This study aimed to investigate the effects of positive or negative emotional contagion on the environmental adaptability and pain sensitivity of the naïve pigs. In the study, 54 pigs were selected and paired into 27 test units, then assigned to the reward, punishment, and control groups (n = 9) randomly. In the reward or punishment groups, one pig in each pair was randomly chosen as the treated pig (TP), receiving either food rewards or electric shock treatments, while the other pig was the naïve pig (NP). The NPs did not have treatment or receive treatment information from the TPs. After the treatment, the paired pigs were allowed to interact for one hour. The paired pigs in the control group received no treatment and were allowed to interact with each other for one hour directly. Subsequently, the salivary physiological, open field, and pain sensitivity tests were performed. In the punishment group, the NPs showed elevated serotonin (p = 0.02) and amylase (p < 0.01), indicating negative emotion arousal. In the reward group, the NPs had higher cortisol (p = 0.01) and dopamine (p < 0.01), suggesting positive emotion arousal. The NPs in the punishment group spent less time in the central zone of the arena (p < 0.01), showing increased motivation to explore unfamiliar environments, while the NPs in the reward group spent more time in central zone (p = 0.04), indicating reduced anxiety and improved environmental adaptation. Neither positive nor negative emotional contagion had a significant effect on the pain sensitivity of pigs. In conclusion, positive emotional contagion can improve pigs' adaptability to unfamiliar environments, while negative emotional contagion did not.
{"title":"Differential Effects of Positive and Negative Emotional Contagion on Environmental Adaptability in Pigs.","authors":"Fang Sun, Yaqian Zhang, Yuhan Yao, Wenqi Li, Runze Liu, Jiaqi Yu, Xiangyu Liu, Xiang Li","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to investigate the effects of positive or negative emotional contagion on the environmental adaptability and pain sensitivity of the naïve pigs. In the study, 54 pigs were selected and paired into 27 test units, then assigned to the reward, punishment, and control groups (n = 9) randomly. In the reward or punishment groups, one pig in each pair was randomly chosen as the treated pig (TP), receiving either food rewards or electric shock treatments, while the other pig was the naïve pig (NP). The NPs did not have treatment or receive treatment information from the TPs. After the treatment, the paired pigs were allowed to interact for one hour. The paired pigs in the control group received no treatment and were allowed to interact with each other for one hour directly. Subsequently, the salivary physiological, open field, and pain sensitivity tests were performed. In the punishment group, the NPs showed elevated serotonin (p = 0.02) and amylase (p < 0.01), indicating negative emotion arousal. In the reward group, the NPs had higher cortisol (p = 0.01) and dopamine (p < 0.01), suggesting positive emotion arousal. The NPs in the punishment group spent less time in the central zone of the arena (p < 0.01), showing increased motivation to explore unfamiliar environments, while the NPs in the reward group spent more time in central zone (p = 0.04), indicating reduced anxiety and improved environmental adaptation. Neither positive nor negative emotional contagion had a significant effect on the pain sensitivity of pigs. In conclusion, positive emotional contagion can improve pigs' adaptability to unfamiliar environments, while negative emotional contagion did not.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146131885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mitchell J Nisley, Eric R Burrough, Joel D Spencer, Omarh F Mendoza, Hari B Krishnan, Nicholas K Gabler
Soybean-derived trypsin inhibitor proteins (TIU) impair amino acid bioavailability and increase exogenous and endogenous nitrogen flow to the hindgut, thereby attenuating pig growth performance. High protein diets potentiate proteolytic fermentation induced alterations to the gut microbiome, which may increase opportunistic enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) proliferation and exacerbate disease. We hypothesized that feeding high TIU diets to nursery pigs would reduce growth rates and exacerbate F18 ETEC disease. Two hundred and eighty-eight (5.42 ± 0.93 kg BW; Camborough 1050 × 337, [PIC, Hendersonville, TN]) newly weaned pigs were evenly allotted across two control rooms (CON) and two challenge rooms (ETEC). Pigs were allotted based on sex and α-(1,2) fucosyltransferase (FUT1) genotype, with both factors evenly distributed across all pens. Pens were randomly assigned to corn-soy diets consisting of 1.1, 2.4, or 4.2 TIU/mg, creating six treatments: CON1.1, CON2.4, CON4.2, ETEC1.1, ETEC2.4, and ETEC4.2 (8 pens/treatment). On day 10 (day post-infection [dpi] 0), pigs in the ETEC rooms were orally inoculated with 5 ml of 3.8 × 109 cfu/ml of an F18 ETEC culture. Pooled pen feces were assessed for dry matter (DM) on dpi 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 21. Pen growth performance, medical treatments, and mortality were assessed prior to infection (dpi -10 to 0) and post infection (dpi 0 to 28). On dpi 5 and 12, one pig/pen was sacrificed to assess ileal mucosal attachment of F18 ETEC via in situ hybridization. Pen was the experimental unit and data were analyzed for the interactive and main effects of diet and challenge. Increasing dietary TIU to 4.2 TIU/mg led to a 13-16% decrease in ADG compared to the 1.1 TIU/mg diets, regardless of the challenge (P = 0.014). A diet × challenge interaction was observed regarding mortality, with ETEC2.4 showing a 20.8% mortality rate compared to 0% in CON2.4 (P = 0.001). Similarly, 22.9% of ETEC2.4 pigs required antibiotic treatment compared with 0% of CON2.4 pigs (P = 0.001). Fecal DM from dpi 0-21 showed no interaction, but ETEC pens had lower fecal DM compared to CON pens from dpi 3-11 (P < 0.0001). On dpi 5, ileal F18 attachment was increased in ETEC versus CON pigs (3.7 × 10-3 vs 0.1 × 10-3 F18 copies/μm2, P < 0.0001). By dpi 12, ileal F18 attachment did not differ between challenge groups (P > 0.05), suggesting disease resolution. In conclusion, diets at or greater than 2.4 TIU/mg decreased pig growth and reduced livability in ETEC-infected nursery pigs.
