteristics and antioxidant properties. The aim of this review is to elucidate the determinants of rabbit meat quality of different breeds and its influencing factors. In addition, the proven biological activities of rabbit meat are introduced to ensure consumer satisfaction.
The aim of our study was to isolate, identify and characterize mucinolytic bacteria from the rabbit caecum. Two hundred and thirty mucin-grown colonies from the caecal contents of 7 rabbits were examined microscopically after the Gram staining. Gram-negative irregular rods were the most numerous mucinolytic isolates (34.1%), followed by gram-negative cocci and short rods (22.5%), gram-positive rods (17.3%), gram-positive cocci (16.6%) and gram-positive sporeforming rods (9.5%). An attempt was done to identify 31 typical isolates on basis of their morphologgy, biochemical characteristics and production of metabolites. In addition, bacterial cells were hybridized with fluorescently labelled probes for Bacteroides/Prevotella and Clostridium genus. Four isolates were identified at the species level as Mitsuokella multiacidus, three isolates as Bacteroides capillosus and one isolate as Actinomyces izraeli. All isolates except the last one belong to the Bacteroidaceae family. One strain could be assigned to the Bacteroides/Prevotella genus on basis of the hybridization test. Other mucinolytic isolates were not identified as their characteristics did not correspond to any previously described bacterial species. No Clostridium sp. strain was detected. In two M. multiacidus strains high activities of extracellular mucin lyases were found. ne pH-optimum of lyases was 6.2. Calcium cations were necessary for their optimal function. This work extends general knowledge about fermentation of carbohydrate and nitrogen substrates in rabbit caecum.
This proceedings of a symposium on the digestive physiology of pigs contains 107 papers. Topic covered are: gut development and function; the gastrointestinal immune system; nutrient absoption and utilization by the gut; digestive processes; econutrition and health maintenance and free communications.
La digestion intestinale des protéines alimentaires fait intervenir des protéases d’origine pancréatique et des peptidases intestinales. Les produits de la digestion sont constitués d’acides aminés libres et de peptides relativement abondants. Acides aminés et peptides sont transportés dans l’entérocyte où ces derniers subissent une hydrolyse. Les acides aminés libres présents dans la veine porte présentent un profil bien différent de celui des protéines alimentaires. En effet, le métabolisme intestinal des acides aminés est très actif. Afin d’assurer la synthèse des protéines constitutives et sécrétées, l’intestin prélève des acides aminés à la fois dans la lumière intestinale et dans le sang artériel. Cet organe renouvelle plus de 50 % de ses protéines par jour et la synthèse de protéines bien particulières comme les mucines engendre des besoins élevés en certains acides aminés comme la thréonine. L’intestin est le principal tissu utilisant la glutamine artérielle et le glutamate alimentaire. Le catabolisme intestinal de ces acides aminés produit de l’alanine, de l’acide aspartique, de la proline et, par l’intermédiaire des enzymes du cycle de l’urée, de l’ornithine, de la citrulline et de l’arginine. Les acides aminés indispensables n’échapperaient pas non plus au catabolisme intestinal. Le rôle de l’intestin ne se limite donc pas à la digestion des protéines et à l’absorption des acides aminés. Son métabolisme modifie profondément la disponibilité des acides aminés alimentaires pour le reste de l’organisme.
