Distribution of hepatitis E virus infection and its prevalence in pigs on commercial farms in Spain

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

A survey to detect antibodies against hepatitis E virus (HEV) was undertaken on 41 Spanish pig farms using an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The study confirmed that HEV is spread in pigs in Spain and is probably endemic in many farms.

Maternal behaviour and performance in first-parity outdoor sows

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Our aim was to describe nursing behaviour, sow
activity, sow use of body reserves and piglet growth and
the relationship between these traits in gilts kept
outdoors. We conclude that in outdoor production, sow
appetite in early lactation affects piglet growth until
weaning at seven weeks. Sow nursing behaviour is not
important for piglet growth when sows and piglets are
held outdoors in groups, piglets have access to sow feed
and piglets are weaned as late as at seven weeks of age.
Sow nursing behaviour and activity are individual
characteristics repeatable within sow’s late lactation.
Sow nursing behaviour is related with sow activity,
indicating that less active sows are more available for
suckling. Sow backfat depth and sow body weight are
related to nursing behaviour in late lactation, indicating
that light, thin sows have an earlier and more progressed
weaning process.
Sows seem to balance between their and their litters’
needs by changing nursing behaviour during lactation.
In order to investigate how conventionally bred sows
kept outdoors manage to handle this act of balance,
maternal traits and reproduction traits need to be studied
over several parities.

Genetic parameters for maternal behaviour traits in sows

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

The aims of this study were first to define five behaviour traits which characterise the mothering abilities
of sows and subsequently to obtain estimates of variance components and breeding values for these traits in order to assess the suitability of the traits as selection criteria. Finally, genetic correlations between litter size at birth and the behaviour traits were estimated in order to test if selection for improved maternal behaviour is associated
with number of piglets born alive. It was found that including maternal behaviour in breeding programmes requires appropriate traits. These must be precisely defined, as objectively as possible, easy to record on a large scale and sufficiently genetically determined. From the five defined and analysed traits in the present study crushing seems to be themost promising trait for selection. Even though the estimated heritability was low, it shows a high incidence and is relatively easy to record objectively on a large scale.

Exploring ways by to improve the availability of nutrients while following sound conservation techniques

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and University
of Guelph researchers are exploring ways to apply liquid
manure to create the least amount of environmental impact.
For Dr. Bonnie Ball-Coelho, a research scientist with AAFC,
the focus over the past five years has been on how to combine
manure applications with minimum till. She and her
team have found that combining conservation techniques
with manure applications is not only possible but can also
achieve corn yields equivalent to conventional tillage and
inorganic fertilizer combinations. What type of equipment you use can also make a difference
with the spring application, she adds. The tine type of tilling
system used in the studies resulted in less of a negative impact
on growth or germination when the manure was highly concentrated
than the two other knife-type systems used. The main push of this and other studies is to improve the
agronomic availability of nutrients – improve the bottom
line for the farmer – and keep nutrients and bacteria
from places we don’t want them to be.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Gogu valley) protein as a novel antimicrobial agent in weanling pigs

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

The objections of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding different levels of potato proteins on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune response, small intestinal morpholoy, and bacterial populations in feces and large intestine. These results suggest that potatoe protein may be an alternative to medicated feed with antibiotics because it showed antimicrobial activity by effectively reducing the population of coliform bacteria and also improved the performance of weanling pigs.

Effect of litter size and birth weight on growth, carcass and pork quality, and their relationship to postmortem proteolysis

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

The objective of this study was to test if birth weight (BtW) influences growth, carcass characteristics, meat quality and postmortem (pm) proteolysis differently when pigs originate from small or large litters. The results confirm that the known effect of BtW on growth performance, wheras its effect on carcass characteristic and meat quality traits could only be partially demonstrated. Although litter size affected average BtW of the lightest-BtW and average size barrows, its effect on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality was minor. This study concludes that litter size affects swine growth and carcass and meat quality through its inverse relationship with birthweight.

Effects of sweeteners on individual feed intake characteristics and performance in group-housed weanling pigs

