Animal最新文献

{"title":"Genome-wide association study in the Holstein cattle population highlights candidate variants for milk production traits","authors":"S. Koncagül ,&nbsp;A.Ö. Şen ,&nbsp;M. Yıldırır ,&nbsp;H. Koyun ,&nbsp;E. Ünay ,&nbsp;İ. Karakoyunlu ,&nbsp;A. Kasakolu","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the genetic basis of production traits in dairy cattle is important for both improving productivity and its economic significance. Although genome-wide association studie has been widely used internationally to investigate the genetic factors of milk production traits, limited genomic data are available for the Holstein cattle population. In this study, the most comprehensive genomic analysis conducted in Türkiye to date, we aimed to identify single−nucleotide polymorphisms (<strong>SNPs</strong>) associated with milk yield (<strong>MY</strong>), fat yield (<strong>FY</strong>), protein yield (<strong>PY</strong>), and milking speed (<strong>MS</strong>) in the Holstein cattle population. Data were obtained from 79 dairy herds comprising 17 166 cows born between 2012 and 2019, as provided by the Cattle Breeders’ Association of Türkiye. Genotyping was performed using the Affymetrix Axiom Bovine 54K SNP Chip; after quality control procedures, 15 288 cows and 31 944 SNPs were included in the analysis. A total of 7 SNPs were identified as significantly associated with the studied traits. Two SNPs on BTA14 (rs109146371 and rs109350371) were significantly associated with 305MY. A significant SNP associated with PY (rs41718954) was identified on BTA14, and another SNP (rs10451141) on BTA18 showed a significant association with FY. Additionally, three SNPs significantly associated with MS were detected on BTA2, BTA11, and BTA12 (rs29009916, rs109459144, and rs42647772). Notably, the association of four SNPs (rs10451141 for FY, and rs29009916, rs109459144, and rs42647772 for MS) was identified for the first time in this study. These variants were located near genes with potential roles in mammary gland function and milk component synthesis. These variants are located near genes potentially involved in mammary gland function and milk component synthesis. Although identified in the Holstein cattle population, these findings have international relevance and applicability due to the importation of semen from various countries. Ultimately, this study contributes to the development of effective selection strategies for specific populations and provides valuable insights into the genetics of milk production traits on a global scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101694"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571830","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}

{"title":"Dynamic responses of energy metabolism in ewes during late pregnancy: a meta-regression","authors":"M. Plante-Dubé,&nbsp;M.P. Létourneau-Montminy,&nbsp;F. Castonguay,&nbsp;R. Gervais","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101690","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101690","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insufficient energy intake throughout late gestation in ewes can induce a negative energy balance, leading to hypoglycemia and hyperketonemia, and increasing the risk of metabolic diseases. Previous studies have investigated the changes in key metabolites related to energy metabolism during late gestation in sheep, focusing on glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (<strong>NEFAs</strong>), and beta-hydroxybutyrate (<strong>BHB</strong>). The current meta-analysis was undertaken to gather available data on the kinetic of energy metabolites throughout late gestation to investigate the metabolic status of ewes in relation to dietary energy level and litter size. For the construction of the database, dietary energy concentration of each experiment was classified into two categories: diets covering between 60 and 100% (<strong>E60</strong>) or covering more than 100% (<strong>E100</strong>) of the metabolizable energy requirement for twin-bearing ewes at 133 days of gestation according to the National Research Council (NRC, 2007). Treatment groups were also categorized according to average litter size: single ([1.0 – 1.5[), twins ([1.5 – 2.5[), triplets ([2.5 – 3.5[), and quadruplets⁺ ([3.5 – 5.0]). The analysis of the meta-design revealed a quadratic effect of day to lambing for circulating glucose. For both dietary energy levels, glucose concentration decreased from day –42 to reach a nadir between days –28 and –14, depending on litter size group, and then increased until day –1. A greater decrease in glucose concentration was observed with larger litter sizes and was more pronounced for E60 than E100 groups. For each litter size group, when comparing similar days in gestation, E100 groups showed greater glucose