{"title":"Dietary soybean-derived trypsin inhibitor protein reduces nursery pig performance and may exacerbate F18 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli disease.","authors":"Mitchell J Nisley, Eric R Burrough, Joel D Spencer, Omarh F Mendoza, Hari B Krishnan, Nicholas K Gabler","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soybean-derived trypsin inhibitor proteins (TIU) impair amino acid bioavailability and increase exogenous and endogenous nitrogen flow to the hindgut, thereby attenuating pig growth performance. High protein diets potentiate proteolytic fermentation induced alterations to the gut microbiome, which may increase opportunistic enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) proliferation and exacerbate disease. We hypothesized that feeding high TIU diets to nursery pigs would reduce growth rates and exacerbate F18 ETEC disease. Two hundred and eighty-eight (5.42 ± 0.93 kg BW; Camborough 1050 × 337, [PIC, Hendersonville, TN]) newly weaned pigs were evenly allotted across two control rooms (CON) and two challenge rooms (ETEC). Pigs were allotted based on sex and α-(1,2) fucosyltransferase (FUT1) genotype, with both factors evenly distributed across all pens. Pens were randomly assigned to corn-soy diets consisting of 1.1, 2.4, or 4.2 TIU/mg, creating six treatments: CON1.1, CON2.4, CON4.2, ETEC1.1, ETEC2.4, and ETEC4.2 (8 pens/treatment). On day 10 (day post-infection [dpi] 0), pigs in the ETEC rooms were orally inoculated with 5 ml of 3.8 × 109 cfu/ml of an F18 ETEC culture. Pooled pen feces were assessed for dry matter (DM) on dpi 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 21. Pen growth performance, medical treatments, and mortality were assessed prior to infection (dpi -10 to 0) and post infection (dpi 0 to 28). On dpi 5 and 12, one pig/pen was sacrificed to assess ileal mucosal attachment of F18 ETEC via in situ hybridization. Pen was the experimental unit and data were analyzed for the interactive and main effects of diet and challenge. Increasing dietary TIU to 4.2 TIU/mg led to a 13-16% decrease in ADG compared to the 1.1 TIU/mg diets, regardless of the challenge (P = 0.014). A diet × challenge interaction was observed regarding mortality, with ETEC2.4 showing a 20.8% mortality rate compared to 0% in CON2.4 (P = 0.001). Similarly, 22.9% of ETEC2.4 pigs required antibiotic treatment compared with 0% of CON2.4 pigs (P = 0.001). Fecal DM from dpi 0-21 showed no interaction, but ETEC pens had lower fecal DM compared to CON pens from dpi 3-11 (P < 0.0001). On dpi 5, ileal F18 attachment was increased in ETEC versus CON pigs (3.7 × 10-3 vs 0.1 × 10-3 F18 copies/μm2, P < 0.0001). By dpi 12, ileal F18 attachment did not differ between challenge groups (P > 0.05), suggesting disease resolution. In conclusion, diets at or greater than 2.4 TIU/mg decreased pig growth and reduced livability in ETEC-infected nursery pigs.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146124971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda L Holder, Elizabeth A Dressler, Ryon S Walker, James K Rogers, Anna Goldkamp, Darren Hagen, Megan M Rolf, Carla L Goad, David L Lalman
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of diet type on feed intake, animal performance and intake rank in mature, gestating Angus cows (130 ± 13 days pregnant at trial initiation) and to identify differentially expressed genes associated with each diet type. Forty-eight gestating commercial Angus cows (708 ± 52 kg of body weight; 7 ± 0.75 years old) were assigned to one of two diet sequences, concentrate-forage (CF) or forage-concentrate (FC), representing the order in which the two diets were consumed. In the first period, two of the four pens were assigned to the CF sequence and two to the FC sequence. Each pen contained an automatic waterer as well as four GrowSafe® feed intake units (GrowSafe System Ltd., Airdire, Alberta). The forage diet consisted of 100% processed hay (10.0% CP, 1.98 Mcal ME/kg DM) while the concentrate diet consisted of 43.0% hay, 22.0% corn, 24.0% soybean hulls, and 11.0% supplement on a DM basis (11.7% CP, DM basis and 2.43 Mcal ME/kg DM). Following a 14-day adaptation period, feed intake and body weight (BW) gain were recorded for 56 days. Subsequently, diet type was switched and followed by 14 days of adaptation to the new diet and 48 days of feed intake and BW gain measurement. Intake and performance data from this crossover study were analyzed using mixed model methods in SAS v9.4. There was a diet by period interaction (P < 0.01) for ADG with cows in the FC sequence gaining more weight than expected while consuming forage. Spearman rank correlation for dry matter intake (DMI) was 0.70 (P < 0.01) for FC cows and 0.36 (P < 0.1) for CF cows. In contrast, there was no significant relationship for average daily gain (ADG) among the two diet types, regardless of sequence (P > 0.4). In total, RNA sequencing of muscle tissue from the first period identified differentially expressed genes (DEG) associated with diet type. Enriched biological processes were identified by functional enrichment analysis of the DEG using g: Profiler and were primarily associated with energy metabolism and lipid biosynthesis. The results of this study support the hypothesis that gene expression in muscle responds differently when cows consume low-quality forage versus high-quality, energy-rich diets, even though feed intake rank correlations were high in the FC sequence and moderate in the CF sequence.
