Sow Colostrum Research Articles

Effects of dietary grape seed polyphenols supplementation during late gestation and lactation on antioxidant status in serum and immunoglobulin content in colostrum of multiparous sows1.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary grape seed polyphenols (GSP) supplementation during the late gestation and lactation period on reproductive performance, antioxidative status in serum, nutrient composition, and Ig content in colostrum of multiparous sows. On day 80 of gestation, a total of 64 sows with similar body condition were allocated to a completely randomized block design with 4 dietary treatments (n = 16 sows per treatment): 1) basal diet (CON, control group); 2) basal diet supplemented with 200 IU/kg vitamin E (200VE, positive control group); 3) basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg GSP (200GSP); and 4) basal diet supplemented with 300 mg/kg GSP (300GSP). The trial lasted 56 d until the piglets were weaned on day 21 of lactation. Reproductive performance, parameters of antioxidative status, and levels of progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) in serum, nutrient composition, and Ig content in colostrum of sows were determined. The number of dead fetuses was reduced, and farrowing survival was significantly improved in the litters from 300GSP-fed (P < 0.05). Preweaning survivability significantly increased in the litters from sows fed 200GSP and 200VE (P < 0.05). The activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the serum was significantly increased in sows fed 200GSP and 300GSP (P < 0.05). The activity of GSH-Px in the serum also significantly increased in sows fed 200VE (P < 0.05). Sows fed 300GSP had the greatest levels of P4 and E2 in the serum, which was significantly greater than sows fed 200VE and CON (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found among treatments for the content of solids-not-fat, fat, protein, and lactose in colostrum (P > 0.05). However, sows fed GSP had greater IgM and IgG content in colostrum compared with sows fed 200VE and CON (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary GSP supplementation during late gestation and lactation improved the farrowing survival and preweaning survivability, enhanced the antioxidant status and hormone levels in serum, and increased the IgM and IgG content in colostrum of sows.

Application of an Endothelial Cell Culture Assay for the Detection of Neutralizing Anti-Clostridium Perfringens Beta-Toxin Antibodies in a Porcine Vaccination Trial.

Background: Beta-toxin (CPB) is the major virulence factor of Clostridium perfringens type C, causing hemorrhagic enteritis in newborn pigs but also other animals and humans. Vaccines containing inactivated CPB are known to induce protective antibody titers in sow colostrum and neutralization of the CPB activity is thought to be essential for protective immunity in newborn piglets. However, no method is available to quantify the neutralizing effect of vaccine-induced antibody titers in pigs. (2) Methods: We developed a novel assay for the quantification of neutralizing anti-CPB antibodies. Sera and colostrum of sows immunized with a commercial C. perfringens type A and C vaccine was used to determine neutralizing effects on CPB induced cytotoxicity in endothelial cells. Antibody titers of sows and their piglets were determined and compared to results obtained by an ELISA. (3) Results: Vaccinated sows developed neutralizing antibodies against CPB in serum and colostrum. Multiparous sows developed higher serum and colostrum antibody titers after booster vaccinations than uniparous sows. The antibody titers of sows and those of their piglets correlated highly. Piglets from vaccinated sows were protected against intraperitoneal challenge with C. perfringens type C supernatant. (4) Conclusions: The test based on primary porcine endothelial cells quantifies neutralizing antibody activity in serum and colostrum of vaccinated sows and could be used to reduce and refine animal experimentation during vaccine development.

Відтворювальна здатність свиноматок за дії цитрату йоду нанотехнологічного походження

The purpose. To find out influence of different quantities of iodine in the form of aqua-citrate on reproductive ability and milking ability of sows and their productive qualities. Methods. By a principle of analogues, in view of age (160–170 days) and weight of a body (95–100 kg) they formed 3 groups of repair pigs. Animals of control group received standard mineral premix (MP) which structure included iodine in the form of salt of potassium iodide. Pigs of test groups were fed with premixes without inorganic form of iodine. However, in a diet, according to the scheme of experiment, they added a water solution of aqua-citrate iodine in the quantities making 100 and 50% of the content of an element in MP. Results. It is established that colostrum and milk of sows differ under the content of general lipids. However at addition of iodine citrate of nanotechnological origin in diets of animal of test groups the concentration of general lipids both in colostrum and milk did not change essentially. At sows fed with forage with iodine in form of aqua-citrate in quantity twice smaller, than its content in standard mineral premix, in colostrum they fixed increase of phospholipids on 18,4% (P

Assessment of the safety and efficacy of an attenuated live vaccine based on highly virulent genotype 2b porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in nursing piglets

We have previously reported the generation of the attenuated KNU-141112-S DEL5/ORF3 virus by continuous propagation of highly virulent G2b porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in Vero cells. The present study aimed to assess the safety of S DEL5/ORF3 and to evaluate its effectiveness as a live vaccine for prime-booster vaccinations. Reversion to virulence experiments revealed that the S DEL5/ORF3 strain retains its attenuated phenotype and genetic stability after five successive passages in susceptible piglets. Pregnant sows were primed orally with an S DEL5/ORF3 live vaccine and boosted intramuscularly twice with a commercial killed vaccine at 2-week intervals prior to parturition. This sow vaccination regimen completely protected nursing piglets against virulent G2b challenge, as evidenced by the increase in survival rate from 0% to 100% and the significant reduction in diarrhea intensity, including the amount and duration of PEDV fecal shedding. In addition, despite a 2–3 day period of weight loss in piglets from vaccinated sows after challenge, their daily weight gain was recovered at 7 days post-challenge and became similar to that of unchallenged pigs from unvaccinated sows over the course of the experiment. Furthermore, strong antibody responses to PEDV were verified in the sera and colostrum of immunized sows with the prime-boost treatment and their offspring. Altogether, our data demonstrated that the attenuated S DEL5/ORF3 strain guarantees the safety to host animals with no reversion to virulence and is suitable as an effective primary live vaccine providing durable maternal lactogenic immunity for passive piglet protection.

