The response of villous height and crypt depth to nutrition in the weaned pig

Pluske, J.R.ORCID: 0000-0002-7194-2164 and Williams, I.H. (1995) The response of villous height and crypt depth to nutrition in the weaned pig. In: Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia, V19, Nineteenth Annual Scientific Meeting, September, Melbourne, Australia p. 62.

Abstract

The small intestine of the weaned pig undergoes marked changes in villous height and crypt depth that have generally been associated with a reduction in the digestive and absorptive 'capacity' of the gut. These changes are concomitant with low food intake and poor growth, and the pig often fails to eat enough food to meet its daily maintenance requirement. Villous atrophy occurs in the weaned pig but this is generally accompanied by an increase in crypt depth (Hampson 1986). The likely contribution of food intake per se, or luminal nutrition, as a mediator of changes in gut architecture has often been ignored. In this study we overcame the confounding influence that temporary starvation may have on the gut by coaxing pigs to drink cow's milk. Our hypothesis was that villous height and crypt depth in the gut of weaned pigs depend on the amount of food eaten.

Item Type:	Conference Paper
Publisher:	Nutrition Society of Australia
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/28528

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