Lay Summary Post-weaning diarrhea remains one of the main challenges in pig production, leading to impaired growth, welfare issues, and economic losses. Early detection of intestinal impairment is difficult, as current diagnostic methods are mostly based on visual assessment or invasive sampling. Fecal biomarkers represent a promising alternative because they can reveal intestinal inflammation and barrier integrity through simple non-invasive collection. Four fecal biomarkers (calprotectin, lipocalin-2, myeloperoxidase, and adenosine deaminase) were analyzed in piglets receiving either a standard diet or one supplemented with zinc oxide (ZnO), recognized for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Among the analyzed markers, calprotectin showed the greatest sensitivity to ZnO supplementation and the strongest correlations with genes related to inflammation, stress, and intestinal barrier function. Lipocalin-2 showed a similar but less consistent pattern, while myeloperoxidase and adenosine deaminase were more related to cellular stress than to intestinal inflammation. These results suggest that calprotectin is a reliable biomarker for monitoring post-weaning gut health in piglets in a non-invasive manner.
Suppi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.