concentrations than E60. Circulating NEFA increased linearly throughout late gestation, and a significant interaction was observed between dietary energy level and litter size group. For a similar litter size, NEFA concentrations were higher for E60 compared with E100, and the increase in NEFA concentrations with litter size was more pronounced for E60 than E100 groups, during the last 42 days in gestation. Circulating BHB increased with gestation. The intercept was higher and the slope steeper for E60 compared with E100, as well as for groups of ewes bearing larger litters. The meta-regression developed demonstrate the impact of litter size on energy requirements of ewes in late gestation. The meta-design also highlighted that data on the energy demands of ewes bearing three or more lambs are scarce. Of all the dietary treatments gathered in this meta-analysis, according to NRC (2007), only three provided an adequate amount of energy for triplet-bearing and none for quadruplet⁺-bearing ewes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101690"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145551814","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}

{"title":"Improved genetic evaluation in Karan Fries cattle using multitrait single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction method","authors":"I. Ilayaraja ,&nbsp;A. Chitra,&nbsp;J. Vyas,&nbsp;I. Kumar,&nbsp;L. Muansangi,&nbsp;S.P. Singh,&nbsp;G.R. Gowane,&nbsp;A. Mukherjee ,&nbsp;S. Mukherjee","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101692","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101692","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The advancement in the methodology for genomic prediction, using Single-step Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (<strong>ssGBLUP</strong>), has significantly improved the precision and efficiency of selecting desirable traits in livestock in recent times. Karan Fries (<strong>KF</strong>) cattle, developed since 1980s, are selected on the basis of pedigree and phenotypes so far. It is fairly reasonable that further enhancement in the performance can be achieved by incorporating genomic information for the estimation of genetic parameters and breeding values for higher accuracy. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of estimation for milk production performance traits in KF cattle using both pedigree and a limited genomic data. The 8 454 phenotypic records of KF cows, spanning from 1982 to 2023, and 355 genotyped animals were analysed to estimate variance–covariance components and genetic parameters using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (<strong>REML</strong>) and ssGREML methods. Heritability estimates for key traits, total milk yield (<strong>TMY</strong>), 305-day milk yield (<strong>305-DMY</strong>), lactation peak yield (<strong>PY</strong>), dry period (<strong>DP</strong>), and age at first calving (<strong>AFC</strong>), were 0.24 ± 0.03, 0.25 ± 0.03, 0.27 ± 0.03, 0.11 ± 0.04, and 0.21 ± 0.03, respectively. Genetic correlations among milk production traits (TMY, 305-DMY, and PY) were high and positive (&gt; 0.9), while both AFC and DP showed negative genetic correlations with milk production traits (ranging from −0.85 to −0.04). Phenotypic correlations between milk production traits were all positive, ranging from 0.24 to 0.82. In terms of breeding value prediction, multitrait ssGBLUP yielded more accurate Genomic Estimated Breeding Values for AFC, with a 13% increase in accuracy compared to single-trait ssGBLUP. The accuracy of breeding value prediction for TMY, 305-DMY, PY, DP, and AFC was improved by 11.53, 11.53, 9.25, 26.47 and 33.33%, respectively, when using the multitrait ssGBLUP model. The present study highlighted the effectiveness of genomic data in enhancing the accuracy of genetic parameters for production and reproduction traits in KF cattle, even without their own phenotypes that will permit early selection for more effective breeding programmes using multitrait ssGBLUP in the tropics, having a global relevance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101692"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145496837","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}

