Landrace Piglets Research Articles

A 12-bp indel in the 3’UTR of porcine CISH gene associated with Landrace piglet diarrhea score

Variations in Cytokine inducible SH2-containing protein (CISH) gene influence human susceptibility to common infectious diseases, but little is known about CISH in swine. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine porcine CISH (pCISH) mRNA expression level in different tissues of piglets, 2) predict putative functional genetic variations within pCISH, 3) investigate the association between a identified variation in the 3’UTR and piglets phenotype traits in Min (n = 226) and Landrace (n = 186) population, and explore the function of this variation. Results of quantitative PCR showed pCISH mRNA expressed in all the collected tissues with higher level in lung and ileum than colon (p < 0.05). In-silico analysis indicated none of the functional ns-SNPs existed in pCISH coding region. Results from the characterizing of 3’UTR presented a novel 12-bp insertion/deletion (indel) mutation. Statistical analysis demonstrated that this 12-bp indel associated with piglets diarrhea score in the Landrace population, and animals with AA genotype (12-bp insertion) presented lower diarrhea score when compared with BB (p < 0.05) or AB (p < 0.01) carriers. The in vitro study indicated that the luciferase activity of reconstruct plasmid psiCHECK-2-CISH-AA or psiCHECK-2-CISH-BB was significantly lower than the negative control (p < 0.05), and luciferase activity of psiCHECK-2-CISH-AA was higher than that of the psiCHECK-2-CISH-BB (p < 0.05). Although results herein suggested the 12-bp indel might affect Landrace piglet susceptibility to diarrhea, further association studies in more populations are needed before this preliminary finding could be used for pig breeding.

Soy Formula Is Not Estrogenic and Does Not Result in Reproductive Toxicity in Male Piglets: Results from a Controlled Feeding Study.

Soy infant formula which is fed to over half a million infants per year contains isoflavones such as genistein, which have been shown to be estrogenic at high concentrations. The developing testis is sensitive to estrogens, raising concern that the use of soy formulas may result in male reproductive toxicity. In the current study, male White-Dutch Landrace piglets received either sow milk (Sow), or were provided milk formula (Milk), soy formula (Soy), milk formula supplemented with 17-beta-estradiol (2 mg/kg/d) (M + E2) or supplemented with genistein (84 mg/L of diet; (M + G) from postnatal day 2 until day 21. E2 treatment reduced testis weight (p < 0.05) as percentage of body weight, significantly suppressed serum androgen concentrations, increased tubule area, Germ cell and Sertoli cell numbers (p < 0.05) relative to those of Sow or Milk groups. Soy formula had no such effects relative to Sow or Milk groups. mRNAseq revealed 103 differentially expressed genes in the M + E2 group compared to the Milk group related to endocrine/metabolic disorders. However, little overlap was observed between the other treatment groups. These data suggest soy formula is not estrogenic in the male neonatal piglet and that soy formula does not significantly alter male reproductive development.

Characterization, mRNA expression profile, subcellular distribution and association analysis with piglet diarrhea of porcine matrix metallopeptidase 7 (pMMP7)

Matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) is involved in the degradation of extracellular matrix in disease processes and therefore plays an important role in host disease resistance/susceptibility. To better understanding the effects of porcine MMP7 (pMMP7) on piglets diarrhea trait, we characterized pMMP7 gene, identified genetic variations in pMMP7 and explored the relationship between pMMP7 polymorphisms and piglets diarrhea in Min pig and Landrace populations. The complete coding sequence of pMMP7 is 804 bp encoding a protein of 267 amino acids. Sequence alignment showed that the identity between pMMP7 and human MMP7 was approximately 80%. The expression of pMMP7 in the gut of healthy piglets were weak and the distribution of the pMMP7-EGFP fusion protein was observed mainly in the cytoplasm. After the identification of 21 genetic variations in 5′ flanking region and exons, Hae III and Eco72 Ⅰ PCR-RFLP were established to genotype SNP rs327380117 and rs329429922, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that Landrace piglets with a TT genotype at rs327380117 had a lower diarrhea score and day-14 wt than TC piglets (p < 0.05); the diarrhea score of AA Landrace animals with rs329429922 was lower than that of GG individuals (p < 0.05). The findings presented here contribute to the understanding of the biological function of pMMP7 and may provide new molecular markers for pig breeding.