{"title":"Differential gene expression in skeletal muscle in response to variation in diet quality consumed by pregnant mature angus cows.","authors":"Amanda L Holder, Elizabeth A Dressler, Ryon S Walker, James K Rogers, Anna Goldkamp, Darren Hagen, Megan M Rolf, Carla L Goad, David L Lalman","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of diet type on feed intake, animal performance and intake rank in mature, gestating Angus cows (130 ± 13 days pregnant at trial initiation) and to identify differentially expressed genes associated with each diet type. Forty-eight gestating commercial Angus cows (708 ± 52 kg of body weight; 7 ± 0.75 years old) were assigned to one of two diet sequences, concentrate-forage (CF) or forage-concentrate (FC), representing the order in which the two diets were consumed. In the first period, two of the four pens were assigned to the CF sequence and two to the FC sequence. Each pen contained an automatic waterer as well as four GrowSafe® feed intake units (GrowSafe System Ltd., Airdire, Alberta). The forage diet consisted of 100% processed hay (10.0% CP, 1.98 Mcal ME/kg DM) while the concentrate diet consisted of 43.0% hay, 22.0% corn, 24.0% soybean hulls, and 11.0% supplement on a DM basis (11.7% CP, DM basis and 2.43 Mcal ME/kg DM). Following a 14-day adaptation period, feed intake and body weight (BW) gain were recorded for 56 days. Subsequently, diet type was switched and followed by 14 days of adaptation to the new diet and 48 days of feed intake and BW gain measurement. Intake and performance data from this crossover study were analyzed using mixed model methods in SAS v9.4. There was a diet by period interaction (P < 0.01) for ADG with cows in the FC sequence gaining more weight than expected while consuming forage. Spearman rank correlation for dry matter intake (DMI) was 0.70 (P < 0.01) for FC cows and 0.36 (P < 0.1) for CF cows. In contrast, there was no significant relationship for average daily gain (ADG) among the two diet types, regardless of sequence (P > 0.4). In total, RNA sequencing of muscle tissue from the first period identified differentially expressed genes (DEG) associated with diet type. Enriched biological processes were identified by functional enrichment analysis of the DEG using g: Profiler and were primarily associated with energy metabolism and lipid biosynthesis. The results of this study support the hypothesis that gene expression in muscle responds differently when cows consume low-quality forage versus high-quality, energy-rich diets, even though feed intake rank correlations were high in the FC sequence and moderate in the CF sequence.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146113330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Local cattle breeds have been domesticated and adapted to various climatic environments through natural and artificial selection. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation remain unknown. Adipose tissue browning may play a crucial role in this adaptation. Our analysis of 777K SNP genotyping data from 25 local Chinese cattle breeds revealed that the HSPA12B (heat shock protein A12B) gene underwent positive selection in Chinese northern cold-adapted breeds and Tibetan Plateau breeds. The results of the Western blot experiment showed that HSPA12B was highly expressed in adipose tissues of cattle and mice, with a relatively high expression level in the interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) of mice. Following cold induction, the expression of HSPA12B was upregulated in both the iBAT and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) of mice. We generated a Hspa12b knockout mouse model, and qRT-PCR data analysis showed that the deletion of Hspa12b promoted adipose browning thermogenesis by increasing the expression of Elovl3 and Ucp1 (P＜0.05) at low temperature. Protein-protein interaction prediction results showed that interactions exist between HSPA12B and ELOVL3 in both mice and cattle. Furthermore, glucose and insulin tolerance testing experiments showd that the deletion of Hspa12b promoted glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity (P＜0.05) in mice. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence that HSPA12B acts as a negative regulator of adipose tissue browning and thermogenesis, and this regulatory effect is mediated through the modulation of ELOVL3 expression. Moreover, HSPA12B is activated by low temperatures, which acts as a homeostatic mechanism to prevent excessive browning of fat and to maintain body temperature. These findings offer new insights into the molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation in animals and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for human obesity and diabetes.
{"title":"From Selection Signatures in Cattle to Functional Validation in Mice: HSPA12B Negatively Regulates Adipose Browning and Thermogenesis.","authors":"Yaping Gao,Jinpeng Wang,Qiang Jiang,Xiuge Wang,Zhihua Ju,Chunhong Yang,Xiaochao Wei,Yaran Zhang,Yao Xiao,Jinming Huang","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag016","url":null,"abstract":"Local cattle breeds have been domesticated and adapted to various climatic environments through natural and artificial selection. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation remain unknown. Adipose tissue browning may play a crucial role in this adaptation. Our analysis of 777K SNP genotyping data from 25 local Chinese cattle breeds revealed that the HSPA12B (heat shock protein A12B) gene underwent positive selection in Chinese northern cold-adapted breeds and Tibetan Plateau breeds. The results of the Western blot experiment showed that HSPA12B was highly expressed in adipose tissues of cattle and mice, with a relatively high expression level in the interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) of mice. Following cold induction, the expression of HSPA12B was upregulated in both the iBAT and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) of mice. We generated a Hspa12b knockout mouse model, and qRT-PCR data analysis showed that the deletion of Hspa12b promoted adipose browning thermogenesis by increasing the expression of Elovl3 and Ucp1 (P＜0.05) at low temperature. Protein-protein interaction prediction results showed that interactions exist between HSPA12B and ELOVL3 in both mice and cattle. Furthermore, glucose and insulin tolerance testing experiments showd that the deletion of Hspa12b promoted glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity (P＜0.05) in mice. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence that HSPA12B acts as a negative regulator of adipose tissue browning and thermogenesis, and this regulatory effect is mediated through the modulation of ELOVL3 expression. Moreover, HSPA12B is activated by low temperatures, which acts as a homeostatic mechanism to prevent excessive browning of fat and to maintain body temperature. These findings offer new insights into the molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation in animals and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for human obesity and diabetes.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrés R Perea, Lara K Macon, Maximiliano J Spetter, Micah P Funk, Mehmet Bakir, Richard E Estell, Brandon T Bestelmeyer, Andres F Cibils, Santiago A Utsumi
Virtual fencing (VF) is an emerging concept for managing livestock distribution using smart-tracking collars. The collars apply Global Navigation Satellite System technology to emit sound alerts that warn animals of virtual boundaries enforced by electric pulses. Behavioral differences may explain how individuals and breeds respond to this technology. This work compared behavioral responses of non-lactating Rarámuri Criollo (RC) and Angus-Hereford (AH) cattle to a commercial VF system during the training phase. Thirty RC and 30 AH cows naive to VF were fitted with Nofence collars and assigned by breed to rectangular pens (n = 3 per breed) in a completely randomized design. Wheat hay was provided ad libitum at feeding stations located on the east and west ends of each pen, which were made accessible or restricted via VF schedules applied across six 3-day periods. Period 1 had no restrictions; periods 2 and 3 restricted access to the west and east feeding stations, respectively; and periods 4–6 repeated these configurations. Behavioral responses, including number of auditory warnings, electric pulses, electric pulses to auditory warnings ratio, animal activity, and spatial distribution in pens, were evaluated using repeated measures mixed model ANOVA (α = 0.05). AH cows received more auditory warnings and electric pulses on day 1 of period 2 and a greater ratio of electric pulses to auditory warnings in periods 2–3 than periods 5–6, respectively. RC cows spent more time within the designated VF containment zone on day 1 of period 2. AH cows exhibited consistently greater movement activity throughout the study. Overall VF containment was 97%, indicating that both breeds successfully learned and adapted to shifting virtual boundaries. These results suggest that breed-specific behavioral traits, including vigilance, risk assessment, feeding motivation, and activity, may underline differential responses to VF during early training.
