Porcine Health Management最新文献

This study aims to investigate the effects of maternal supplementation with galactooligosaccharides (GOS) on intestinal digestion, absorption, and barrier function of offspring. Twenty four late-pregnant Ningxiang sows were randomly assigned into 3 treatments, including basic diet, basic diet with 0.5% GOS, basic diet with 100 mg/kg aureomycin, 20mg/kg ciprofloxacin and 10mg/kg vancomycin. The results showed that maternal dietary supplementation of GOS increased the body weight and average daily gain, reduced the diarrhea score of piglets, and increased the activities of digestive enzymes including maltase and α-amylase. Maternal GOS improved the intestinal barrier integrity and function of piglets, which exhibiting with increased ileal ratio of villus to crypt, and higher expressions of secretory immunoglobulin A, tight junction protein and mucin-2 in ileum. Maternal GOS treatment increased the contents of anti-inflammatory factors IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β, but decreased the contents of pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6 in the ileum and colon of piglets. In addition, piglets in maternal GOS treatment had increased abundance of probiotics in the colonic contents, as well as higher short-chain fatty acids concentrations in the colonic and cecal contents. Overall, this study provides data support for the nutritional regulation of maternal supplementation with 0.5% GOS to promote intestinal health of offspring.

Background: Efficient herd management is crucial for maintaining constant pig production. This study analysed the evolution of census structure over time and how productive performance variables related to farm efficiency are affected and evolved, using data from 427 Spanish commercial pig farms over three years (2020-2022). Farms were classified into three types of herd age structures based on the first coefficient of a quadratic function representing sow parity distribution. A longitudinal analysis was performed to evaluate changes in herd age structure and productivity over time, applying repeated measures ANOVA.

Results: The herd age structure types in 2020 were: HS1 (with a downward-concave trend), HS2 (with a trend close to a straight line), and HS3 (with an upward-concave trend). HS1 farms had the highest productivity over time, maintaining superior performance compared to HS2 and HS3 (p < 0.01), with 31.4 piglets weaned per sow per year in 2021 and 30.9 in 2022. However, HS1 farms showed moderate consistency in herd parity structure over time, with 48.6% remaining in the same group in 2021 and 43% in 2022. HS2 farms showed the greatest herd parity structure stability over time, with 60.1% and 54.5% of farms remaining in this group in 2021 and 2022, respectively. HS3 farms were the least stable, with only 29% retaining their classification by 2022, and had the lowest productivity.

Conclusions: Classifying farms by herd age structure provides valuable insights into how parity distribution influences farm productivity over time and how herd parity structure evolves. HS1 farms achieved the best productivity over the study but require specific management practices to maintain their stability. HS2 remained with the most stable herd structure over time, with intermediate productivity, while HS3 farms showed the worst stability and performance. Thus, HS1 is recommended as the optimal herd age structure for maximizing productivity in the short and medium term. Further research should focus on identifying specific management factors to optimize productivity and ensure long-term herd structure stability of HS1.

Background: Prolonged farrowing duration is currently one of the challenges in the swine industry, which leads to postpartum complications by increasing uterine inflammation, and interference with physiological processes after parturition. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between uterine involution and uterine vessel size with farrowing duration in temporarily confined sows (during the day of farrowing and for the following 3 days) under tropical climates.

Results: Fourteen Landrace × Yorkshire sows were included in the study. Uterine diameter and uterine vessel size were measured from 2 to 15 days postpartum using B-mode ultrasonography, a non-invasive technique that enables continuous monitoring of uterine involution and detection of reproductive problems in the same sows throughout the 15-day postpartum period. To determine the relationship between farrowing duration and uterine diameter, sows were categorized into two groups: sows with a farrowing duration of ≤ 300 min (normal) and sows with a farrowing duration > 300 min (prolonged). The mean farrowing duration was 200 ± 128 min, with 28.6% of sows experiencing prolonged farrowing. In the prolonged farrowing group, the diameter decreased from 43.5 ± 9.4 mm to 12.4 ± 0.5 mm, while in the normal group, it decreased from 30.7 ± 1.4 mm to 13.6 ± 0.4 mm. On day 2, sows in the prolonged farrowing group exhibited a higher uterine diameter than the normal group (P = 0.042). There was no significant difference in the size of the uterine blood vessels between the two groups (prolonged farrowing: 7.3 ± 1.3 mm to 2.5 ± 0.1 mm; normal farrowing 6.1 ± 0.7 mm to 2.7 ± 0.1 mm) (P = 0.397). However, the uterine diameter was correlated with the size of the uterine blood vessels in sows with either a normal farrowing duration (r = 0.705, P < 0.001) or a prolonged farrowing duration (r = 0.749, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate and provide initial data on uterine vessel size and its correlation with the uterine diameter in postpartum sows. Although no significant differences between uterine vessel size and farrowing duration were detected, a notable increase in uterine size during the initial 2 days postpartum in temporarily confined sows under tropical climates with prolonged farrowing duration was identified.

