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Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Gene defects that impair resistance to infectious diseases of swine
Posted in: Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on August 21, 2012 | No Comments
This study looked at single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as possible genetic markers or defects that weaken disease resistance to different pathogenic agents. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of lectin gene defects on susceptibility of pigs to typical infections, especially in PRRS, to determine which of these genes were associated with reduced growth performance, and to modify genetic tests so they can be used on archived tissue samples from pigs with various diseases diagnosed after a pig has died or been slaughtered. Researchers developed 27 single SNPs in 15 innate immune genes of pigs. This was used to search for SNP and disease associations in 464 pigs diagnosed with diseases and then being compared to 1283 normal pigs. It was confirmed that some SNPs in lectin genes are associated with increased occurrences of pneumonia and enteritis caused by carious agents. Evidence was also obtained for associations between SNPs in pigs with neonatal diarrhea due to E.coli. These ongoing studies have revealed several SNPs that could be useful in genetic selection against minor alleles associated with some common infectious diseases.
Immune Response Regulation by Neonatally Administered Cytokines
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This research attempts to address the problem of high prebalance of infectious disease in intensively managed pigs from the perspective of variable host immune responses as probable determinants of relative susceptibility and resistance to various agents of disease. The study was carried out by tests on the effects of the immune response regulating cytokine, interferon. Treatments were given in the first 7 days of a pigs life. Treatments were assessed on inductions of active immune responses to two test antigens, hen egg whites and killed candida. Effects on experimentally induced food allergy to the major egg allergen ovomucoid were also determined. Interferon given by intramuscular injection on days 1-7 of age enhanced rate of gain over the period 7-38 days of age. Immune response as measured by skin test reactions and serum antibody to egg whites and killed candida were variable by litter and individual. It had no effect on skin test response to killed candida when data were analyzed from individual litters but enhanced reactivity was suggested in pooled litter data.
Impact of fermenting high-moisture corn on dynamics of starch and phytate degradation, as well as growth performance and gut health in starter pigs
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New feeding strategies such as the use of high moisture corn that has enhanced nutrient digestibility in a liquid feeding system can enhance performance and reduce the outflow of nutrients in manure. This study attempts to examine impacts of fermentation on starch and phytate degradation in high-moisture corn, find the effects of high-moisture corn in liquid feeding systems on gut structure and function and microbial ecology, examine the production of nutrient utilization of starter pigs fed high-moisture corn in liquid feeding systems, and to determine the effects of added phytase in liquid feeding systems containing high-moisture corn on nutrient digestion and manure composition. Studies were conducted to assess the impact of using bacterial inoculants and enzymes on degradation of starch and phytate-phosphorus and appearance of organic acids and alcohol in high-moisture corn mixed with water in a 1 to 2 ratio. Diet effects on structure, function, and microbiota in the gut as well as nutrient digestibility and nutrient excretion have been assessed. Research findings show that phosphorus availability is higher in stored high-moisture corn than in dry corn, phytase is more effective in liquid feeding that in conventional dry feeding, and that commonly used bacterial inoculants are not effective in enhancing the nutritional value of stored high-moisture corn.
Ketosis in Nursing Sows
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When a sow is forced to go off feed for whatever reason it is detrimental to her litter and has negative impacts on her reproductive performance. When a sow eats to much it may go off feed later on, also factors such as environment, temperatures and stress can causes a sow to stop eating feed. The cause and effect of off-feed events in sows is reminiscent of ketoacidosis in dairy cattle. Technology used by diabetic people is able to measure ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) levels in blood and has also been proven to test for ketosis in cows. This study attempts to test pig saliva for BHBA. The study concludes by saying not many sows go off feed or experience ketosis. Thirteen pigs per litter did not impose enough stress to raise serum BHBA levels in the sow, if a sow is consuming enough feed it seems apparent that the levels of BHBA are relatively low. It could not establish if there is a relationship between a sow not consuming feed and serum BHBA levels.
Molecular epidemiology of resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporins in Escherichia coli from pigs in Ontario
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Extended spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) represent very important antimicrobial agents in both human and animal medication. They can be used as drugs of last resort for children and elderly infected with salmonella. Recent reports have shown that resistance to these antimicrobials have appeared in salmonella found in pig diarrhea. This study attempts to find out if this resistance in pig E.coli is due to chromosomal mutations or due to resistance genes located on plasmids which may be exchanged between bacteria, and to characterize the transferable plasmids associated with ESC resistance and to compare the ESC resistance plasmids from porcine E.coli with those from salmonella. Three different types of plasmids encoding resistance to ESCs were found in pig diarrhea, all three carry the same ESC resistance gene and were transferable from E.coli to salmonella. Two of these plasmids are already known to occur in E.coli and salmonella in animals. These two have been found on several farms and in pathogenic and non-pathogenic E.coli, the third has not been seen anywhere else and appears to be new. This study shows that plasmid-borne transferable resistance to ESCs has emerged in porcine E.coli in Ontario. The potential for medicating swine for this may be eroding and there is potential for it to transfer to salmonella.
Presenting cost-effective and practical group gestation housing designs to swine producers in a video format.