Gut balance booster as a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promoter in swine production: evaluation of the effects on growth and health parameters

The use of antimicrobials as growth promoters (AGPs) in food-producing animals (FPAs) may facilitate the development and spread of antimicrobial-resistance bacteria (ARB), which threatens food safety and public health. Gut balance booster (GBB) improves gut health and growth/weight gain in FPAs without aiding the emergence of ARB. This 10-week study evaluated the effects of graded levels of GBB on growth and health parameters of weanling pigs following standard procedures. Thirty-six Large White X Landrace piglets, aged six weeks, were randomly assigned into four treatment groups (A-D) of nine piglets. Each treatment was replicated thrice with three piglets per replicate. They were fed diets A-D respectively. While diet-A was the control (no GBB), diets B, C and D were supplemented at 1.00 kg/ton, 2.00 kg/ton and 3 kg/ton, respectively. Results showed that daily feed intake and weight gain were significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher in supplemented groups and group-B had highest final weight gain. The GBB supplementation had no significant (p &gt; 0.05) effect on total lipid profile but low-density-lipoprotein was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) lower in group-B. The supplementation increased packed cell volume, total leucocyte and lymphocyte counts and humoral immune performance. The treatment diets also significantly reduced serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase and Aspartate aminotransferase, suggesting the hepatoprotective effect. Diet-B had more positive effects on production and health parameters assessed, indicating that GBB supplementation at 1.00 kg/ton could safely and effectively replace AGPs in pig production; and hence limits dissemination of ARB and its associated public health problems.

Deprivation of Dietary Fiber Enhances Susceptibility of Piglets to Lung Immune Stress.

Growing evidence suggests that dietary fiber enhances short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing gut microbes, improving lung immunity against invading pathogens via the gut–lung axis. This study investigated the effects of dietary fiber on lung immune stress after challenge with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) containing killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thirty-six healthy hybrid Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire male piglets (9.7 ± 1.07 kg, 35 ± 3 days) were randomly fed a low fiber (LF) diet formulated with semipurified corn starch, soy protein concentrate, and fishmeal or a high fiber (HF) diet composed of 1,000 g LF diet plus 20 g inulin, and 100 g cellulose. Piglets were housed individually in the metabolism cages with eighteen replicates per group, with one pig per cage. All the piglets received similar levels of digestible energy and lysine and had similar weight gain. After dietary treatment for 28 days, nine piglets per group were intravenously administered CFA (0.4 mg/kg) or an equivalent amount of sterile saline in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. In piglets fed the LF diet, CFA caused lung damage and elevated serum C-reactive protein and relative mRNA expression of genes related to lung inflammation (NLRP3, Casp1, ASC, IL1β, IL18, Bax). Compared with the LF diet, the HF diet increased bacterial diversity and Deferribacteres (p = 0.01) in the phylum level and unidentified_Ruminococcaceae (p = 0.03) and Catenisphaera (p < 0.01) in the genus level. The HF diet improved increased short-chain fatty acids in feces, blood, cecal, and colonic digesta; reduced lung damage; and promoted lung recovery. Overall, dietary fiber deprivation enhanced the risk of piglets to lung immune stress, demonstrating the importance of dietary fiber in gut–lung health.

Identification of Potential Candidate Genes From Co-Expression Module Analysis During Preadipocyte Differentiation in Landrace Pig.

