Total budget:  15.219.000 HUF

Project manager: Erzsébet Dr. Gere Dr. Pásztiné

Duration:

from 1st December 2017. to 30th November 2022.

 

Summary:

Intestinal inflammation of piglets accompanied by diarrhoea, deteriorated absorption of nutrients and decreased daily weight gain is a serious problem of the pork industry. The reasons of the inflammation can often be traced to either bacterial infection or mycotoxins produced by fungi contaminating the porcine feed. As majority of the wheatfields in Hungary is infested by Fusarium species capable of producing various types of mycotoxins, the contamination may develop even during growing of the crop used for feed formulation. Currently bacterial infections can be treated only in severe cases with antibiotics and there are not any drugs available against mycotoxins, only dilution of the mycotoxin-containing feed with noncontaminated components may reduce the damages. However, there is an increasing demand that natural products- which can reinforce the intestinal barrier and increase defense mechanisms against infections- should be used in animal nutrition in order to prevent diseases or to supplement conventional drug therapy. The in-depth understanding of mode of action of enzymes responsible for protective function of intestinal epithelium is prerequisite for appropriate selection of beneficial substances. The aim of the proposed research is the mapping of effects of antioxidants and probiotics in prevention of intestinal inflammation by means of experiments on cell cultures. The results may contribute to enhancement of the economic viability of swine production by development of drug-free nutrition approaches for the maintenance of the health of the swine herd.