Influence of Dietary Zinc Oxide and Copper Sulfate on the Gastrointestinal Ecosystem in Newly Weaned Piglets

Dietary doses of 2,500 ppm ZnO-Zn reduced bacterial activity (ATP accumulation) in digesta from the gastrointestinal tracts of newly weaned piglets compared to that in animals receiving 100 ppm ZnO-Zn. The amounts of lactic acid bacteria (MRS counts) and lactobacilli (Rogosa counts) were reduced, whereas coliforms (MacConkey counts) and enterococci (Slanetz counts, red colonies) were more numerous in animals receiving the high ZnO dose. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the colonies on MRS were dominated by three phylotypes, tentatively identified as Lactobacillus amylovorus (OTU171), Lactobacillus reuteri (OTU173), and Streptococcus alactolyticus (OTU180). The colonies on Rogosa plates were dominated by the two Lactobacillus phylotypes only. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis supported the observations of three phylotypes of lactic acid bacteria dominating in piglets receiving the low ZnO dose and of coliforms and enterococci dominating in piglets receiving the high ZnO dose. Dietary doses of 175 ppm CuSO₄-Cu also reduced MRS and Rogosa counts of stomach contents, but for these animals, the numbers of coliforms were reduced in the cecum and the colon. The influence of ZnO on the gastrointestinal microbiota resembles the working mechanism suggested for some growth-promoting antibiotics, namely, the suppression of gram-positive commensals rather than potentially pathogenic gram-negative organisms. Reduced fermentation of digestible nutrients in the proximal part of the gastrointestinal tract may render more energy available for the host animal and contribute to the growth-promoting effect of high dietary ZnO doses. Dietary CuSO₄ inhibited the coliforms and thus potential pathogens as well, but overall the observed effect of CuSO₄ was limited compared to that of ZnO.