Preadipocyte differentiation plays an important role in lipid deposition and affects fattening efficiency in pigs. In the present study, preadipocytes isolated from the subcutaneous adipose tissue of three Landrace piglets were induced into mature adipocytes in vitro. Gene clusters associated with fat deposition were investigated using RNA sequencing data at four time points during preadipocyte differentiation. Twenty-seven co-expression modules were subsequently constructed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses revealed three modules (blue, magenta, and brown) as being the most critical during preadipocyte differentiation. Based on these data and our previous differentially expressed gene analysis, angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) was identified as a key regulator of preadipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism. After inhibition of ANGPTL4, the expression of adipogenesis-related genes was reduced, except for that of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which was negatively regulated by ANGPTL4 during preadipocyte differentiation. Our findings provide a new perspective to understand the mechanism of fat deposition.

African Swine Fever Virus pI215L Negatively Regulates cGAS-STING Signaling Pathway through Recruiting RNF138 to Inhibit K63-Linked Ubiquitination of TBK1.

African swine fever is a severe animal infectious disease caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV), and the morbidity and mortality associated with virulent ASFV isolates are as high as 100%. Previous studies showed that the ability of ASFV to antagonize IFN production is closely related to its pathogenicity. Here, we report that ASFV HLJ/18 infection induced low levels of type I IFN and inhibited cGMP-AMP-induced type I IFN production in porcine alveolar macrophages that were isolated from specific pathogen-free Landrace piglets. Subsequently, an unbiased screen was performed to screen the ASFV genes with inhibitory effects on the type I IFN production. ASFV pI215L, a viral E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, was identified as one of the strongest inhibitory effectors on the production of type I IFN. Knockdown of pI215L expression inhibited ASFV replication and enhanced IFN-β production. However, inhibition of type I IFN production by pI215L was independent of its E2 enzyme activity. Furthermore, we found that pI215L inhibited type I IFN production and K63-linked polyubiquitination of TANK-binding kinase 1 through pI215L-binding RING finger protein 138 (RNF138). ASFV pI215L enhanced the interaction between RNF138 and RNF128 and promoted RNF138 to degrade RNF128, which resulted in reduced K63-linked polyubiquitination of TANK-binding kinase 1 and type І IFN production. Taken together, our findings reveal a novel immune escape mechanism of ASFV, which provides a clue to the design and development of an immune-sensitive attenuated live vaccine.

Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) as a feed supplement in pig nutrition contributes to regional resource cycles

In smallholder agriculture, the fast-growing and perennial accumulator plant comfrey (Symphytum spp.) was used to supply pigs with protein and minerals. Comfrey leaves show similar values in dry matter as soybean or blue lupine in crude protein content, but much higher levels of calcium and phosphorus. However, in terms of increased efficiency in animal husbandry, comfrey has been displaced by mainly soybean and cereals. Due to its profile of macro- and micronutrients the use of comfrey could have the potential to re-establish local resource cycles and help remediate over-fertilized soils. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a modern pig breed accepts a continuous feed supplement of dried comfrey leaves. After an initial adaptation period post-weaning, German Landrace piglets were subjected to either a standard control diet or a diet supplemented with 15% dried comfrey leaves for 4 weeks. Body weight was reduced in comfrey-supplemented piglets compared to controls, which might be attributed to reduced palatability in the experimental setting. Nevertheless, comfrey-supplemented piglets exhibited adequate bone mineralization and intestinal integrity. The microbiome profile in feces and digesta revealed higher diversity in comfrey-supplemented piglets compared to controls, with pronounced effects on the abundances of Treponema and Prevotella. This may be due to described bio-positive components of the comfrey plant, as data suggest that the use of comfrey leaves may promote intestinal health. Digestive tract phosphorus levels were reduced in piglets receiving comfrey supplementation, which may ultimately affect phosphorus levels in manure. Results indicate that comfrey leaves could serve as a feed component in integrated agricultural systems to establish regional nutrient cycles. The trial provides a basis for further work on comfrey as a regionally grown protein source and effective replacement for rock mineral supplements.

Proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy piglets after mitogen stimulation as indicators of disease resilience.

Disease resilience refers to the productivity of an animal under disease. Given the high biosecurity of pig nucleus herds, traits that can be measured on healthy pigs and that are genetically correlated with disease resilience, that is, genetic indicator traits, offer a strategy to select for disease resilience. Our objective was to evaluate mitogen stimulation assays (MSAs) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from young healthy pigs as genetic indicators for disease resilience. Data were from a natural disease challenge in which batches of 60 or 75 naïve Yorkshire × Landrace piglets were introduced every 3 wk into a continuous flow barn that was seeded with multiple diseases. In this environment, disease resilience traits, including growth, treatment, and mortality rates, were recorded on 3,136 pigs that were genotyped with a high-density marker panel. PBMCs from 882 of these pigs from 19 batches were isolated from whole blood collected prior to the disease challenge and stimulated with five mitogens: concanavalin A (ConA), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The proliferation of cells was evaluated at 48, 72, and 96 h and compared with unstimulated samples (rest count). Heritabilities of cell proliferation were estimated using a model with batch as a fixed effect and covariates of entry age; rest count; complete blood count proportions of lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils; and pen, litter, and animal genetics as random effects. Heritability estimates were highest for response to ConA (0.30 ± 0.09, 0.28 ± 0.10, 0.17 ± 0.10, and 0.25 ±0.10 at 48, 72, and 96 h after stimulation and for area under the curve across the three time points, respectively). Estimates were in a similar range for response to PHA and PMA but low for PWM and LPS. Responses to ConA, PHA, and PMA were moderately genetically correlated with several disease resilience traits and in the expected direction, but individual estimates were not significantly different from zero due to large SEs. In conclusion, although validation is needed, MSAss, in particular based on ConA, show promise as genetic indicator traits for disease resilience.

Comprehensive evaluation of the productive and reproductive traits of sows of Yorkshire and Landrace breeds and their offspring

The purpose of the work was a comprehensive evaluation of the productive and reproductive traits of sows of Yorkshire and Landrace breeds and their offspring under the conditions of a breeding enterprise in the Republic of Belarus. During the studies of reproductive traits, it has been revealed that the highest rate of prolificacy among the evaluated breeds was distinguished by Yorkshire sows 14,0 heads for farrowing. In terms of milk content, Landrace sows were 2,5 kg or 4,57 % higher than Yorkshire sows. In terms of weight and socket weight per piglet at weaning at the age of 28 days sows Landrace piglets surpassed herdmates Yorkshire breed in the weight of the litter by 6,8 %, and the weight of one pig by 0,9 %. It has been found by the results of the evaluation of fattening and meat qualities of purebred young pigs that the best parameters were different gilts of Landrace breeds, whose age achieve the live weight of 100 kg was 163,1 days, and average daily gain of live weight – 864,8 g, which was higher than in young pigs of Yorkshire breed by 1,8 day or 1,09 %, and 28,9 g or by 3,46 %. The young pigs of Landrace breed has been characterized by the best values of the area of the “eye of loin” – 73,8 cm² and the highest yield and amount of meat – 68,5 % and 24 kg, which was 11,4 cm² or 18,2 % and 0,4 kg or 3,5 abs.%, respectively, higher than the herdmates of Yorkshire breed. The results obtained indicate the possibility of using boars and sows of Landrace and Yorkshire breeds not only in breeding, but also in industrial pig breeding.