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

To assess the effects of 2 high intensity
sodium saccharine-based sweeteners on individual
feed intake characteristics and performance of grouphoused
weaned pigs, one hundred ninety-eight 26-d-old
weanling pigs were given ad libitum access to 3 dietary
treatments containing: no additional sweetener (control),
150 mg of sweetener (Sucram C-150)/kg, or 150
mg of sweetener (Sucram 3D)/kg. At weaning, piglets
were allocated to 18 pens (11 pigs/pen) based on BW,
sex, and ancestry, and pens were randomly assigned to
3 treatments with 6 pens per treatment. The pens were
equipped with computerized feeding stations. During
the first 12 d, pigs were offered pelleted prestarter diets
that were replaced at once by pelleted starter diets
for the last 7 d of the 19-d experimental period. The
individual feed intake characteristics consisting of latency
time (interval between weaning and first feed
intake), initial feed intake (intake during the first 24
h following the first feed intake), the number of total
visits per day, and the number of visits in which feed
was consumed, together with the time and the feed
intake per visit, were determined for all piglets. Performance
traits and fecal consistency were determined
per pen for d 0 to 5, d 5 to 12, and d 12 to 19, as well
as for the total period (d 0 to 19). The initiation of feed
intake was not affected by the addition of high intensity
sweeteners to the diet. From 12 d postweaning, dietary
sweeteners caused the piglets to focus more on
feed intake and less on exploratory behavior, as shown
by the increased percentage of visits with feed intake
in pigs fed the Sucram 3D diet compared with those
fed the control diet (P = 0.002). The overall daily feed
intake increased with time but was not affected by the
addition of sweeteners. Nevertheless, dietary sweeteners
prevented the depression of feed intake on d 8 and
10 postweaning (d 8, P = 0.013; d 10, P = 0.014), which
seemed to coincide with an improved fecal consistency
score (d 5 to 12, P = 0.11; d 12 to 19, P < 0.001). However, the changes in feed intake characteristics and fecal consistency only resulted in numerical effects on postweaning pig performance (ADFI, P = 0.126; ADG, P = 0.140). The results of the present study indicate that weanling pigs need a certain period of time before clear effects of dietary sweeteners on individual feed intake characteristics and pig performance can be observed.

Use of mannanoligosaccharides and zinc chelate as growth promoters and diarrhea preventative in weaning pigs: Effects on microbiota and gut function

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

The efficacy of a commercial source of mannan-oligosacharides (BM), organic zinc (BP), or their combination to enhance performance, gastrointestinal health, and immune response in weaned pigs was evaluated. A total of 128 piglets, weaned at 20 ± 2 d, were housed in 32 pens.

Animals received 1 of 4 dietary treatments: a control diet (CT) to which 0.2% of BM, 80 mg/kg of Zn as BP, or both additives (BMP) were added. The experiment lasted for 5 wk including a prestarter period of 2 wk and a starter period of 3 wk. Body weight was recorded and daily feed intake was calculated.

Fecal consistency was monitored for the first 21 d. After 2 wk, 32 animals were killed, digesta samples from the stomach, ileum, and cecum were collected, and pH and the short-chain fatty acid profile were determined.

Microbiological counts for enterobacteria and lactobacilli were evaluated using quantitative PCR. Histological parameters in the jejunum and immunoglobulin concentrations in serum and ileal digesta were
also measured.

Both additives improved G:F during the starter period (0.63, 0.69, 0.67, and 0.68 for CT, BM, BP, and BMP, respectively; P < 0.04). Mean fecal score values for the first 21 d were improved by BM and BP, showing decreased values compared with the CT diet (1.22, 0.89, 0.87, and 1.06 for CT, BM, BP, and BMP, respectively; P = 0.002). The addition of BM decreased enterobacteria counts in the jejunum (9.13, 8.05, 8.87, and 7.89 log 16S rRNA gene copies/g of matter for CT, BM, BP, and BMP, respectively; P = 0.05). Empty ileal weight, defined as the segment including the continuous Peyer’s patch, tended (P = 0.08) to increase with BP treatment (8.9, 9.6, 11.9, and 10.3 g/kg of BW for CT, BM, BP, and BMP, respectively). Crypt depths in the jejunum were lower in animals fed the combination of the additives (BPM) compared with those fed the control diet (281 vs. 235; P < 0.03). No significant differences were registered in pH, short-chain fatty acids, or serum and ileal immunoglobulin concentrations. The results suggest that the use of BM or BP can improve the efficiency of gain during the starter period.

Evaluation of alternatives to antibiotics using an Escherichia coli K88+ model of piglet diarrhea: Effects on gut microbial ecology

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is a major problem in the swine industry and results in scouring, increased mortality, and poor performance in the period immediately postweaning. The traditional way to control this problem is to include subtherapeutic antibiotics in the feed, but this is no longer acceptable to consumers; thus, alternatives to antibiotics are needed. In this research, we investigated the effects of spray-dried porcine plasma(SDPP), a Bacillus subtilis direct-fed microbial (DFM), a blend of organic acids, and sweeteners on E. coli induced scouring. It was concluded that when SDPP and DFM were included in the diet, the incidence of Bacteroidetes was greater when there was no antibiotics in the diet.

Virucidal efficacy of nine commercial disinfectants against porcine circovirus type 2

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

The virucidal efficacy of nine disinfectants was evaluated by testing a suspension of PCV2 isolated in France. For five disinfectants, namely a product composed of potassium monopersulfate, two products comprising a quaternary ammonium with one or three aldehyde(s), sodium hypochlorite, and sodium hydroxide, the concentration that significantly reduced the PCV2 titre was equal or 1.5–4 times lower than the authorised use concentration. Only two disinfectants, one composed of potassium monopersulfate, the other containing peracetic acid with hydrogen peroxide, reduced the PCV2 titre with a product concentration at best equal or two times higher than the authorised use concentration.