{"title":"Differential response of Angus-Hereford and Rarámuri Criollo cattle to a dynamic feeding challenge during the training to an autonomous virtual fencing collar","authors":"Andrés R Perea, Lara K Macon, Maximiliano J Spetter, Micah P Funk, Mehmet Bakir, Richard E Estell, Brandon T Bestelmeyer, Andres F Cibils, Santiago A Utsumi","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag024","url":null,"abstract":"Virtual fencing (VF) is an emerging concept for managing livestock distribution using smart-tracking collars. The collars apply Global Navigation Satellite System technology to emit sound alerts that warn animals of virtual boundaries enforced by electric pulses. Behavioral differences may explain how individuals and breeds respond to this technology. This work compared behavioral responses of non-lactating Rarámuri Criollo (RC) and Angus-Hereford (AH) cattle to a commercial VF system during the training phase. Thirty RC and 30 AH cows naive to VF were fitted with Nofence collars and assigned by breed to rectangular pens (n = 3 per breed) in a completely randomized design. Wheat hay was provided ad libitum at feeding stations located on the east and west ends of each pen, which were made accessible or restricted via VF schedules applied across six 3-day periods. Period 1 had no restrictions; periods 2 and 3 restricted access to the west and east feeding stations, respectively; and periods 4–6 repeated these configurations. Behavioral responses, including number of auditory warnings, electric pulses, electric pulses to auditory warnings ratio, animal activity, and spatial distribution in pens, were evaluated using repeated measures mixed model ANOVA (α = 0.05). AH cows received more auditory warnings and electric pulses on day 1 of period 2 and a greater ratio of electric pulses to auditory warnings in periods 2–3 than periods 5–6, respectively. RC cows spent more time within the designated VF containment zone on day 1 of period 2. AH cows exhibited consistently greater movement activity throughout the study. Overall VF containment was 97%, indicating that both breeds successfully learned and adapted to shifting virtual boundaries. These results suggest that breed-specific behavioral traits, including vigilance, risk assessment, feeding motivation, and activity, may underline differential responses to VF during early training.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"286 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mackenzie M Smithyman, Vinícius N Gouvêa, Dayna L Campbell, Glenn C Duff, Clint A Löest, Reinaldo F Cooke, Matthew R Beck, Mark E Branine
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of providing a supplemental water source (SWS) or an experimental nutrient repletion solution (NRS) following feedlot arrival on intake, growth performance, health, and immune responses of newly received calves. A total of 270 weaned lightweight British × Continental crossbred heifers (initial body weight [BW] = 236 ± 19 kg) were ranked by shrunk BW and allocated into 18 soil-surfaced pens (12 × 35 m; 15 heifers/pen). Treatments were: 1) Control (CON): water was provided through a standard in-pen automatic waterer only; 2) Supplemental water source (SWS): CON plus water provided with one additional 416-L stock tank/pen; 3) Experimental nutrient repletion solution (NRS): provided with one 416-L stock tank/pen as the only source of drinking solution. The SWS and NRS were provided from days 1 to 4, after which supplemental tanks were removed. From days 5 to 56, all heifers had only access to the standard in-pen automatic waterer. Heifers had ad libitum access to feed and water and the WI was measured daily throughout the experiment. Body weights and blood samples via jugular venipuncture were collected on days 1, 4, 14, 28, and 56. A treatment × day interaction was observed for average BW, ADG, and water intake (P ≤ 0.05). SWS and NRS increased DMI compared to CON during days 5-15 (P < 0.001), and the increase in DMI persisted for SWS compared to CON between days 16-29 (P < 0.01). The ADG was lower for NRS compared to CON during days 1-4 (P < 0.01), and water intake was greater for SWS and NRS compared to CON between days 1-4 (P < 0.001). No differences between treatments were observed for morbidity and mortality rate (P ≥ 0.28). The cumulative incidence of BRD tended to be lower for SWS compared to CON during days 9-27 (P ≤ 0.10). No treatment or treatment × day interactions were observed for any of the plasma hormones and metabolites evaluated (P ≥ 0.11), except for plasma glucose, which tended to be lower for NRS compared to CON (P = 0.10), and serum antibody titers against bovine viral diarrhea virus, which were greater for NRS compared to CON (P = 0.02). Providing SWS or NRS to high-risk newly received beef calves for 4 days after arrival to the feedyard may increase water, feed intake and immune response.
