Maternal Supplementation of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii</i> to Sows from Late Gestation through Lactation Impacts the Neutrophil Function of the Sow and the Innate Immune Status of Progeny Short-Term

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the potential immunomodulatory effect of maternal supplementation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii (Scb) from late gestation until the end of lactation on the immune phenotype of her progeny. Eighteen sows were fed 2 boluses per day of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CMCN-1079 (probiotic; PRO, n = 9) or placebo (CON, n = 9) starting at gestational day (GD) 84 and continuing until 21 days post-farrowing (end of lactation). Sow blood samples were collected every 7 days post-supplementation during gestation and 24-h post-farrowing and end of lactation. Blood samples were taken from 84 female pigs (n = 42 per sow treatment group) at 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days old to assess innate and adaptive immune measures. Minimal effects of Scb supplementation were found on sow immune status during gestation and lactation, except for PRO-treated sows that had enhanced neutrophil function (P and mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation after 51 days of treatment (P neutrophil chemotaxis, NK cytotoxicity, and mitogen-induced B-lymphocyte proliferation than those from CON sows (P inimal effect on the sows but postnatal maternal exposure to Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii supplementation modulated the immune status of the progeny beyond the lactation period resulting in those from PRO-treated sows having more enhanced neutrophil function and B-cell proliferative response in the short term. Therefore, these data imply that including yeast probiotics in maternal diets may have carry-over effects in priming offspring’s immune function, especially neutrophil function and B-cell proliferation in the short term.