Soluble non-starch polysaccharides from pearl barley exacerbate experimental postweaning colibacillosis

The performance and health of weaner pigs (n=40) was compared between pigs fed either a rice-based weaner pig diet or the same diet with pearl barley included at 50% weight of the air-dry diet. Within each dietary treatment, two-thirds of the pigs were infected with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli O8:K88:K87 at 48, 72 and 96 h post-weaning; the remaining third were healthy controls. Compared with htose fed the barley diet, pigs fed the rice-only diet grew faster, had less intestinal proliferation of E. coli, and exhibited less severe diarrhoea. It appears that the soluble non-starch polysaccharides (sNSP) in barley are detrimental to the performance of both healthy weaner pigs and those with postweaning colibacillosis (PWC