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In 2002 funding was provided for the production of an informative video about sow housing. Producers were questioned about the pros and cons of each system. The video proved to be vary useful and has been shared across North America. Now with sow gestation becoming a prominent issue in the pork industry, another video has been proposed to help educate producers about animal behavior in new sow gestation units, show feeding strategies and pen design to minimize competition among sows, and provide building renovation and operational costs for each group housing system. This will allow producers to make informed choices about pen designs and feeding systems when renovating or building new sow gestation facilities. Footage will be taken from 4-5 different housing systems of producers who agree to participate. The footage will include the layout of the pens on each farm as well as routine management practices such as feeding, clean-out, mixing new groups of sows, pregnancy ultra-sounding and vaccination.
Practical Immunoregulation: Neonatal Immune Response Variation and Prophylaxis of Experimental Food Allergy in Pigs
Posted in: Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on August 20, 2012 | No Comments
The importance of environment in immune response is identified and the increase in prevalence of allergic, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases reviewed. In particular, altered opportunity to acquire evolutionarily anticipated commensal microbiota is associated through the “hygiene hypothesis” with defective developmental and response signals to the innate and adaptive immune systems. Evidence of the detrimental effects of such environments is reviewed as is evidence for remediation using controlled exposure to bacteria
or their active components such as LPS or peptidoglycan ligands for TLR and NOD-like receptors. Occurrence of major environmentally associated changes in porcine immune response phenotype are described. Recent studies of pigs indicate important detrimental effects of indoor housing and use of antibiotics on the profile of intestinal commensals and potential pathogens. Using allergy as a model of a modern disease predisposed by high hygiene conditions, it has been shown that unidentified environmental effects can drastically alter prevalent immune response phenotype. Simulating healthy environments by treating neonatal pigs with killed E. coli or with living L. lactis significantly prevents allergic signs, an effect that is correlated with reduced type-2 bias in immune response and also induces clinical tolerance even in the face of classical evidence of allergic sensitization. Opportunities exist for functional studies of these positive immunoregulatory approaches. The high frequency of clinical tolerance to developing allergic signs even in the face of classical sensitization indicates possible function in this pig model of regulatory effectors such as Treg cells.
Synchronizing sows to farrow later
Posted in: Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on August 16, 2012 | No Comments
Synchronizing sow farrowing has the potential to improve labor efficiency and improve piglet loss because attendants will be prepared for the birth. When pigs are born early they have increased chances of splay-legs, have lower birth weights and have higher mortality rates at birth and at weaning. Attempts to synchronize birth by inducing it when one sow reaches 114 days causes other sows to give birth a day or two early which results in decreased litter quality. This study tries to determine if it is possible to delay birth for a 1-2 days to synchronize birth of the farrowing herd. The two objectives of the study are: Can a high level of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) consistently delay parturition? By how many days? And can a high level of Regumate® consistently delay parturition? By how many days? 51 sows were put into three groups and given large doses of either Regumate, docosahexaenoic or neither to see how long pregnancies could be delayed for. Birth was able to be delayed in both test groups. 75% of the Regumate treated pigs gave birth after 117 days, 50% of the docosahexaenoic pigs gave birth after 117 days and the control group had 42% late births. Average gestation length for docosahexaenoic, Regumate, and the control were 117.4, 118.6 and 117.0 respectively. The study suggests that Regumate was successful in delaying birth, and docosahexaenoic was also found to extend pregnancy. Further test will need to be carreid out to determine the effects of different dosages.
Tetracycline residue in pig bones causing yellowing
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This study tries to determine if yellow bone color is a predictor of tetracycline levels in bone or other tissue.To test this 30 pigs were given tetracycline for different lengths of time and by different ways of administration. The different treatments were: Group 1 -chlortetracycline in the feed at 660 ppm for 12 weeks. Group 2 – chlortetracycline in the feed at 660 ppm for 3 weeks. Group 3 – chlortetracycline in the feed at 110 ppm for 12 weeks. Group 4 – chlortetracycline in the feed at 110 ppm for 3 weeks. Group 5 – 1 g tetracycline per 8 L water for 5 days. Group 6 – 300 mg per 45 kg body weight of oxytetracycline for 3 days. When the pigs were processed the bones were assessed to see if they changed color and for UV fluorescence. Some bones were also collected and ground to a powder and then tested for levels of tetracycline. The results show that three types of tetracycline used in the study were distinguishable. Pigs receiving 660 ppm of chlortetracycline for 3 weeks in feed during the early grower stage ranged from 12 to 23 ppm. Levels found in discolored bones at slaughter were similar, averaging 23 ppm of chlortetracycline. This study suggests that exposure to relatively low levels for relatively short periods of time resulted in tetracycline levels present in bone at slaughter that were similar to the levels found in pigs identified with bone discolouration. Levels in other organs such as liver, kidney, and muscles were below detectable limits.
The Role of Urease in O149 E. coli That Cause Post-weaning Diarrhea in Pigs
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Ontario weanling pigs who are exposed Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) suffer from diarrhea. The diarrhea occurs because the ETEC permits bacteria to colonize the intestine, and enterotoxins induce hypersecretion of electrolytes and fluid into the lumen of the intestine. One of the most dominent serogroups that ETEC belongs to is O149. Experiments were carried out to characterize urease genes that had been detected in strains of O149:F4 enterotoxigenic E. coli that had been associated with unusually severe outbreaks of diarrhea in weaned pigs in Ontario. The infection studies were designed to determine whether the urease genes contributed to the virulence of the O149 ETEC. The mutant that was tested was clearly reduced in virulence. However, complementing the mutation did not result in a restoration of virulence as the strain’s capacity to colonize remained severely impaired. Thus the studies failed to show that urease plays a role in virulence.