{"title":"Energy metabolism and ruminal fermentation of prolific ewes in response to scheduled increase, relative to lambing, of dietary energy source and concentration","authors":"M. Plante-Dubé ,&nbsp;C. Sylvestre ,&nbsp;R. Bourassa ,&nbsp;P. Luimes ,&nbsp;P.G. Toral ,&nbsp;S. Buczinski ,&nbsp;F. Castonguay ,&nbsp;R. Gervais","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101691","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101691","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In late gestation, to prevent metabolic disorders in prolific ewes, energy intake must align with increased energy requirements to support the growth of multiple fetuses. The present study was conducted to evaluate if providing a high-concentrate diet as early as 4 compared with 2 weeks prepartum was more effective to meet the energy requirements of prolific breeds, and if corn silage could serve as a high-energy feed for late gestational ewes. Eight weeks prepartum, 48 mature F1 crossbred (Dorset × Romanov) ewes were offered grass-legume silage <em>ad libitum</em>. Four weeks later, ewes were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 isoenergetic dietary treatments: a grass-legume silage and ground corn−based total mixed ration (<strong>TMR</strong>) from week –4 (<strong>GC4</strong>; gradual increase from week −5) or week –2 (<strong>GC2</strong>; gradual increase from week −3) or a corn silage−based TMR from week –4 (<strong>CS4</strong>; gradual increase from week −5). Dry matter intake (<strong>DMI</strong>), body condition score (<strong>BCS</strong>), circulating beta-hydroxybutyrate (<strong>BHB</strong>), glucose, and non-esterified fatty acids (<strong>NEFAs</strong>) were monitored throughout the last 6 weeks of gestation. Rumen fluid was collected at week –2 to assess fermentation parameters. Inclusion of concentrates at 4 (GC4) compared with 2 weeks prepartum (GC2) resulted in greater DMI and metabolizable energy intake (<strong>MEI</strong>) from weeks –5 to –3. Overall, during the last 5 weeks of gestation, DMI and MEI of GC4 ewes were 12 and 20% higher compared with GC2, respectively. At week –4, circulating BHB concentrations were greater for GC4 compared with GC2, despite an improved energy balance, as confirmed by lower NEFA and greater glucose concentrations. Except for a decreased DMI and MEI at week –4, resulting in greater NEFA concentrations for CS4 compared with GC4, no other impact of energy source on intake or circulating NEFA and glucose was observed during the prepartum period. Compared with GC4, BHB concentrations were greater for CS4 from weeks –5 to –1. Rumen proportion of acetate decreased by 7%, whereas butyrate increased by 22% for CS4. The current experiment demonstrates that blood BHB concentration was affected by dam energy balance and ingredient composition of the diet. Our study also shows that a high-energy corn silage diet provided from 4 weeks prepartum can prevent the onset of a negative energy balance during late gestation, similar to adding ground corn to a grass-legume silage-based diet.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101691"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145551740","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}

{"title":"Is social support mediated by social relationship strength in pigs?","authors":"S. Khatiwada,&nbsp;P. Seddaiu,&nbsp;A. Jaszczyk,&nbsp;I. Camerlink","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social support from an individual to another can act as a buffer against stress (i.e. social buffering) for the recipient. While it is known that many species are sensitive to social buffering, including farm animals, the role of the social relationship strength remains largely unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the behavioural and physiological responses of an animal exposed to a stressor were influenced by the strength of the social relationship to the partner present during the event. We hypothesised that pigs with a strong social relationship to the partner (buddy) would show a reduced stress response. Focal pigs (n = 34) of 4 months old were exposed to a mildly stressful scenario (being alone in a weighcrate), followed by the presence of a sibling with either a strong or weak prior social association. Behavioural indicators of stress and social behaviour were recorded, alongside salivary cortisol concentrations at four time points. Pigs paired with a sibling with a strong relationship had less often their snouts in proximity, and for a shorter total duration, and had less often their heads in proximity. They also made more low−pitch vocalisations. Cortisol concentrations increased following the event, but no significant differences were observed between treatment groups. Buddies mostly remained calm but showed variation in their contact−seeking behaviour. Female buddies differed from males in their ability to provide social support. These findings suggest that the relationship strength has an influence on the stress-related behaviour of the focal pig but may not be sufficient to elicit measurable hormonal changes. Overall, the results indicate that social relationships between pigs are complex, with close companionship being important for their ability to cope with stressful events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101693"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145496819","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}

