| Popis: |
The yeast cell wall (YCW) preparation, Safmannan, was evaluated as a dietary supplement for adult dogs. Using a 5 x 5 Latin square design with 14-d periods, adult dogs cannulated in the terminal ileum were supplemented with 0, 0.05, 0.25, 0.45, or 0.65% YCW based on daily food allowance. Apparent ileal nutrient digestibility responded cubically (P = 0.07 to 0.10) to YCW supplementation. Ileal nutrient digestibility tended (P = 0.09) to be greater with YCW supplementation compared with control. Apparent total tract digestibility responded cubically (P0.05) to YCW supplementation. Total white blood cell and eosinophil counts tended (P0.09) to decrease quadratically with YCW supplementation, with the lowest counts at the 0.25% supplementation level, whereas monocyte counts decreased (P0.05) linearly with YCW supplementation. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations tended (P = 0.09) to respond cubically to YCW, with the lowest value at the 0.25% supplementation level. Ileal IgA tended (P0.09) to respond quadratically, with the greatest ileal IgA concentration at 0.25% YCW. Using serial dilution and plating enumeration techniques, fecal Escherichia coli concentrations decreased linearly (P = 0.01) with YCW supplementation, whereas Clostridium perfringens responded cubically (P = 0.09). Cubic trends were noted for E. coli (P = 0.10) and lactobacilli (P = 0.08) concentrations, as evaluated by quantitative PCR analysis. Total fecal DNA was most similar to the control treatment at 0.25% YCW. Although the effects on immunological indices appear limited, our results suggest that YCW supplementation in dogs at less than 1% may affect ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility, and the colonization of the gut by E. coli may be decreased. |
