Effect of Spent Mushroom (<i>Cordyceps militaris</i>) on Growth Performance, Immunity, and Intestinal Microflora in Weaning Pigs

• Main Authors: Waewaree Boontiam, Chalong Wachirapakorn, Pheeraphong Phaengphairee, Suchat Wattanachai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: spent mushroom; growth performance; immunity; inflammation; microbial population; weaned pigs
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/12/2360

There are limited published reports regarding the optimal dosage of spent mushroom. This study investigated the effect of various levels of spent mushroom derived from <i>C. militaris</i> as an alternative growth promoter to an in-feed antibiotic on the growth performance, blood profiles, immunoglobulin, inflammation, and microbial count of weaning pigs. A total of 120 pigs (6.63 ± 0.13 kg initial body weight) were blocked by weight and sex in a randomized complete block design. Each treatment had six replicates of four pigs each. The pigs were allotted into five treatments: (1) positive control (PC) with 150 mg/kg colistin; (2) negative control (NC) without antibiotic inclusion; and (3–5) negative control groups with 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g/kg of <i>C. militaris</i>s pent mushroom (SM), respectively. Blood samples were collected at day 35 for determination of blood-related lipid metabolism and immunity. Fresh fecal samples were collected to examine microbial counts on day 35 postweaning. The results showed that SM at 1.5 g/kg improved the body weight, average daily weight gain, and average daily feed intake of weaning pigs in the overall period (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, the highest dosage of SM caused improvements in the concentrations of high-density lipoprotein, and immunoglobulin A, along with suppressions of total cholesterol, interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, and <i>E. coli</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Therefore, the weaned pigs fed a 1.5 g/kg SM diet showed improved growth performance and displayed greater immunoglobulin secretion and lower inflammation, pathogenic population, and cholesterol concentration.