Rat hepatitis E virus (ratHEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen causing acute and chronic hepatitis, with zoonotic transmission pathways that remain unclear. While rats are its primary reservoir, recent experimental studies revealed that pigs are susceptible to ratHEV infection. To better understand its epidemiology, we assessed the herd prevalence of ratHEV in 64 extensively managed pig farms in southwestern Spain. Serum samples from 1,861 animals were pooled and analyzed using a multiplex qPCR. Viral RNA was detected in 9 (1.9%) of the 466 analyzed pools, with a herd prevalence of 10.9% (7/64; 95%CI: 5.4-20.9). Positive farms were distributed across the study area, and ratHEV circulation was limited to fattening farms (17.5%) (P = 0.007). These findings suggest pigs could act as intermediate hosts between rats and humans, posing a public health risk. Enhanced surveillance in pig farms and pork products is crucial to assess zoonotic transmission risks.

Background: Porcine group A rotavirus (RVA) is a significant causative agent of diarrhea in piglets, leading to substantial economic losses in pig farms worldwide. While horizontal transmission of RVA among pig populations is well documented, the possibility of vertical transmission from sows to newborn piglets has not been definitively confirmed.

Results: In this study, piglet testicles, umbilical cord blood, and colostrum were collected from porcine RVA (PoRVA)-active farms for analysis. The samples presented high PoRVA-positive rates, with 70.00% in the testicle samples, 55.00% in the umbilical cord blood samples, and 73.33% in the colostrum samples. Immunohistochemical assays confirmed the presence of PoRVA in neonatal piglet testicles. Additionally, two PoRVA strains, RVA/Pig/CHN/QT/2023/G9P [23] (QT2023) and RVA/Pig/CHN/BH/2023/G12P [7] (BH2023), were isolated from newborn piglet testicles. Complete genome analyses revealed that strains QT2023 and BH2023 both presented a Wa-like backbone, with the genotype constellation of G9-P [23]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1 and G12-P [7]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1, respectively. While strains QT2023 and BH2023 originated from PoRVAs, sequence identities and phylogenetic analyses suggested close relationships with human rotaviruses in specific genes. Furthermore, successful viral replication of these strains in MA-104 cells was observed. Inoculation of PoRVA-negative piglets with strains QT2023 and BH2023 resulted in clinical diarrhea, fecal virus shedding, and intestinal pathological changes, highlighting the pathogenicity of these strains.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence that PoRVA can breach the placental barrier and spread to newborn piglets through vertical transmission. These discoveries enhance our understanding of the transmission route of porcine RVA and have the potential to guide the development of efficient vaccine strategies for combating this disease.

Background: NADC30-like PRRSV was first identified in China in 2012 and had become the predominant circulating strain since 2016. Currently, the recombination patterns of NADC30-like PRRSV in China exhibit a high degree of complexity, characterized by low whole-genome sequence homology. The genomic features and epidemiological trends of these strains remain to be elucidated.

Results: To evaluate the prevalence of NADC30-like PRRSV in China, this study acquired 30 whole-genome sequences of NADC30-like strains via Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). These sequences were subsequently integrated with 224 whole-genome sequences from China available in the GenBank database. A comprehensive analysis of the genomic characteristics of contemporary NADC30-like PRRSV strains in China was conducted. Recombinant analysis indicated a yearly increase in the number of NADC30-like strains exhibiting recombination signals, whereas nonrecombinant NADC30-like strains have become nearly extinct. Among the recombination events, those involving L1C and L8E as parental strains are most prevalent. Based on the results of recombination and phylogenetic analyses, this study classified 120 Chinese NADC30-like strains with similar recombination characteristics into groups NADC30-R1 to R12. The intra-group genetic distances of the NADC30-R1 to R12 groups approximately 5.73% (SD ± 1.68), while the inter-group genetic distances between different groups are usually stably greater than 10%. The amino acid alignment of Nsp2 demonstrated that all NADC30-R1 to R12 strains exhibit a discontinuous deletion of 131 amino acids. These classifications do not exhibit consistent pathogenic characteristics within groups, with most NADC30-like PRRSVs showing moderate virulence. Geographical distribution analysis indicated that NADC30 whole-genome sequences in China originated from 19 provinces. Notably, the NADC30-R1 and NADC30-R2 strains are the most widely distributed and abundant, suggesting that these variants have established localized epidemics in specific regions.