Comparison Of The Indigenous And Exotic Pure And Crossbred Sows In Southern Nigeria: Relationship Between Dam And Litter Performance

The study embraced the evaluation of reproductive efficiency of pure and crossbred exotic and indigenous sows of Nigeria. Characters studied were litter size at birth and weaning, survival at weaning, average pig weight, litter weights at 3,5 and 8 weeks of age and weight loss of the dams during lactation. Highly significant breed and seasonal effects were recorded in almost all traits studied on litter and piglet performance and the efficiency of milk utilization. No seasonal effect was reported for litter size, milk ingested per piglet and weight lost by the sow. Seasonal factors accounted for 0.43% of variation in litter size but 60.9% of litter weight. Breed differences accounted for 25.7% of birth weight and 59.8% of milk utilization efficiency and the sow age contributed 5.3% of pig birth weight and 36.0% of litter size variation. Pooled estimate indicated average pig birth weight of 1.14kg in the indigenous pigs and 1.54kg for the reciprocal Large White x Landrace piglets; average weaning weights ranged from 4.39 to 9.91kg and preweaning gain from 3.38 to 8.25kg respectively. Litter size at birth also varied from 5.2 in the landrace to 8.4 in the Duroc Large White cross with 4.6 and 7kg weights of pigs weaned respectively.

Swine hemorrhagic shock model and pathophysiological changes in a desert dry-heat environment.

BackgroundThis study aimed to establish a traumatic hemorrhagic shock (THS) model in swine and examine pathophysiological characteristics in a dry-heat environment.MethodsForty domestic Landrace piglets were randomly assigned to four study groups: normal temperature non-shock (NS), normal temperature THS (NTHS), desert dry-heat non-shock (DS), and desert dry-hot THS (DTHS) groups. The groups were exposed to either normal temperature (25°C) or dry heat (40.5°C) for 3 h. To induce THS, anesthetized piglets in the NTHS and DTHS groups were subjected to liver trauma and hypovolemic shock until death, and piglets in the NS and DS groups were euthanized at 11 h and 4 h, respectively. Body temperature, blood gas, cytokine production, and organ function were assessed before and after environmental exposure at 0 h and at every 30 min after shock to death. Hemodynamics was measured post exposure and post-shock at 0 h and at every 30 min after shock to death.ResultsSurvival, body temperature, oxygen delivery, oxygen consumption, and cardiac output were significantly different for traumatic hemorrhagic shock in the dry-heat groups compared to those in the normal temperature groups. Lactic acid and IL-6 had a marked increase at 0.5 h, followed by a progressive and rapid increase in the DTHS group.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the combined action of a dry-heat environment and THS leads to higher oxygen metabolism, poorer hemodynamic stability, and earlier and more severe inflammatory response with higher mortality.

Features of the growth and development of young pigs of various breeding

The indicators of growth and development, fattening and meat qualities of pigs of the breeding center “Lozovoe” CJSC “Plemzavod-Yubileyny” of the Tyumen region were evaluated. The indicators that characterize the growth and development of young animals were taken into account: live weight, age, average daily growth. When the live weight of 100 kg was reached, an ultrasound device was used to evaluate the thickness of bacon, the depth of muscles and the yield of lean meat, which are in the database of breeding records for 2011-2020. To characterize the meat qualities, 1144 Landrace piglets were slaughtered, 275 - large white breed, 129 - Pietren breed, 339 hybrids (LxKB), 159 hybrids (LxD), 460 hybrids obtained from boars of foreign selection. A comparative analysis of commercial hybrids of various variants of crossing pigs of domestic and foreign selection is carried out. Processing of the research results was carried out in the laboratory of Molecular diagnostics and Biotechnology of the Don State Agrarian University. The influence of the breed is established.

ГИСТОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПЕЧЕНИ НОВОРОЖДЕННЫХ ПОРОСЯТ ПОРОДЫ ЛАНДРАС

ГИСТОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПЕЧЕНИ НОВОРОЖДЕННЫХ ПОРОСЯТ ПОРОДЫ ЛАНДРАС

PSIX-29 JAK2-STAT3 Pathway Mediated Satellite Cell Apoptosis to Govern Skeletal Muscle Growth with Lysine

