Quantitative analysis of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA duration in tissues of experimentally infected pigs

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

Quantitative analysis of the duration of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) RNA in tissues was carried out in pigs experimentally infected with FMDV O UKG 34/2001 and O SKR 1/2000. The results showed that the viral RNA was still detectable in cervical lymph nodes, mandibular lymph nodes and tonsils collected from both inoculated and contact pigs at 28 days post infection.

For more information the full article can be found at  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10900233

Modelling of a recording scheme for market-oriented smallholder pig producers in Northwest Vietnam

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The aim of the present study is to evaluate the current recording scheme for market-oriented smallholder pig producers.
Evaluation criteria are the annual genetic gain of breeding objective traits and the discounted profit. In a
subsequent study, alternative breeding scenarios will be evaluated and compared with the main recording scheme
evaluated in this study. Results will support the development of village breeding programmes that are planned to be
implemented in villages in Son La province, Northwest Vietnam, by deriving recommendations for alternative breeding
programmes.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

The effect of probiotic BioPlus 2B® on growth performance, dry matter and nitrogen digestibility and slurry noxious gas emission in growing pigs

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Recent concerns regarding antibiotic resistance and the use of probiotic agents in livestock has resulted in a demand for alternative strategies to improve animal production and health without the need for antibiotics. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of BioPlus 2B® supplement, which contains Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis spores, on pigs, and the results of these studies have shown improved sow and piglet performance. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to assess the effects of supplementation of the diets of growing pigs with BioPlus 2B®. Specifically, the effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and noxious gas emission from pig slurry were evaluated. The results of this study indicate that supplementation of the diets of grower pigs with BioPlus 2B® did not significantly improve the growth performance. However, there was an effective reduction in the slurry NH3
emission in response to treatment with BioPlus 2B®. The underlying mechanisms by which this reduction occurred should be further assessed by evaluating the community structure of intestinal and fecal bacteria, which may better explain the relationship between dietary BioPlus 2B® and native bacterial populations.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Manure equipment innovators

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The Westaby manure application operation in Iowa has grown
along with the hog industry in the state, using application
equipment from the main-line manufacturers and doing some
innovating of its own with custom-designed injectors. The
equipment line-up at the Westaby operation includes Cat
Challenger tractors, triple-axle Mack trucks with flotation
tires, a GMC triple-axle truck with flotation tires, J-Star tanks
and custom built vacuum tanks. The equipment uses custom designed
injector toolbars designed by Jesse Westaby. Everything is measured in feet, and
operators know how far they have to
travel to achieve a certain application
rate. All the rigs are equipped with
Calc-An-Acre measuring systems, to
determine application rates. The average size of a customer haul for
Westaby is now 750,000 gallons. Kevin
Westaby points out, however, that they
still have good customers for whom
they haul 100,000 gallons.

Hog Production Costs – What is needed to stay competitive?

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Canadian producers compete against U.S. producers on the same markets,
whether it is national or international markets, and they are price takers. Pork products are undifferentiated because they are sold into a mass market.
Within this context, Canadian producers must lower their production costs in
order to stay competitive and profitable. To achieve this, they must monitor
their costs of production and understand factors that impact it. This
comparative analysis reveals that US producers benefit from comparative
advantage over Canadian producers for hog-finishing operations. Canadian
producers have a better productivity in terms of feed conversion ratio and barn
turnover. However, they need to improve their labour productivity. Regarding
hog market structure, characteristics in terms of farm size, production
concentration and specialization of hog-finishing operations enable producers
to benefit from return scales or scale economies. These characteristics are
similar across North America especially in Western Canada and the U.S. Ontario
and Quebec are closely following. It is also important to note that it is a
combination of factors that impact production costs and producer
competitiveness. Therefore, improving costs of production requires addressing
all these factors simultaneously.

Protein turnover and heat production of sows varies at day 30, 45 and 105 of gestation

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All measurements were made at d 30, 45, and 105 of gestation. Respiratory quotient (RQ) was calculated to determine
nutrient utilization. Energy retention (intake minus heat production) (MJ/d) was
greatest on d 45 compared to d 30 or d 105 of gestation. The RQ was greater than 1 and highest on d 45
indicating lipogenesis. Leucine flux, appearance from breakdown, and
incorporation into protein were highest on d 45 compared to days
30 or 105 of gestation. However, as a result of the significant increase in
protein breakdown, protein gain was lower for sows on d 45 compared to d 30. Therefore, energy was preferentially stored by these sows on d 45 at the expense of protein.

Seminal plasma proteins from fertile boars are associated with in vivo fertility

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The aim of this study was to determine if specific proteins in the seminal
plasma of boars could be related to in vivo fertility. Nine boars with acceptable
sperm motility and morphology for use in artificial insemination (AI),
demonstrated major differences in total born and pregnancy rate when doses
of 1.5 billion total sperm were used to breed 50 ± 5 gilts over the study period.
On four occasions, seminal plasma from semen used for AI was analyzed
using proteomics techniques to determine if specific seminal plasma proteins
were related to differences in vivo fertility and conventional semen quality
assessment parameters such as sperm concentration, sperm motility at
collection and in stored extended semen to day 10 after collection. There were differences (P <0.05) among boars in four proteins, however none of these proteins were related to overall fertility.

Molecular genetics of the swine major histocompatibility complex, the SLA complex

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This review will summarize the current knowledge of the genomics of the SLA region, dissect the polymorphisms of each locus and discuss the methods now used to more effectively identify these alleles. This review will end with studies of SLA gene regulation of swine disease responses, including recent data on PRRS resistance, and the importance of whole genome mapping efforts in determining disease and vaccine responses. It was found that the last decade has seen major progress in swine immunology and genetics and particularly in understanding the SLA complex, its genetic loci and the role of SLA in normal immunity and in infectious disease and vaccine responses. The stage is now set for
deeper probing of the role of SLA alleles and haplotypes in controlling these responses, for determining specific antigenic epitopes that stimulate immune and vaccine responses, and for identifying critical immune cell subsets and the exact SLA loci that facilitate cellular interactions for effective immune responses. Research using improved swine genome sequence and updated genomic and proteomic tools will reveal novel immune pathways regulated by SLA genes. In summary, the stage is now set for determining the critical role of SLA genes and proteins in swine biomedical models and in overall pig health and productivity.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0145305X

Growth performance and nutrient digestibility in pigs fed wheat distillers dried grains with solubles-based diets supplemented with a multicarbohydrase enzyme

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The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of enzyme supplementation on energy and nutrient digestibility in growing and finishing pigs fed wheat DDGS-based diets. The result of this study demonstrates that multi-enzyme supplementation of wheat DDGS-based diet improved growth performance, ATTD of DM, N, GE, and crude fiber in growing pigs. The results also indicate that 30% wheat DDGS could be effectively utilized in growing and finishing pig diets when supplemented with an appropriate enzyme combination.

For the full text please subscribe to the Journal of Animal Science

Trials Study Divergent Sow Feeding Systems

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Pen gestation appears to be the future of sow housing, and helping pork producers pick an option that suits their operation is the goal of Innovative Swine Solutions (ISS), says Laura Greiner, director of research and swine nutrition. To help producers define their choices on sow housing, ISS has begun studies of two very different pen arrangements, a drop feed system and electronic sow feeder. It is concluded that so far, one system isn’t better than the other for sow housing. There is no right or wrong answer. Both farms do very well. It comes down to established protocol that we understand and whether we know how to feed these animals.