{"title":"Providing a supplemental source of water or a trace-mineral-based drinking solution upon feedlot arrival affects intake, growth performance, and health of newly received finishing calves","authors":"Mackenzie M Smithyman, Vinícius N Gouvêa, Dayna L Campbell, Glenn C Duff, Clint A Löest, Reinaldo F Cooke, Matthew R Beck, Mark E Branine","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag022","url":null,"abstract":"The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of providing a supplemental water source (SWS) or an experimental nutrient repletion solution (NRS) following feedlot arrival on intake, growth performance, health, and immune responses of newly received calves. A total of 270 weaned lightweight British × Continental crossbred heifers (initial body weight [BW] = 236 ± 19 kg) were ranked by shrunk BW and allocated into 18 soil-surfaced pens (12 × 35 m; 15 heifers/pen). Treatments were: 1) Control (CON): water was provided through a standard in-pen automatic waterer only; 2) Supplemental water source (SWS): CON plus water provided with one additional 416-L stock tank/pen; 3) Experimental nutrient repletion solution (NRS): provided with one 416-L stock tank/pen as the only source of drinking solution. The SWS and NRS were provided from days 1 to 4, after which supplemental tanks were removed. From days 5 to 56, all heifers had only access to the standard in-pen automatic waterer. Heifers had ad libitum access to feed and water and the WI was measured daily throughout the experiment. Body weights and blood samples via jugular venipuncture were collected on days 1, 4, 14, 28, and 56. A treatment × day interaction was observed for average BW, ADG, and water intake (P ≤ 0.05). SWS and NRS increased DMI compared to CON during days 5-15 (P &lt; 0.001), and the increase in DMI persisted for SWS compared to CON between days 16-29 (P &lt; 0.01). The ADG was lower for NRS compared to CON during days 1-4 (P &lt; 0.01), and water intake was greater for SWS and NRS compared to CON between days 1-4 (P &lt; 0.001). No differences between treatments were observed for morbidity and mortality rate (P ≥ 0.28). The cumulative incidence of BRD tended to be lower for SWS compared to CON during days 9-27 (P ≤ 0.10). No treatment or treatment × day interactions were observed for any of the plasma hormones and metabolites evaluated (P ≥ 0.11), except for plasma glucose, which tended to be lower for NRS compared to CON (P = 0.10), and serum antibody titers against bovine viral diarrhea virus, which were greater for NRS compared to CON (P = 0.02). Providing SWS or NRS to high-risk newly received beef calves for 4 days after arrival to the feedyard may increase water, feed intake and immune response.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"285 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Duy Ngoc Do, Mohsen Jafarikia, Laurence Maignel, Dan Tulpan, Deborah Adewole, Justin Holl, Brian Sullivan, Younes Miar
Feed represents the largest cost in pig production, making improvement in feed efficiency (FE) essential for maximizing the profitability for pig producers. The objective was to model different FE traits and to estimate the phenotypic and genetic correlations among these FE traits, growth traits, and feeding behaviour traits. The FE traits included: feed conversion ratio (FCR), six measures of residual feed intake (RFI1-6), residual gain (RG), residual intake and gain (RIG), and Kleiber ratio (KR). The RFIs were calculated by regressing daily feed intake (DFI) on different combinations of covariates, including metabolic midweight, average daily gain (ADG120), backfat thickness (BF120), and loin depth (LD120). Feeding behaviour traits analyzed were the number of visits to the feeder per day (NVD), total time spent eating per day (TPD), feed intake rate (FR), feed intake per visit (FPV), and time spent eating per visit (TPV). Genetic parameters of the studied traits from 14,939 Duroc pigs were estimated using ASReml-R version 4.2. The univariate model indicated that fixed effects (sex, herd-year-season), covariates (initial body weight, adjusted age at 120 kg), and random effects (pen, litter, maternal genetics) are all significant for FE and performance traits (P < 0.05). Heritability estimates (±SE) for FE traits ranged from 0.28 ± 0.03 for RFI1 to 0.34 ± 0.03 for FCR indicating moderate heritability. Similarly, most of the performance and feeding behaviour traits had moderate heritability, with higher estimates observed for BF120 (0.51 ± 0.03), FR (0.62 ± 0.02) and TPD (0.60 ± 0.02). All six RFI traits had weak to moderate positive genetic correlations (±SE) with BF120 (from 0.13 ± 0.06 for RFI6 to 0.58 ± 0.04 for RFI1 and RFI2). Only RFI1, RFI2, and RFI3 had significant genetic correlations with LD120 estimated at -0.40 ± 0.05, -0.41 ± 0.05 and -0.23 ± 0.06, respectively. FCR displayed significant genetic correlations with ADG120 (-0.64 ± 0.07), BF (0.55 ± 0.05), and LD120 (-0.61 ± 0.07). RG and RIG had significant positive genetic correlations with ADG120 and low or non-significant genetic correlations with BF120 and LD120. FE traits had weak genetic correlations with feeding behaviour traits. Overall, the results demonstrate that RFI is a more reliable and advantageous trait for improving feed efficiency compared with FCR, as it maintains favorable relationships with growth traits while minimizing negative effects on carcass quality. The weak associations between feed efficiency and feeding behavior traits further suggest that selecting for RFI can enhance feed utilization without unintended behavioral consequences. These findings highlight the potential of RFI as a selection criterion to advance genetic improvement programs focused on sustainable production efficiency without compromising key economic and quality traits
