Evaluation of bacteriophages for prevention and treatment of diarrhea due to experimental enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli O149 infection of pigs

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

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of selected phages individually and in combination in prevention and treatment of diarrhea due to experimental O149:H10:F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in weaned pigs. The findings indicate that the selected phages were effective in moderating the course of experimental O149:H10:F4 ETEC diarrhea in weaned pigs when given prophylactically or therapeutically.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03781135

Effects of dietary cysteamine supplementation on growth performance and whole-body protein turnover in finishing pigs

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Cysteamine (CS; mercaptoethylamine, HS–CH2–CH2–NH2) is biologically derived from cysteine metabolism. It can be used as a feed additive in animal production to stimulate the endocrine system and improve the growth rate of fish, piglets, and finishing pigs. Thus, CS can be a viable alternative in promoting the growth rate of pigs. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the growth promotion effect of dietary CS supplementation in finishing pigs and measure protein turnover in finishing pigs. It was found that the average daily gain and feed intake by CS supplementation
were increased by 19.5% and 15.4%, respectively. However, body weight and feed efficiency were not affected. The nitrogen balance trial indicated that nitrogen retention, nitrogen retention efficiency, and efficiency of digestible N utilization were increased to 62.8%, 54.6%, and 50.6% in CS supplementation group. Nitrogen intake, nitrogen
in feces and urine, and apparent nitrogen digestibility were not affected. CS supplementation affected
the whole-body protein turnover and resulted in a decreased protein breakdown rate (1.61 vs. 1.18 g N/kg W 0.75/d). Net protein gain in nitrogen was increased by 63.5%, however, protein synthesis rate, nitrogen flux, and endogenous urinary nitrogen were not affected. Therefore, dietary CS supplementation may improve growth performance
in finishing pigs.

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

Effects of multiple concurrent stressors on rectal temperature, blood acid-base status, and longissimus muscle glycolytic potential in market-weight pigs

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Sixty-four market-weight barrows and gilts were used in a split-plot design with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement
of treatments: 1) handling intensity (gentle vs. aggressive), 2) transport floor space (0.39 vs. 0.49 m2/pig), and 3) distance moved during handling (25 vs. 125 m) to determine the effects of multiple concurrent stressors on metabolic responses. It was concluded that the stressors evaluated had additive effects on several indicators of metabolic stress responses in finishing pigs.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

The effects of dietary chromium(III) picolinate on growth performance, blood measurements, and respiratory rate in pigs kept in high and low ambient temperature

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Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of thermal stress and dietary Cr on growth performance and physiological variables in weanling pigs. The results indicate that growth performance is affected by thermal stress and plasma cortisol is decreased by heat stress, but these effects are not moderated by dieatry Cr.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

The addition of ground wheat straw as a fiber source in the gestation diet of sows and the effect on sow and litter performance for three successive parities

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This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of adding 13.35% ground wheat straw to a corn-soybean meal gestation diet for 3 successive gestation-lactation cycles compared with sows fed a control diet without straw. In conclusion, when the daily intake of the basal gestation diet was equalized for both treatments, the addition of 13.35% ground wheat straw to the gestation diet improved sow and litter performance, with increases in litter size and
total litter weight at birth and weaning compared with control sows and litters.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Effects of continual fluctuation in feed intake on growth performance response and carcass fat-to-lean ratio in grower-finisher pigs

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An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of continual fluctuations in feed intake on grower-finisher pig growth performance and carcass fat-to-lean ratio (F:L). The results indicated that continual fluctuation in feed intake either every other day or every 3 d had minimal effects on growth and carcass F:L compared with pigs fed the same restricted amount throughout the experiment.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

An evaluation of four candidate genes for use in selection programmes aimed at increased intramuscular fat in Duroc swine

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A sufficient level of intramuscular fat (IMF) is needed to enhance consumer acceptance of pork products, and is currently receiving greater attention within swine genetic improvement programmes. Biological candidate genes implicated to play a role in adipogenesis were investigated within two different lines of purebred Duroc pigs.

For more information the full article can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1439-0388/issues

Odour and ammonia emission from pig manure as affected by dietary crude protein level

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The main objective in the present study was to determine whether reducing dietary CP level influences odour emission,
odour strength, odour offensiveness and ammonia emission from pig manure and fresh faeces and manure characteristics. In addition, the effects of reducing dietary CP on greenhouse gas concentration in the odorous air above the manure pit were also studied. It was found that reducing dietary crude protein from 15% to 12% in diets for finishing pigs did not reduce odour concentration, emission, hedonic tone and intensity from pig manure, although 9.5% ammonia emission reduction can be achieved for each % dietary CP reduction. The correlation between ammonia and odour emission is low, which means that strategies proved to reduce ammonia emission effectively may not have similar effects on odour emission. More dietary CP reduction may be required to reduce odour concentration and emission from pig manure. However, more odorous compounds in the manure and in the air should be analyzed in order to derive the relationship between dietary alterations and odour strength and offensiveness of the odorous air above the manure pit.

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

Behind The Lines

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As a commentator in the Globe and Mail recently put it, the hog industry in Canada “continues to stagger from crisis to conflict.” Ontario’s industry certainly had both in April and early May. The “swine flu crisis” triggered market speculation and unnecessary trade actions, stripping a reported $30 a hog in just three days from the already low value of pigs on June contracts. At this writing, pork industry leaders are readying an appeal to governments for funding to support them through this crisis. The same reasoning is behind this as with the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy crisis that struck the beef industry in 2003 and which also received funding.

Roadmap for a Competitive Pork Industry in Canada

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The major challenges set out in the Revitalization Strategy are to ‘package’ or
systematize the marketing platform and to build the marketing capability which
links production, processing and marketing in a highly connected manner.
This is not easy. Indeed this requires a set of industry investment strategies
that create new business structures between producers and processors.
However, the alternative is the continuation of a system that is clearly not
functioning well in the present and certainly is not positioned to compete with
well organized systems in other countries around the world.
If the fundamental challenges within the Canadian pork industry are not
addressed, the conditions that have created the distress which is currently at
play will only re-emerge in the future. At best, the Canadian industry may
continue to supply the domestic market but lose its export markets. At worst, it
may be unable to compete at all and Canadian consumers will rely totally on
pork products that are imported from pork producing countries.