{"title":"Review: Peer social bonds in farm animals","authors":"S. Goumon ,&nbsp;S. Jowett ,&nbsp;S. Khatiwada ,&nbsp;I. Camerlink","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peer social bonds may be defined as relationships involving frequent and non-random (i.e. preferential) mutual affiliative associations and interactions between peers (excluding parental and sexual relationships) that are consistent across a biologically relevant time frame and behavioural states, and lead to stress modulation. Hence, these bonds can be defined based on the following four criteria: (1) social preference, (2) consistency of preferences, (3) stress modulation, and (4) symmetry or reciprocity of behaviours. These have been studied in wild animals, particularly primates, and shown to provide fitness benefits. In farm animals, behavioural studies increasingly report social bonds. Yet, it is unclear whether there is sound evidence to draw such conclusions. This systematic review aims to discuss the current knowledge of peer social bonds in farm animals, further assessing the evidential robustness of the literature. We also identify key knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for future studies. The retrieved literature included 47 papers covering a range of species including cows (n = 18), pigs (n = 9), sheep (n = 6), horses (n = 4), donkeys (n = 1), goats (n = 3), chickens (n = 3), and quails (n = 3). In some farm animal species (pigs, cows, horses), there is evidence of variation in strength (e.g. frequency) and/or non-randomness of interactions and associations between dyads, potentially representing peer bonds. However, there is currently insufficient research on the other criteria to draw conclusions on the existence of peer social bonds under farm conditions. Overall, studies face methodological challenges in the assessment of social bonds, which is further complicated by housing and husbandry conditions on commercial farms. This review shows that various methods have been used to assess social relationships, but that many of these have shortcomings, and lack the nuance to make conclusions on peer social bonds. Hence, we provide recommendations to address the identified methodological gaps. Research on peer social bonds in farm animals is in its infancy, and we hope this work inspires other scientists to address this important topic diligently, while taking into consideration the implications of research conclusions on animal management in practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101687"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145551819","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}

{"title":"Genetic parameters of slaughter traits measured on Greylag geese after induction of spontaneous liver steatosis","authors":"H. Chapuis ,&nbsp;T. Ruer ,&nbsp;J. Arroyo ,&nbsp;M-D. Bernadet ,&nbsp;M. Blanchet ,&nbsp;C.M.D. Bonnefont ,&nbsp;P. Gouraud ,&nbsp;A. Hazard ,&nbsp;A. Mathiaud ,&nbsp;C. Molette ,&nbsp;C. Raybaud ,&nbsp;X. Fernandez","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous studies have demonstrated the possibility of inducing hepatic steatosis in geese without resorting to force-feeding, although results were highly variable. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of traits of interest for the <em>foie gras</em> industry (liver weight and carcass cut weights) obtained after induction of steatosis without force-feeding. This represents a preliminary step towards designing a breeding programme aimed at producing <em>foie gras</em> in a more ethically acceptable way. Two successive experimental flocks, comprising several hundred birds each and derived from a commercial population in 2020 and 2021, were subjected to the induction protocol: feed restriction until 16 weeks of age, followed by <em>ad libitum</em> maize feeding for 10 weeks, during the autumn, in closed facilities with controlled lighting. The populations included nearly equal numbers of males and females, and no significant difference in liver weight was observed between sexes, which is an additional advantage for selection and production. Estimated heritabilities were high (0.56 ± 0.10 for liver weight, 0.45 ± 0.10 for thigh weight, 0.69 ± 0.11 for breast muscle weight), indicating strong potential for improvement of these traits through selection. Moreover, the genetic correlations between liver weight and other traits of interest were either favourable or negligible, particularly with carcass weight (0.62 ± 0.12) and thigh weight (0.69 ± 0.11). Growth traits were also heritable (&gt; 0.6 for BWs at 9 and 14 weeks), with BW gain between these ages moderately heritable (0.33 ± 0.04) and positively correlated with liver weight (0.48 ± 0.14). These results highlight the potential of implementing selection for <em>foie gras</em> production without force-feeding. In