Abstract Apoptosis is programmed cell death that can be stimulated by external stress or nutrition restrictions. Lysine (Lys) is an essential amino acid for pig growth, and the relationship between Lys deficiency caused apoptosis and inhibition of skeletal muscle growth remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate whether apoptosis could be regulated by Lys supplementation and the potential mechanism. In current work, 30 male Duroc × Landrace × Large weaned piglets were divided randomly into 3 groups: control group (Lys 1.30%), Lys deficiency group (Lys 0.86%), and Lys rescue group (Lys 0.86%, 0-14d; 1.30%,15–28 d). The experiment lasted for 28 days, and on the morning of 29 d, piglets were slaughtered to collect samples. Isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) proteomics analysis of the longissimus dorsi muscle showed that Janus family tyrosine kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway was involved in Lys deficiency-induced apoptosis and inhibited skeletal muscle growth. Meanwhile, western blotting results of the longissimus dorsi muscle demonstrated that Lys deficiency caused apoptosis (P &amp;lt; 0.05) with the JAK2-STAT3 pathway inhibition (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Interestingly, apoptosis was suppressed (P &amp;lt; 0.05), and the JAK2-STAT3 pathway was reactivated (P &amp;lt; 0.05) after Lys re-supplementation in longissimus dorsi muscle. In addition, results of satellite cells (SCs) isolated from the longissimus dorsi muscle of 5-day-old Landrace piglets showed that Lys deficiency-induced apoptosis (P &amp;lt; 0.05) was mediated by the JAK2-STAT3 pathway inhibition (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Moreover, the JAK2-STAT3 pathway was reactivated (P &amp;lt; 0.05) by Lys re-supplementation and suppressed apoptosis in SCs (P &amp;lt; 0.05), and this effect was blocked (P &amp;lt; 0.05) after SCs treated with AG-490 (a specific inhibitor of JAK2). Collectively, Lys inhibited apoptosis in SCs to govern skeletal muscle growth via the JAK2-STAT3 pathway.

Reference Values of Hematological, Biochemical and Endocrinological Parameters in the Blood of Piglets Aged 1 and 21 Days

Summary The purpose of this paper is to determine the reference ranges for hematological, biochemical and endocrinological parameters in the blood of the commercial F1 Landrace x Yorkshire and Yorkshire x Landrace piglets aged 1 and 21 days. A total of 72 animals were enrolled in this study. The following reference ranges were determined for the blood parameters considered (day 1 vs. day 21): WBC 10.0-12.4 vs. 11.5-13.7 × 109/L; RBC 3.72-4.06 vs. 5.25-5.73 × 1012/L; HGB 71.4-79.0 vs. 100-110 g/L; HCT 24.4-26.5 vs. 35.7-39.1 %; MCV 64.4-66.0 vs. 72.7-74.8 fL; MCH 20.9-21.7 vs. 24.7-25.6 pg; MCHC 321-329 vs. 367-378 g/L; AST 78.5-98.9 vs. 51.8-66 U/L; ALT 72.5-84.5 vs. 65.9-76.5 U/L; CHOL 2.41-2.71 vs. 3.81-4.27 mmol/L; TGC 1.55-1.93 vs. 1.85-2.25 mmol/L; GLU 5.58-6.24 vs. 5.97-6.67 mmol/L; TPROT 55.2-59.4 vs. 65-69.9 g/L; ALB 13.4-15.1 vs. 27.8-30.9 g/L, GLOB 41.3-44.8 vs. 35.3-40.9 g/L; UREA mmol/L; TBIL 36.6-44.5 vs. 29.4-40.8 μmol/L; ALFAAMYLASE 897-998 vs. 851-949 U/L; LIPASE 74.1-79.7 vs. 88.3-98.1 U/L; CORT 140-196 vs. 41.4-63.8 ng/mL; INSUL 4.04-5.68 vs. 1.71-2.41 μU/L. The RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, and MCHC values recorded were found to be higher in the piglets aged 21 days than those in the piglets aged 1 day. The total leukocyte count did not differ between the experimental groups. Lower AST, ALT, globulin, cortisol and insulin values were detected in the piglets aged 21 days than those in the piglets aged 1 day. However, the values of triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and lipase were found to be higher in the piglets aged 21 days than those in the piglets aged 1 day. The glucose, alpha amylase and total bilirubin (TBIL) values did not differ significantly between the experimental groups. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test conducted shows that there are significant differences in the frequency distribution of most of the blood parameters tested in the pigs aged 1 and 21 days, which confirms that a separate reference interval must be determined and applied to the respective piglet ages considered. The establishment of reference values for different age categories can facilitate the assessment of health status and productive performance of farm piglets.