{"title":"Genetic parameters for feed efficiency, growth performance, and feeding behaviors traits in Canadian duroc pigs","authors":"Duy Ngoc Do, Mohsen Jafarikia, Laurence Maignel, Dan Tulpan, Deborah Adewole, Justin Holl, Brian Sullivan, Younes Miar","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag023","url":null,"abstract":"Feed represents the largest cost in pig production, making improvement in feed efficiency (FE) essential for maximizing the profitability for pig producers. The objective was to model different FE traits and to estimate the phenotypic and genetic correlations among these FE traits, growth traits, and feeding behaviour traits. The FE traits included: feed conversion ratio (FCR), six measures of residual feed intake (RFI1-6), residual gain (RG), residual intake and gain (RIG), and Kleiber ratio (KR). The RFIs were calculated by regressing daily feed intake (DFI) on different combinations of covariates, including metabolic midweight, average daily gain (ADG120), backfat thickness (BF120), and loin depth (LD120). Feeding behaviour traits analyzed were the number of visits to the feeder per day (NVD), total time spent eating per day (TPD), feed intake rate (FR), feed intake per visit (FPV), and time spent eating per visit (TPV). Genetic parameters of the studied traits from 14,939 Duroc pigs were estimated using ASReml-R version 4.2. The univariate model indicated that fixed effects (sex, herd-year-season), covariates (initial body weight, adjusted age at 120 kg), and random effects (pen, litter, maternal genetics) are all significant for FE and performance traits (P &lt; 0.05). Heritability estimates (±SE) for FE traits ranged from 0.28 ± 0.03 for RFI1 to 0.34 ± 0.03 for FCR indicating moderate heritability. Similarly, most of the performance and feeding behaviour traits had moderate heritability, with higher estimates observed for BF120 (0.51 ± 0.03), FR (0.62 ± 0.02) and TPD (0.60 ± 0.02). All six RFI traits had weak to moderate positive genetic correlations (±SE) with BF120 (from 0.13 ± 0.06 for RFI6 to 0.58 ± 0.04 for RFI1 and RFI2). Only RFI1, RFI2, and RFI3 had significant genetic correlations with LD120 estimated at -0.40 ± 0.05, -0.41 ± 0.05 and -0.23 ± 0.06, respectively. FCR displayed significant genetic correlations with ADG120 (-0.64 ± 0.07), BF (0.55 ± 0.05), and LD120 (-0.61 ± 0.07). RG and RIG had significant positive genetic correlations with ADG120 and low or non-significant genetic correlations with BF120 and LD120. FE traits had weak genetic correlations with feeding behaviour traits. Overall, the results demonstrate that RFI is a more reliable and advantageous trait for improving feed efficiency compared with FCR, as it maintains favorable relationships with growth traits while minimizing negative effects on carcass quality. The weak associations between feed efficiency and feeding behavior traits further suggest that selecting for RFI can enhance feed utilization without unintended behavioral consequences. These findings highlight the potential of RFI as a selection criterion to advance genetic improvement programs focused on sustainable production efficiency without compromising key economic and quality traits","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Ma,Fei Gong,Yanrui Yue,Fuheng Xu,Xiaoxuan He,Jinrong Feng,Huping Xue,Jia Feng,Yuna Min
Apidaecin (Api), an antimicrobial peptide, exhibits in vitro efficacy against Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and enhances broiler growth performance via modulation of intestinal barrier function. This study evaluated the effects of dietary apidaecin on intestinal health in laying hens and its potential to mitigate S. Typhimurium infection and egg contamination. A total of 288 Hy-Line grey layers (45-week-old) were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments (6 replicates per treatment, 12 birds per replicate). Basal diet supplemented with 0 (Con), 300(Api300), 500(Api500), or 700(Api700) mg/kg apidaecin for 12 weeks. Based on intestinal barrier function assessment, 18 hens each from the Con and Api 500 groups were selected for S. Typhimurium challenge. Apidaecin's inhibitory effects on S. Typhimurium adhesion and invasion were further assessed using an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell model. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with Duncan's post-hoc test for multi-group comparisons and independent t-tests for two-group comparisons. Results indicated that daily feed intake, crypt depth and villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C) of intestinal tract showed a quadratic response (P < 0.05) to increasing levels of apidaecin supplementation. Apidaecin (500 mg/kg) significantly reduced feed intake (1.76%), jejunal (29.04%) and ileal crypt depth (31.04%), while increasing duodenal (24.41%), jejunal (45.15%) and ileal V/C (36.39%) versus control (P < 0.05). Apidaecin significantly increased (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of beneficial short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (e.g., Phascolarctobacterium and Desulfovibrio), while reducing (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of enteritis-associated pathogens (e.g., Actinobacillus) of cecum. These beneficial effects were maximized at the 500 mg/kg diet level. Post-challenge, Api 500 hens exhibited increased (P < 0.05) jejunal and ileal V/C ratios and ileal secretory IgA expression compared to controls. Furthermore, apidaecin supplementation significantly reduced (P < 0.05) S. Typhimurium loads in the ileum, spleen, liver and on eggshells. In vitro assays confirmed apidaecin's direct inhibition (P < 0.05) of S. Typhimurium adhesion to and invasion of intestinal epithelial cells. Collectively, these findings support the potential of dietary apidaecin supplementation in poultry feed formulations to enhance intestinal health and improve the food safety of egg products by reducing Salmonella contamination.
