Miya-Gold® / Top Gut® and Salmonella: From Microbiology To Measurable Impact

Dennis Smulders

Salmonella in swine: prevalence and economic relevance

Salmonella remains one of the most important food-borne pathogens associated with pork production. Across Europe, Salmonella seroprevalence in finishing pigs shows substantial variability between Member States (Table 1), with reported values ranging from below 5% to nearly 30%, depending on country and sampling matrix1,2.

 

Table 1. Observed seroprevalence (%) of slaughter pigs with antibodies to Salmonella, with conservative 95% confidence intervals, in 9 EU member states, 2006-20071

 

Beyond its public-health relevance, Salmonella has a direct economic impact at farm level through reduced performance, increased antimicrobial use, carcass condemnations, and penalties linked to slaughterhouse monitoring programs3. Indirect costs related to biosecurity measures and market restrictions further increase the burden, making Salmonella control a priority for modern swine production systems.

 

Why butyrate-producing Clostridia matter: insights from Chávez et al., 2016

The importance of gut microbiota composition in Salmonella control was clearly demonstrated by Chávaz et al. (2016)4. The authors showed that depletion of butyrate-producing Clostridia resulted in increased epithelial oxygenation, creating conditions that favoured intestinal expansion of Salmonella (Figure 1). Conversely, maintaining or restoring butyrate production contributed to colonisation resistance against Salmonella

 

Figure 1. The mitigating effect of butyrate-producing Clostridia on Salmonella in the gastrointestinal tract4

 

Butyrate plays a key role in strengthening the intestinal barrier, supporting epithelial integrity, and modulating local immune responses, thereby creating a gut environment that is less favourable for Salmonella survival and proliferation5,6. Miya-Gold® / Top Gut®, a probiotic based on Clostridium butyricum, fits within this biological concept by supporting butyrate production in the intestinal tract. These findings support the concept that targeted modulation of the gut microbiota using butyrate-producing probiotics can be an effective strategy to mitigate Salmonella at herd level. 

 

Miya-Gold®/Top Gut®: consistent Salmonella mitigation under field conditions

This microbiological concept is strongly supported by Huvepharma's growing body of field data. A recent meta-analysis of five Danish commercial trials demonstrated that supplementation with Miya-Gold® / Top Gut® (a Clostridium butyricum based probiotic) during the grower-finisher phase resulted in a 45% reduction in Salmonella seroprevalence, measured in meat juice at slaughter (Figure 2). 

 

Figure 2. Salmonella seroprevalence in meat juice before and after Miya-Gold® supplementation. Different superscripts (a,b) indicate a significant difference at p<0.001

 

Importantly, this effect was consistent across all farms, despite differences in management, herd size, and baseline infection pressure, highlighting the robustness of the approach under practical production conditions. All details of this meta-analysis can be found in TB10 linked below.

In total, eight technical bulletins are available on Salmonella mitigation with Miya-Gold, covering different production stages and commercial settings.

TB02 - Miya-Gold® supplementation reduces antimicrobial consumption in piglets
TB02 - Miya-Gold® decreases the number of Salmonella-positive fatteners
TB03 - Miya-Gold® reduces clinical Salmonella in weaned piglets
TB04 - Miya-Gold® from birth to growing decreases Salmonella-positive fatteners
TB04 - Miya-Gold® supplementation in piglets on Salmonella challenge
TB05 - Miya-Gold® reduces Salmonella under commercial conditions in fatteners
TB10 - Miya-Gold® reduces Salmonella seroprevalence in fattening pigs