At the end of the experiment (day 13), blood samples were taken
from the jugular vein and coagulated at room temperature for
60 min. Serumwas separated by centrifugation (3,000 rpm, 10 min,
4 C) and stored at 20 C until biochemical analysis and ELISA.
After blood sampling, all of the piglets were euthanized. The
abdomenwas immediately opened and intestinal contents of colon
and cecum were collected for bacterial counts. Tissues from terminal
ileum were removed and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen.
The samples were stored at 80 C until analysis. Tissues
from the jejunum were collected and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde
solution for analysis.