Comparing Aachen Minipigs and Pietrain Piglets as Models of Experimental Pediatric Urology to Human Reference Data

Introduction: Swine had special roles in the development of minimally invasive procedures to treat vesicoureteral reflux, and minipigs have been gaining ground in recent years in experimental pediatric urology as they combine small size with less vulnerable adult physiology, but their suitability as a model has never been assessed. We therefore compared a landrace piglet with a juvenile minipig to elucidate comparability. Methods: We evaluated five 3-week old Pietrain piglets and five 3-month old Aachen Minipigs as representatives of landrace and minipig models based on their expected bodyweight being similar to a newborn human. We compared renal weight, volume – via the ellipsoid formula – and ureteral length. In addition, we calculated porcine renal function via Gasthuys’ formula. In order to compare the groups with previously published values for infants, we used resampling techniques to allow comparison to humans. Results: Renal weight was higher in humans than in Pietrain piglets (Δ_L = 7.6 g; Δ_R = 5.4 g) and Aachen Minipigs (Δ_L = 11 g; Δ_R = 9.4 g). Renal volumes in humans were higher than in both Pietrain piglets (Δ_L = 5.6 mL, p < 0.001; Δ_R = 3.7 mL, p = 0.004) and Aachen Minipigs (Δ_L = 8.1 mL; Δ_R = 6.6 mL; both p < 0.001). Ureteral lengths in humans and both pig breeds were comparable as were estimated renal functions between both pig breeds. Discussion and Conclusion: Both landrace piglets and juvenile minipigs are suitable models for experimental pediatric urology as parameters did not differ between them. In addition, the anatomic parameters are comparable or smaller than in infants. This might facilitate translational research as technical failure is less likely in larger organs. Additional research is necessary to cover higher age ranges than those included in the present pilot study.

Combination of Antimicrobial Starters for Feed Fermentation: Influence on Piglet Feces Microbiota and Health and Growth Performance, Including Mycotoxin Biotransformation in vivo.

The aim of this study was to apply a combination of the microbial starters Lactobacillus uvarum LUHS245, Lactobacillus casei LUHS210, Pediococcus acidilactici LUHS29, and Pediococcus pentosaceus LUHS183 for feed fermentation and to evaluate the influence of fermentation on feed acidity and microbiological characteristics, as well as on the piglet feces microbiota, health, and growth performance. Additionally, mycotoxin biotransformation was analyzed, including masked mycotoxins, in feed and piglet feces samples. The 36-day experiment was conducted using 25-day-old Large White/Norwegian Landrace (LW/NL) piglets with an initial body weight of 6.9–7.0 kg, which were randomly distributed into two groups (in each 100 piglets): control group, fed with basal diet (based on barley, wheat, potato protein, soybean protein concentrate, and whey powder), and treated group, fed with fermented feed at 500 g kg−1 of total feed. Compared to a commercially available lactic acid bacteria (LAB) combination, the novel LAB mixture effectively reduced feed pH (on average pH 3.65), produced a 2-fold higher content of L(+) lactic acid, increased viable LAB count [on average 8.8 log10 colony-forming units (CFU) g−1], and led to stable feed fermentation during the entire test period (36 days). Fecal microbiota analysis showed an increased number of probiotic bacteria in the treated group, particularly Lactobacillus, when compared with the control group at the end of experiment. This finding indicates that fermented feed can modify microbial profile change in the gut of pigs. In treated piglets' blood (at day 61), the serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) were significantly higher, but the levels of T4, glucose, K, alkaline phosphatase (AP), and urea were significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.05) compared with the control group. Mycotoxin analysis showed that alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) and altenuene were found in 61-day-old control piglets' feces and in fermented feed samples. However, AME was not found in treated piglets' feces. Feed fermentation with the novel LAB combination is a promising means to modulate piglets' microbiota, which is essential to improve nutrient absorption, growth performance, and health parameters. The new LAB composition suggests a novel dietary strategy to positively manipulate fermented feed chemicals and bio-safety and the piglet gut microbial ecology to reduce antimicrobials use in pig production and increase local feed stock uses and economical effectiveness of the process.