{"title":"Harnessing apidaecin capability to improve intestinal health and inhibit Salmonella Typhimurium transmission in laying hens.","authors":"Hui Ma,Fei Gong,Yanrui Yue,Fuheng Xu,Xiaoxuan He,Jinrong Feng,Huping Xue,Jia Feng,Yuna Min","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag020","url":null,"abstract":"Apidaecin (Api), an antimicrobial peptide, exhibits in vitro efficacy against Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and enhances broiler growth performance via modulation of intestinal barrier function. This study evaluated the effects of dietary apidaecin on intestinal health in laying hens and its potential to mitigate S. Typhimurium infection and egg contamination. A total of 288 Hy-Line grey layers (45-week-old) were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments (6 replicates per treatment, 12 birds per replicate). Basal diet supplemented with 0 (Con), 300(Api300), 500(Api500), or 700(Api700) mg/kg apidaecin for 12 weeks. Based on intestinal barrier function assessment, 18 hens each from the Con and Api 500 groups were selected for S. Typhimurium challenge. Apidaecin's inhibitory effects on S. Typhimurium adhesion and invasion were further assessed using an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell model. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with Duncan's post-hoc test for multi-group comparisons and independent t-tests for two-group comparisons. Results indicated that daily feed intake, crypt depth and villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C) of intestinal tract showed a quadratic response (P < 0.05) to increasing levels of apidaecin supplementation. Apidaecin (500 mg/kg) significantly reduced feed intake (1.76%), jejunal (29.04%) and ileal crypt depth (31.04%), while increasing duodenal (24.41%), jejunal (45.15%) and ileal V/C (36.39%) versus control (P < 0.05). Apidaecin significantly increased (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of beneficial short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (e.g., Phascolarctobacterium and Desulfovibrio), while reducing (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of enteritis-associated pathogens (e.g., Actinobacillus) of cecum. These beneficial effects were maximized at the 500 mg/kg diet level. Post-challenge, Api 500 hens exhibited increased (P < 0.05) jejunal and ileal V/C ratios and ileal secretory IgA expression compared to controls. Furthermore, apidaecin supplementation significantly reduced (P < 0.05) S. Typhimurium loads in the ileum, spleen, liver and on eggshells. In vitro assays confirmed apidaecin's direct inhibition (P < 0.05) of S. Typhimurium adhesion to and invasion of intestinal epithelial cells. Collectively, these findings support the potential of dietary apidaecin supplementation in poultry feed formulations to enhance intestinal health and improve the food safety of egg products by reducing Salmonella contamination.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"72 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146069913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Calf diarrhea, one of the most common stresses causing by heifer rearing, affects most Chinese dairy herds, yet its long-term consequences on lactation performance remain poorly quantified. This study explored whether calf diarrhea has a long-term effect on the lactation performance and Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI)-related indices of dairy cows and its influence during different lactation periods. This retrospective study included a total of 1,907 Holstein dairy cows from a large-scale farm in northern China (700 in the diarrhea group and 1,207 in the healthy group). A mixed effects model and mediation analysis were used to evaluate the effects of calf diarrhea on growth performance, milk yield, milk composition and other lactation parameters at different parities and lactation periods. The results revealed that the negative effect of calf diarrhea on lactation performance was persistent and varied by parity. The 305-d milk yield and peak milk yield of cows at each parity in the diarrhea group were significantly lower than those in the healthy group (P < 0.05). Growth performance, such as withers height (median: 134.00 vs. 135.00 cm), was more significantly affected in the first parity (P < 0.001). With increasing parity, the difference in body condition scores narrowed, but the loss of milk production continued to accumulate. For the second and third parities, cows with calf diarrhea presented significant reductions in 305-day milk yield, with decreases of 287.36 kg and 1,086.76 kg in the median comparison, respectively (P < 0.05). The corrected milk yield and milk fat percentage during the early postpartum and early lactation periods decreased more significantly in multiparous cows, and the daily milk production in the middle and late lactation periods remained consistently lower than that in the healthy group (P < 0.05). Mediation analysis confirmed that milk production played a key mediating role in the pathway by which diarrhea affected the milk fat percentage. Our research revealed that calf diarrhea is a critical early-life health challenge, with consequences extending beyond the calf period to significantly affect lactation potential. Our findings underscore the need for early-life interventions to mitigate lactation losses in high-parity herds.
犊牛腹泻是犊牛饲养过程中最常见的应激因素之一，影响着大多数中国奶牛群，但其对泌乳性能的长期影响仍缺乏量化。本研究旨在探讨犊牛腹泻对奶牛泌乳性能和奶牛群改善（DHI）相关指标的长期影响及其在不同泌乳期的影响。本回顾性研究包括来自中国北方一家大型农场的1907头荷斯坦奶牛（腹泻组700头，健康组1207头）。采用混合效应模型和中介分析，评价犊牛腹泻对不同胎次和泌乳期生长性能、产奶量、乳成分等泌乳参数的影响。结果表明，犊牛腹泻对泌乳性能的负面影响是持续性的，且随胎次的不同而不同。腹泻组奶牛各胎次305 d产奶量和峰值产奶量显著低于健康组（P < 0.05）。生长性能，如肩胛骨高度（中位数：134.00 vs. 135.00 cm），在第一次胎次受到更显著的影响（P < 0.001）。随着胎次的增加，体况得分的差异缩小，但产奶量的损失继续积累。对于第二胎和第三胎，犊牛腹泻显著降低305天产奶量，中位数分别降低287.36 kg和1,086.76 kg （P < 0.05）。多产奶牛产后早期和泌乳早期的修正产奶量和乳脂率下降更为显著，泌乳中后期的日产奶量持续低于健康组（P < 0.05）。中介分析证实，产奶量在腹泻影响乳脂率的途径中发挥了关键的中介作用。我们的研究表明，犊牛腹泻是一个重要的早期生命健康挑战，其后果延伸到犊牛期之后，显著影响泌乳潜力。我们的研究结果强调了早期生命干预的必要性，以减轻高胎次畜群的泌乳损失。
