Use of a new form of protected sodium butyrate to control Salmonella infection in fattening pigs

A field trial on a commercial pig farm was carried out to assess the efficacy of the addition in the diet of fattening pigs of a new form of sodium butyrate protected with a sodium salt of coconut fatty acid distillate (3 kg/ton of feed) to control Salmonella spp. infection. Around 50 pigs were assigned to treatment group and 50 kept as controls. During the fattening period pigs were monthly sampled (serum and feces), and after slaughter fecal and mesenteric lymph nodes samples were collected. No differences in the proportion of shedders were observed between the sodium butyrate and the control groups, but a significant reduction in the number of infected pigs (61% vs. 4%; p<0.01) and in the median ELISA Optical Density percentage values (55.9% vs. 19.4%; p<0.01) at slaughter was observed in pigs under treatment compared to the controls. In addition, an overall significant association between seropositivity and Salmonella shedding and infection was detected. Results from this study add more evidences on the positive effect of butyrate on the control of pig salmonellosis.