Evaluating the utility of a CO2 surgical laser for piglet castration to reduce pain and improve wound healing: a pilot study.

CO2 surgical lasers are widely used for procedures in veterinary and human medicine. There is evidence to suggest surgery using a CO2 laser reduces pain and swelling and improves healing time compared with surgery with a scalpel. Millions of piglets in North America are surgically castrated each year using a scalpel. Therefore, piglet welfare may be improved by making refinements to the surgical procedure. The objectives of this preliminary study were to determine the ability of a CO2 surgical laser to (1) reduce pain and (2) improve wound healing of piglets undergoing surgical castration. Two-day-old male Yorkshire × Landrace piglets were used and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments (n = 10 piglets/treatment group): surgical castration with the CO2 laser, surgical castration with a scalpel, or sham (uncastrated control). Piglets were video recorded in their pens for 1 hr preprocedure and from 0 to 2, 6 to 8, and at 24 hr postprocedure for behavior scoring. Surgical site images were collected at baseline, 0, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 hr postcastration for wound healing assessment. Infrared thermography images of the surgical site were also taken at baseline, 0, 0.5, 8, and 24 hr postprocedure to assess inflammation. Finally, blood was collected from each piglet at baseline and 0.5 hr postcastration to assess cortisol levels, prostaglandin E metabolite and pig-major acute phase protein concentration. Laser-castrated piglets displayed more pain behaviors across the observation period than scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.05). Laser-castrated piglets also displayed significantly more agonistic behavior than both scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.005) and sham piglets (P = 0.036); yet, laser-castrated piglets had significantly lower temperatures at the site of incision compared with scalpel-castrated piglets (P = 0.0211). There was no significant difference in wound healing or any of the blood parameters assessed between laser-castrated and scalpel-castrated piglets. There was evidence of thermal tissue damage on the scrotum of piglets that were castrated using the CO2 laser. This may have resulted in the unremarkable healing time and the increased pain behavior observed in this study. The surgical laser technique should be refined before conclusions can be made regarding the utility of a CO2 laser for piglet castration.

The Differential Expressions of PPARγ and CAST mRNA in Muscle Tissues of Jinhua and Landrace Pigs

Background: Fat deposition affected meat quality and the suitable amount of intramuscular fat (IMF) can significantly improve the taste of meat, palatability, juicy, tenderness and flavor, thereby enhancing the meat quality in animals. Although, calpastatin (CAST) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-ã (PPARã) could regulate meat quality by altering meat tenderness or IMF content in animals, reports concerning the relationship between CAST, PPARã expression and pork quality is unclear.Methods: A total of twenty 28-day-old purebred weaned Jinhua and Landrace piglets (10 piglets per breed) were divided into two groups according to breed for the feeding trials lasting for 120 days. At the 148 days of age, 3 pigs of each breed were selected to slaughter. Total RNA was extracted from longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris muscle to investigate the differential expression of PPARã and CAST in muscle tissues of different breed pigs by RT-PCR methods, as well as their relationship with IMF and carcass lean content.Result: These results suggested that PPARã is an important effector for regulating fat deposition in pigs, which was correlated with IMF and carcass lean content of pigs. This data would provide a scientific basis for the regulation of pork quality.