Abstract Urogenital tract infections (UTIs) are an important cause of reduced reproductive efficiency in sows, leading to higher culling rates, smaller litters, and economic losses for producers. With the ongoing reduction in antibiotic use in swine production, alternative strategies are needed to support reproductive health. The use of microencapsulation technology may allow organic acids, known for their antimicrobial properties, to act effectively along the gastrointestinal tract, thereby helping to reduce pathogen load in urine and excretion in feces as well as potentially reduce the formation of kidney stones, a common precursor of UTIs. This study evaluated the effects of supplementing microencapsulated organic acids P(OA) in sow diets and the subsequent impact on litter outcomes under commercial conditions. A total of 987 sows were monitored over 12 consecutive weeks and randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments: a control diet (511 sows) or the control diet supplemented with P(OA) at 2 kg/t from day 90 of gestation through lactation until weaning (476 sows). The farm had a history of vulva discharges and other urinary infections, and no antibiotics were administered during the trial period. Litter outcomes and piglet performance were recorded and assessed. Statistical analysis was conducted using Student’s t-test with significance set P 0.05 and a trend at P 0.10. The average piglet age at weaning was reduced (P 0.05) by about one day, and there was a trend (P = 0.06) towards more piglets weaned per sow in the P(OA) group. After standardizing the weaning age for both groups and recalculating the average daily gain (ADG) and adjusted body weight gain (BWG), piglets born to treated sows showed higher ADG (270 vs. 257 g; P 0.05) and adjusted BWG (6.78 vs 6.45 kg; P 0.05), representing a 5.1% improvement. These results demonstrate that dietary inclusion of microencapsulated organic acids can help mitigate the impact of UTIs on sows and improve subsequent piglet growth. As regulations mandate the reduction in the use of antibiotics in swine production, the use of microencapsulated organic acids offers a practical solution to improve sow health while maintaining sustainable productivity.
Babatunde et al. (Wed,) studied this question.