{"title":"Persistent Effects of Neonatal Diarrhea on Holstein Dairy Cow Lactation Performance through Multiple Parities.","authors":"Xinfeng Hou,Jingyi Xu,Jianrong Ren,Liu Guanglei,Xiaoxu Wang,Qian Du,Zheng Niu,Yangchun Cao,Dewen Tong,Shengru Wu,Junhu Yao","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag019","url":null,"abstract":"Calf diarrhea, one of the most common stresses causing by heifer rearing, affects most Chinese dairy herds, yet its long-term consequences on lactation performance remain poorly quantified. This study explored whether calf diarrhea has a long-term effect on the lactation performance and Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI)-related indices of dairy cows and its influence during different lactation periods. This retrospective study included a total of 1,907 Holstein dairy cows from a large-scale farm in northern China (700 in the diarrhea group and 1,207 in the healthy group). A mixed effects model and mediation analysis were used to evaluate the effects of calf diarrhea on growth performance, milk yield, milk composition and other lactation parameters at different parities and lactation periods. The results revealed that the negative effect of calf diarrhea on lactation performance was persistent and varied by parity. The 305-d milk yield and peak milk yield of cows at each parity in the diarrhea group were significantly lower than those in the healthy group (P < 0.05). Growth performance, such as withers height (median: 134.00 vs. 135.00 cm), was more significantly affected in the first parity (P < 0.001). With increasing parity, the difference in body condition scores narrowed, but the loss of milk production continued to accumulate. For the second and third parities, cows with calf diarrhea presented significant reductions in 305-day milk yield, with decreases of 287.36 kg and 1,086.76 kg in the median comparison, respectively (P < 0.05). The corrected milk yield and milk fat percentage during the early postpartum and early lactation periods decreased more significantly in multiparous cows, and the daily milk production in the middle and late lactation periods remained consistently lower than that in the healthy group (P < 0.05). Mediation analysis confirmed that milk production played a key mediating role in the pathway by which diarrhea affected the milk fat percentage. Our research revealed that calf diarrhea is a critical early-life health challenge, with consequences extending beyond the calf period to significantly affect lactation potential. Our findings underscore the need for early-life interventions to mitigate lactation losses in high-parity herds.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146069936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hyunjin Kyoung,Jinuk Nam,Jin Ho Cho,Jeehwan Choe,Kyeong Il Park,Jinmu Ahn,Yonggu Kang,Hyeun Bum Kim,Minho Song
Weaning period is a critical phase in swine production, and is characterized by reduced feed intake, growth retardation, and increased incidence of diarrhea. Supplemental dietary flavor has been used as a nutritional strategy to improve feed palatability and support early post-weaning growth. However, information on the effects on nutrient digestibility and systemic immune responses is still lacking. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of dietary flavor on growth performance, frequency of diarrhea, nutrient digestibility, and systemic immune responses of weaned pigs. A total of 72 weaned pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc; 28 days of age; average initial body weight = 6.51 ± 0.21 kg; equal sex ratio) were randomly assigned with two dietary treatments (four pigs per pen; nine replicates per treatment) for 42 days. Dietary treatments were a basal weaner diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON; one-phase mash diet formulated to meet or exceed basal nutrient requirements) and the CON supplemented with 0.05% dietary flavor additive containing a milky scent (FLA; Luctarom; Lucta Guangzhou Flavors Co. Ltd, Guangdong, China). Pigs in the FLA group had greater (P < 0.05) average daily gain between days 1 and 14 and tended to have greater (P = 0.087) average daily gain between days 1 and 42 compared to CON. Average daily feed intake (P = 0.092) and feed efficiency (P = 0.065) tended to have greater in the FLA group than CON group between days 1 and 14. Pigs fed FLA tended to reduce (P = 0.087) frequency of diarrhea between days 1 and 14 and have greater (P = 0.092) the apparent total tract of digestibility of gross energy than those fed CON. In systemic immune responses, the FLA group tended to have greater serum TGF-β1 (P = 0.089) and tended to reduce packed cell volume (P = 0.074), white blood cell counts (P = 0.081), serum IL-6 (P = 0.059), and serum cortisol (P = 0.070) on day 14 compared with the CON group. Our findings suggest that dietary flavor supplementation may improve growth performance and modulate systemic immunity in weaned pigs, potentially through enhanced nutrient digestibility and regulation of inflammatory responses.
{"title":"Short Communication: Dietary Flavor in Corn and Soybean Meal-Based Diet Reduced Post-Weaning Diarrhea by Attenuating Weaning Stress and Systemic Inflammation of Pigs.","authors":"Hyunjin Kyoung,Jinuk Nam,Jin Ho Cho,Jeehwan Choe,Kyeong Il Park,Jinmu Ahn,Yonggu Kang,Hyeun Bum Kim,Minho Song","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag017","url":null,"abstract":"Weaning period is a critical phase in swine production, and is characterized by reduced feed intake, growth retardation, and increased incidence of diarrhea. Supplemental dietary flavor has been used as a nutritional strategy to improve feed palatability and support early post-weaning growth. However, information on the effects on nutrient digestibility and systemic immune responses is still lacking. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of dietary flavor on growth performance, frequency of diarrhea, nutrient digestibility, and systemic immune responses of weaned pigs. A total of 72 weaned pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc; 28 days of age; average initial body weight = 6.51 ± 0.21 kg; equal sex ratio) were randomly assigned with two dietary treatments (four pigs per pen; nine replicates per treatment) for 42 days. Dietary treatments were a basal weaner diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON; one-phase mash diet formulated to meet or exceed basal nutrient requirements) and the CON supplemented with 0.05% dietary flavor additive containing a milky scent (FLA; Luctarom; Lucta Guangzhou Flavors Co. Ltd, Guangdong, China). Pigs in the FLA group had greater (P < 0.05) average daily gain between days 1 and 14 and tended to have greater (P = 0.087) average daily gain between days 1 and 42 compared to CON. Average daily feed intake (P = 0.092) and feed efficiency (P = 0.065) tended to have greater in the FLA group than CON group between days 1 and 14. Pigs fed FLA tended to reduce (P = 0.087) frequency of diarrhea between days 1 and 14 and have greater (P = 0.092) the apparent total tract of digestibility of gross energy than those fed CON. In systemic immune responses, the FLA group tended to have greater serum TGF-β1 (P = 0.089) and tended to reduce packed cell volume (P = 0.074), white blood cell counts (P = 0.081), serum IL-6 (P = 0.059), and serum cortisol (P = 0.070) on day 14 compared with the CON group. Our findings suggest that dietary flavor supplementation may improve growth performance and modulate systemic immunity in weaned pigs, potentially through enhanced nutrient digestibility and regulation of inflammatory responses.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146056637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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