Conclusion: In summary, the vast majority of NADC30-like strains in our country have undergone recombination, L1C + L8E is the most common recombination mode. The NADC30-like strains in China can be classified into 12 different recombination patterns, NADC30-R1 and NADC30-R2 strains are already showing pandemic trends. These findings provide a critical foundation for future NADC30-like PRRSV prevention and control strategies.

Background: Ear biting is a damaging behavior of pigs, likely triggered by a genetic predisposition, previous health issues and/or poor environmental conditions. The accurate assessment of animal health and welfare relies on the systematic gathering of data about animals, resources and management. In this respect, slaughterhouse surveys offer valuable insights, as distinct tail and skin lesions can act as 'iceberg' parameters, suitable to estimate welfare during the entire animals' lifecycle. However, the routine recording of lesions is often costly and time-consuming, making it unfeasible in high-throughput abattoirs. This study aims to train open-source convolutional neural networks for detecting ear biting lesions in slaughtered pigs, as a pre-requisite for a systematic and cost-effective welfare monitoring.

Results: A total of 3,140 pictures were employed to train and test open-source convolutional neural networks. Investigations were carried out by three veterinarians, who agreed to assess porcine ears using a simplified method, to minimize inter-observers' variability and to facilitate the convolutional neural networks' training: a) healthy auricles (label 0); deformed auricles displaying alterations in their contour due to real lesions (label 1); postmortem artefacts due to slaughtering (label 2). The entire dataset (training set and test set) was evaluated by one observer, while a supplementary set of 150 pictures was assessed by all veterinarians. Overall, the agreement among observers was very high (Cohen's kappa coefficient > 0.88). Moreover, convolutional neural networks' performances appeared suitable when compared with veterinarians: overall accuracy 0.89, specificity 0.96, sensitivity 0.86, agreement with each individual observer 0.79 (Cohen's kappa coefficient).

Conclusions: Open-source convolutional neural networks can achieve good performances, especially when the task is strictly defined and rather easy. Valuable experiences are being gathered about the routine application of artificial intelligence-powered tools in pig abattoirs. We consider that such tools will likely enable the systematic collection of data, addressing the distinct needs of stakeholders in a cost-effective manner.

Background: Maintaining the integrity of the structure and function of piglet intestines is crucial for their growth and health. This study aims to evaluate the effects of an antibiotic free diet supplemented with bile acid on gut health and growth performance of weaned piglets, and to explore their regulatory mechanisms.

Methods: Thirty-two weaned piglets were randomly divided into two groups and fed either a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with 350 mg/kg bile acid.

Results: Dietary supplementation with bile acid increased the average daily gain (ADG) and final weight of piglets, and reduced the diarrhea incidence (P < 0.05), which was verified to be related to the improvement of lipid absorption, amino acid transport, and intestinal barrier function. Bile acid increased the concentration of lipase and decreased the concentration of total cholesterol, total glyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and urea nitrogen in serum (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, bile acid improved the mRNA expression of amino acid transporters in the intestine. On the other hand, bile acid decreased the pH values of the stomach, jejunum, and colon, and improved intestinal morphology (P < 0.05). The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that bile acid increased the mRNA expression of Occludin and ZO-1 in the duodenum and ileum (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary bile acid supplementation altered the composition of the ileal microbiota in piglets and increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus. In vitro, bile acid improved the repair of IPEC-J2 cells after injury and was shown to be associated with the activation of farnesoid X receptors (FXR) and increased expression of tight junction proteins and aquaporins (AQPs) proteins.

Conclusion: This study found that dietary bile acid supplementation promotes the intestinal health and nutrient absorption partially through the FXR/AQPs pathway, ultimately improving growth performance of piglets.