author(s)
MVAN Suryanarayana and S Durga

abstract
Nowadays weaning of piglet’s poses a stressful condition under environmental, nutritional, psychological and immunological conditions leading to a gut associated epithelial damage along with damage to intestinal barrier function. Focus should be diverted to develop alternate strategies to develop gut and maintain it’s health. Dietary intervention is one of the feeding strategies to achieve this goal which cover feeding optimum quantum of protein, less amount of soluble NSP, required quantities of minerals like Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc and Iron, feeding of fermented liquid feeds. Excessive protein for the weaned piglets leaves undigested protein molecules which act as substrates for pathogen proliferation producing mucosal irritants. On the other hand, feeding of soluble NSP containing high arabinose and xylose caused a higher incidence of non-specific enteritis and could change the Sacchyrolytic: Proteolytic bacteria ratio. However insoluble NSP checked the growth of pathogensas it decreases the digesta retention time in the gut and it was also demonstrated that insoluble NSP attracts more Sacchyrolytic bacteria instead of Proteolytic. Another strategy to reduce Post Weaning Diarrhoea (PWD) is to feed fermented liquid feed(FLF).Steeping causes the lactic acid bacteria proliferation producing Lactic acid which lowers the p H and thus act as the first line defence against possible pathogen infections. Minerals like Zn, Ca, P, Fe also play a pivotal role in maintaining the gut health. High levels of dietary ZnO causes reduced lactic acid bacteria with an increase in Coliforms and Enterococci. Excess availability of Ca, P and Fe also will have detrimental effects on the gut health. Probiotics, prebiotics also have a major role in gut health as the former eliminates the pathogens by competitive exclusion and the latter acts as a substrate for the proliferation of bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. It is concluded that during post weaning, growth check and enteric diseases including PWD cause a major loss to the swine industry for which a number of feeding strategies have been suggested like low dietary protein, dietary fibre, optimum level of inclusion of minerals and their salts (ZnO), use of probiotics, prebiotics, acidifiers. However use of minerals should be judicious as excess dietary inclusion leads to environmental pollution.