Two weaning diets (C and S) and three weaning ages (21, 25, and 28 days) were compared in a two factorial arrangement to evaluate their effect on growth performance, body composition and caecal fermentation activity of young rabbits. One hundred litters born the same day from multiparous does were used. Sixty litters were early weaned at 21, 25 and 28 days of age (20 litters per weaning age), put in collective cages (nine kits per cage) (W21, W25, and W28 litters) and offered the control diet C (crude protein (CP): 175 g/kg dry matter (DM); ether extract: 20 g/kg DM; starch: 157 g/kg DM; acid-detergent lignin (ADL): 60 g/kg DM; digestible energy (DE): 11.08 MJ/kg DM) or the starter diet S (CP: 173 g/kg DM; ether extract: 41 g/kg DM; starch: 112 g/kg DM; ADL: 51 g/kg DM; DE: 11.31 MJ/kg DM). At 32 days of age, 180 early weaned rabbits (three rabbits from each of the 60 litters above) were selected: 60 animals were slaughtered; 120 animals were placed into individual cages and offered a fattening diet (CP: 166 g/kg DM; ether extract: 23 g/kg DM; starch: 177 g/kg DM; ADL: 49 g/kg DM; DE: 11.26 MJ/kg DM) from 32 to 56 days of age. At 56 days of age, another 60 representative rabbits were slaughtered. The administration of diet S to the early weaned rabbits increased litter weight at 32 days (6160 v. 6027 g; P < 0.05) and gain to food ratio from weaning to 32 days (752 v. 666 g/kg; P < 0.001) compared with diet C. Moreover, empty bodies (EB) of S rabbits were fatter (fat: 45 v. 41 g/kg; P = 0.01) and had greater energy content (5.92 v. 5.71 MJ/kg; P < 0.01). At 56 days of age, no residual effect of the diet was recorded. Weaning age affected growth performance, body composition and caecal fermentation at 32 days of age: EB weight (P < 0.05) and EB protein concentration increased (from 164 to 168 g/kg, P < 0.01) while caecal volatile fatty acid concentration decreased (from 71.7 to 53.8 mmol/l; P < 0.01) when weaning age was increased from 21 to 28 days. At 56 days of age, no effect (P > 0.05) of weaning age was recorded on growth performance or caecal fermentation traits, but EB protein remained lower in the earliest weaned rabbits (P < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding a high-fat low-starch diet to early weaned rabbits stimulated growth and body fat and energy retention of kits at 32 days of age with no effect on caecal fermentation. The early weaning successfully performed at 21 days of age strongly stimulated caecal fermentation but reduced body protein reserves.
Twenty-eight New Zealand White X Californian doe rabbits weighing 3791±141 g were surgically fitted with a glass T-cannula at ileum level. Animals were given ad libitum access to either a casein-based diet (C) or a protein-free diet (PF). The only difference in the ingredient composition of the diets was the substitution of 160 g/kg of maize starch by casein in the C diet. Animals were randomly allotted to each experimental diet. Seven rabbits per diet were not allowed to practice caecotrophy. The C diet resulted in higher food dry matter (DM) intake (DMI) (111.5 v. 51.5 g/day), food nitrogen intake (3.12 v. 0.20 g/day), ileal flow of DM (56.0 v. 23.8 g/day) and ileal flow of nitrogen (0.72 v. 0.24 g/day) but lower soft faeces DMI (21.7 v. 41.4 g/day) than the PF diet. A linear relationship between ileal endogenous nitrogen flow and total DMI was found for animals given the C but not for the PF diet. The ingestion of C diet led to a higher (proportionately 0.41, on average), endogenous ileal amino acid flow than PF diet for all amino acids except for glycine. The ileal flow of glycine was proportionately 0.25 higher in animals given the PF diet than in animals given the C diet. The C diet resulted in higher content of nitrogen, threonine and proline in soft faeces than the PF diet. In contrast, the ingestion of the PF diet led to a higher content of lysine and methionine in soft faeces than the C diet. Within the C diet, animals practising caecotrophy showed higher ileal flow of DM (73.4 v. 56.0 g/day) and phenylalanine (0.834 v. 0.677g/kg DMI) than animals not practising it. Caecotrophy led to a higher endogenous proportion of some of the most important limiting essential amino acids in rabbits, such as arginine, lysine, phenylalanine and threonine. In rabbits, the use of PF diets has limited practical application in the estimation of nitrogen endogenous losses as the low food DMI and the high soft faeces DMI leads to abnormal food : soft faeces intake ratio. Moreover, due to the important effect of caecotrophy on the amino acid composition of endogenous losses, it is important to correct the total amino acid content of the ileal chyme by the undigested amino acid residue coming from the soft faeces intake. This correction could be made, without the methodological complexity implied, by fitting animals with a wooden collar and thereby avoiding caecotrophy as in the present trial.