addition, an empirical scoring system for liver appearance was also evaluated as a simple alternative to advanced phenotyping tools. This rapid visual classification proved highly heritable (0.67 ± 0.11) and displayed the same favourable correlations with other traits as liver weight itself. This suggests that visual scoring could even replace direct liver weighing in selection programmes, at least in the early stages, thus offering breeders a fast and inexpensive method to identify families with a greater predisposition to hepatic steatosis. Overall, these findings open the way to more sustainable and welfare-friendly <em>foie gras</em> production, in line with societal expectations on animal welfare, while offering breeders practical tools to initiate selection in commercial populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101689"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521175","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}

{"title":"Genetic influence underlying individual variation in vaccine responses in a White Leghorn laying hen line","authors":"A. Racanati ,&nbsp;T. Tribout ,&nbsp;A. Al. M. Sabuj ,&nbsp;F. Blanc ,&nbsp;B.C.D. Cuyabano ,&nbsp;A. Lecoeur ,&nbsp;S. Brard-Fudulea ,&nbsp;N. Bruneau ,&nbsp;D. Gourichon ,&nbsp;L. Becot ,&nbsp;T. Burlot ,&nbsp;F. Calenge ,&nbsp;M-H. Pinard-van der Laan","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vaccination is an essential part of poultry health, yet considerable variability in vaccine efficacy among individuals poses challenges for disease control and productivity. The genetic basis underlying this variability remains poorly understood. This study aimed at providing new insights into the genetic architecture underlying vaccine responses in poultry by identifying the genetic loci controlling the immune response to several vaccines. To reach this purpose, we studied 537 White Leghorn hens, focusing on vaccines against Newcastle Disease Virus (<strong>NDV</strong>), Infectious bronchitis virus, Avian encephalomyelitis virus and Avian pneumovirus. Humoral immune responses were assessed for all vaccinations at multiple postvaccination time points, and cellular immune responses were evaluated for the NDV vaccine at the end of the experiment. Important individual variabilities in vaccine responses were observed within this population, with some animals failing to mount antibody responses to the vaccinations. Heritability estimates among responder animals for antibody levels treated as a continuous trait (51 to 472 animals) indicated low to moderate genetic influence (0.00–0.39), whereas analysing vaccine response as a binary trait (392 to 537 animals), distinguishing responders from non-responders, revealed a moderate to high genetic contribution (0.22–0.40). Furthermore, genetic and phenotypic correlation analyses revealed complex relationships among vaccine response traits, including weak positive and even negative genetic correlations, both across different vaccines and within the same vaccination at different time points. Genome-wide association studies identified significant quantitative trait loci (<strong>QTLs</strong>) on chromosomes 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 15, and 28, associated with immune traits. QTLs were detected for both levels of the response and responders vs non-responder’s traits. Functional annotation of these loci highlighted several genes of interest, including <em>MKNK1, TRABD2B, BRCA2, ROBO1, HMGB1, MAPK3, CLEC3A, MAF, ZAP-70, and RFX2</em>, as well as the non-coding RNA vaultRNA, all of which may contribute to immune response variability. In addition, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis identified immune-related pathways, particularly those involved in T-cell responses and plasmacytoid dendritic cell activation, further supporting the role of genetic regulation in vaccine-induced immunity. These findings demonstrate that a complex genetic regulation significantly contributes to vaccine response variability in White Leghorn hens. By pinpointing candidate genes and pathways, this study shows that incorporating immune traits into selective breeding programmes may ultimately contribute to improved vaccine efficacy in production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101686"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145496709","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}

