Supporting immune development in production animals

Immune development and function are energetically expensive. Fueling the turnover of large populations of cells relies on the presence of many micronutrients and any deficiencies can rapidly impair resistance to infection. Activation of the immune system competes with other physiological programs, such as metabolic growth, prioritizing defense at the cost of performance. Ensuring adequate feed intake to secure performance and compensate for immune activation is therefore essential.

THE THREAT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Infectious disease represents a severe and pervasive threat to global animal production. Direct economic costs derive from increased mortalities, reduced performance, disease control interventions and decreased market value. Pathogens, however, are an inevitable component of the farm ecosystem and from birth, animals are rapidly exposed to large numbers of them. Central to an animal’s defense is the immune system. Comprised of a complex network of cells, tissues, organs, and the substances they produce, efficient immune responses can greatly limit potential invaders. Whilst animals are born with certain innate defenses, the immune system continues to develop over time, adapting to diverse antigenic exposure, meaning young animals with relatively immature immune systems are more vulnerable to disease. Nutrition is essential to developing and sustaining effective immune responses, providing the adequate nutrients in sufficient concentrations to nourish the complete organism, including its immune cells. ADM has identified versatile nutritional opportunities that can be leveraged to bolster the immune defenses of young production animals through this critical window in their development.

THE PASSIVE TRANSFER OF IMMUNITY
Upon pathogenic invasion, active immune responses are initiated. In young animals, this relies primarily on the broad-spectrum innate immune defenses, but as they grow, the immunological memory of encountered pathogens refines more rapid and effective responses in the adaptive defenses, including the release of antibodies in the blood and mucosa. To protect neonates during the maturation of their immune systems, maternal antibodies are transferred to the offspring through the placenta and colostrum in milk. While this does not translate into immunological memory, it can ward off pathogenic threats in young animals until their own immune systems are stronger. This provides a nutritional opportunity to improve the resilience of piglets from birth, by targeting the sows’ immune parameters. ADM’s inactivated Pichia guillermondii yeast product contains mannan oligosaccharides and β-glucans, which may help the sow strengthen its defense against health challenges by supporting and optimizing gut function, gut integrity, and body defense responses. Furthermore, piglets weaned from P. guillermondii yeast-supplemented sows exhibit higher levels of circulating antibodies⁶. This, in turn, may produce more robust piglets with greater performance potential.

FEEDING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Immune development and function are energetically expensive. Fueling the turnover of large populations of cells relies on the presence of many micronutrients and any deficiencies can rapidly impair resistance to infection. Activation of the immune system competes with other physiological programs, such as metabolic growth, prioritizing defense at the cost of performance. Ensuring adequate feed intake to secure performance and compensate for immune activation is therefore essential, but standard husbandry practices in young livestock can challenge this. Processes such as weaning, dietary changes from liquid to solid feed, transport and new environments can all negate appetite. To minimize this nutritional disruption, ADM has developed a range of sweeteners to stimulate feed intake in young animals. The new patented technology used in the swine-specific sweetener range can further facilitate the uptake of glucose, a vital energy source, in the gut¹. ADM’s product is the first sweetener designed specifically to activate the sweet taste receptors of swine. Where standard industry practice previously relied on human input to select sweet ingredients, ADM’s recent collaboration with the University of Liverpool has demonstrated markedly distinct sweet taste perceptions between swine and humans. With the use of an in vitro system, researchers quantified the relative activation of swine sweet taste receptors expressed in a heterologous system against an array of potential sweet compounds². The very sweetest molecules were incorporated into the proprietary formulations. In vivo trials with these products exhibit a significant reduction in the piglet fasting period immediately post-wean³. Feed intake at this stage is strongly correlated with the average daily weight gain of piglets, which is considered a determinant in their consequent lifetime performance⁴.

REINFORCING BARRIER DEFENSES
Mechanical barriers constitute the first line of defense against pathogens, physically blocking them from entering the body. As the direct interface with the outside world, the gastrointestinal tract contains a diverse set of substrates that not only form physical and chemical barriers against undesirable microbes, distinguishing them from beneficial bacteria, but also performs a fundamental role in nutrient digestion and absorption. In post-wean piglets, there is a lag period before the gut barrier fully matures. Supplementation with salts of organic acids can be effective in stimulating optimal gut and immune development in young animals, including the establishment of antimicrobial barriers, digestive enzymes secretion and microvilli growth⁵. ADM’s range of organic acid products contain a combination of short, medium and long chain fatty acids and their salts that can be utilized to support optimal gut health and development.

CONCLUSION
Pathogens are an unfortunate reality of animal production but optimally functioning immune systems can greatly mitigate their potential effects. The bidirectional relationship between the immune system and nutrition offers strategic opportunities that can be leveraged to tip the balance in favor of animal health and performance and is of particular importance in supporting the development of young animals. As leaders in animal nutrition, ADM is dedicated to providing nutritional solutions that unlock the power of nature, supporting the unique nutritional requirements of individual livestock species across their lifetime.

References:
1. Moran, A. W., et al. (2010). Expression of Na+/glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT1) is enhanced by supplementation of the diet of weaning piglets with artificial sweeteners. British Journal of Nutrition 104 (5): 637-646
2. Daly, K., et al. (2021). Non-nutritive sweetener activation of the pig sweet taste receptor T1R2-T1R3 in vitro mirrors sweetener stimulation of the gut expressed receptor in vivo. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 542: 54-58.
3. Sterk, A., et al. (2008). Effects of sweeteners on individual feed intake characteristics and performance in group-housed weanling pigs. Journal of Animal Science 86: 2990-2997.
4. Tokach, M.D., et al. (1992). Influence of weaning weight and growth during the first week post weaning on subsequent pig performance. Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports.
5. Zeng, X., et al. (2022). Dietary butyrate, lauric acid and stearic acid improve gut morphology and epithelial cell turnover in weaned piglets. Animal Nutrition 11: 276-282.
6. Bass, B., et al. (2012). Impact of Pichia guillermondii on sow, litter, and weaned pig immune performance. Journal of Animal Science 90: 445 – 447.