{"title":"Faecal inflammatory biomarkers as non-invasive indicators of feed intake status in weaned piglets","authors":"J. Suppi ,&nbsp;P. Salgado-López ,&nbsp;E. Llauradó-Calero ,&nbsp;J. Coma ,&nbsp;A. Pelegrí-Pineda ,&nbsp;Y. Saco ,&nbsp;A. Bassols ,&nbsp;M. Farré ,&nbsp;D. Solà-Oriol","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early weaning in piglets commonly leads to a postweaning (<strong>PW</strong>) fasting period, compromising intestinal integrity and triggering inflammation, overall affecting welfare and growth. Despite the well-documented consequences of fasting, no feasible and non-invasive method exists to monitor feeding patterns in postweaned piglets. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the use of faecal inflammatory biomarkers—calprotectin (<strong>fCal</strong>), lipocalin-2 (<strong>LCN-2</strong>), myeloperoxidase (<strong>MPO</strong>), and adenosine deaminase (<strong>ADA</strong>)—to detect whether an animal is eating or not by correlating fasting with its presence in faeces. The trial involved 623 weaned piglets (21 days) which were weighed at days 0, 3 and 10 PW. A blue-coloured creep-feed was provided before and after weaning to qualitatively trace feed consumption via rectal swabs. Piglets were assessed for feeding status at weaning and on day 3 PW. Additionally, 120 animals were selected to monitor feed status daily over the first 4 days PW. Animals were classified into three categories: creep-feed eaters (<strong>CFE</strong>), began feed intake preweaning and maintained it PW; PW eaters (<strong>PWE</strong>), started consuming feed PW; and non-eaters (<strong>NE</strong>), which did not consume any feed. Out of the 120 piglets, faecal samples were obtained from 77 piglets: CFE (n = 19 sampled from days 0–3), PWE (n = 7 on day 1, n = 14 on day 2, n = 33 on day 3), and NE (n = 30 on day 0, n = 28 on day 1, n = 27 on day 2, n = 25 on day 3). Among all piglets, 4.5% were classified as CFE, 69.5% as PWE, and 26% as NE. On average, CFE gained 44 g/day more than PWE, and 100 g/day more than NE in the first 10 days of PW (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). The biomarkers fCal, LCN-2, and MPO differed by eater category (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.014), while ADA increased over time (<em>P</em> = 0.001) without differences between categories. Calprotectin and LCN-2 were higher in NE than CFE, correlating with reduced growth (r ≤ −0.29, <em>P</em> ≤ 0.044). Conversely, MPO was higher in CFE than NE (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), with no growth association. Calprotectin showed strong discriminatory power between CFE and NE, with an area under the curve of 0.86, sensitivity of 86%, and specificity of 69%. Calprotectin and LCN-2 increased with fasting and correlated negatively with growth, highlighting their utility as biomarkers of low feed intake−related inflammation, with fCal being the most sensitive. Myeloperoxidase and ADA showed no feeding-related associations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101684"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145496270","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}

{"title":"Behavioural overdominance of honeybee colonies kept simultaneously on standard-cell and small-cell combs","authors":"P. Dziechciarz ,&nbsp;G. Borsuk ,&nbsp;A. Strachecka ,&nbsp;K. Olszewski","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Overdominance is often observed in the case of intergenic interactions and is referred to as one of the major factors determining hybrid vigour or heterosis. Placing combs built on both a wax foundation with small cells (cell size of 4.9 mm) and a wax foundation with standard cells (cell size of 5.5 mm) in the brood chamber resulted in the emergence of the behavioural overdominance of such colonies. In order to investigate this phenomenon in terms of the use value of bee colonies kept simultaneously on two types of combs, they were compared to colonies kept exclusively on small-cell combs and to colonies kept exclusively on combs built on a standard-cell wax foundation. Increasing the variation in cell size in honey bee colony nests by placing both small-cell combs and standard-cell combs in it resulted in overdominance in terms of functional properties, i.e. an increase in the productivity of colonies. Therefore, modifying the inanimate element of the bee colony nest environment, specifically the comb, produced an outcome analogous to hybrid vigour or heterosis, which is the result of increased intraindividual genetic variation. In addition to polyandry, the different cell sizes in the combs, where colonies raise their workers, may be an additional factor in the nest environment that increases the phenotypic variation of workers, which may translate into a more effective division of labour expressed by better adaptation and higher productivity of bee colonies. The role of combs, which are a non-living element of the nest environment, in the functioning of the superorganism of a honey bee colony remains both poorly understood and underestimated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 12","pages":"Article 101682"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145469078","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}