Impact of parity and housing conditions on concentration of immunoglobulin G in sow colostrum

Colostrum is crucial for the survival and growth of suckling piglets. However, both the quantity and quality of colostrum are highly variable among sows. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of sow parity number and housing conditions on concentration of immunoglobulin G in sow colostrum. A total of 358 colostrum samples were collected from two commercial swine herds in Thailand. The colostrum samples were collected from all teats at 1 and 6h after the onset of farrowing and kept at - 20°C until analysis. The concentration of IgG was determined using ELISA. The concentration of IgG in colostrum at 1h after the onset of farrowing was greater than the concentration of IgG at 6h after the onset of farrowing (P < 0.001). Moreover, herd A had a greater colostral IgG concentration than herd B (P < 0.001). The concentration of IgG in primiparous sows (64.0mg/ml) was lower than that in sow parity numbers 3 (75.1mg/ml, P = 0.05) and 6 (79.2mg/ml, P = 0.04). In conclusion, the variation in colostral immunoglobulin concentration in the sow colostrum was influenced by their parity number and housing conditions. The concentration of IgG declined significantly within 6h after the onset of farrowing (P < 0.001).

Additional feeding during late gestation improves initial litter weight of lactating sows exposed to high ambient temperature

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the impacts of additional feeding (AF; containing 16% excess feed than control diet in the last two weeks of gestation) during late gestation period and different backfat thickness (BFT) including low (<20 mm) and high (≥20 mm) backfat on reproductive performance, litter size, blood metabolites, hormonal profiles, colostrum, and milk composition of sows from day 90 of gestation to farrowing, and from farrowing to weaning during summer (average 28.3 °C). Fifty-four crossbred sows (Yorkshire × [...]

Effect of Feeding Duration of Increased Lysine and Energy Prior to Farrowing on Sow Performance and Colostrum Quality

Effect of Feeding Duration of Increased Lysine and Energy Prior to Farrowing on Sow Performance and Colostrum Quality

Late gestation diet supplementation of resin acid-enriched composition increases sow colostrum immunoglobulin G content, piglet colostrum intake and improve sow gut microbiota

Resin acid-enriched composition (RAC) mainly containing tall oil fatty acid with an active component of resin acid (RA) can improve the microbial population in the digestive system, change the microbial fermentation, and improve the feed conversion ratio. We investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of RAC on sow colostrum yield (CY), colostrum composition and gut microbiota. Tall oil fatty acid and RA are commonly termed RAC and CLA, pinolenic, abietic, dehydrobiotic acids are characteristic components of RAC. The experiment was conducted in three trials in three respective herds. Sows were fed with a control diet and the same diet supplemented with 5 g RAC/day per sow during the last week of gestation. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing technique was used to assess sows’ faecal microbiota populations at farrowing. Colostrum nutritional composition, acute phase proteins (APPs) and immunoglobulin (Ig) content were also assessed. Individual piglets were weighed at birth and 24 h after the birth of first piglets in order to calculate CY and later at 3 to 4 weeks to calculate average daily gain. The RAC-fed sows had significantly higher IgG levels (P<0.05) in all three herds but treatment did not influence colostrum IgA and IgM concentration. There were no significant differences in colostrum protein, lactose and fat content in sows of the two diet groups (P>0.05), but those fed RAC had higher levels of colostrum serum amyloid A. Colostrum yield was significantly higher in RAC-fed sows in herds 2 and 3 with heavier piglets between 3 and 4 weeks of age (P<0.05), but not in herd 1 (P>0.05). Resin acid-enriched composition supplementation significantly increased some beneficial and fermentative bacteria (Romboutsia and Clostridium sensu stricto) than the control diet (P<0.01) while some opportunistic pathogens (Barnesiella, Sporobacter, Intestinimonas and Campylobacter), including Proteobacteria, were suppressed. Therefore, RAC added to the sow diet at late pregnancy increases colostrum IgG, colostrum availability for neonate piglets, and seems to promote better maternal intestinal microbial sources.

Effects of sodium selenite and L-selenomethionine on feed intake, clinically relevant blood parameters and selenium species in plasma, colostrum and milk from high-yielding sows

A field study in periparturient sows fed different dietary concentrations of either sodium selenite or L-selenomethionine (SeMet) was conducted to evaluate feed intake, haematological and biochemical parameters as well as to describe some key selenium (Se) species, namely selenoprotein P (SelP), selenoalbumin (SeAlb) and selenomethionine (SeMet) as well as total Se in plasma, colostrum and milk.Thirty-two sows were allotted to four treatments from 30 days (d) prepartum throughout on average a 32 d lactation period. Sodium selenite supplemented diets contained 0.40 and 0.60 mg Se/kg feed, while SeMet supplemented feed contained 0.26 and 0.43 mg Se/kg feed. Concentrations of sodium selenite and SeMet in complete feed exceeded the upper limits for total dietary Se and added organic Se, respectively, according to the European Union legislation. Blood samples were collected at initiation of the study, at farrowing and at weaning. Colostrum samples were collected at farrowing and milk samples at weaning. Se species were subjected to liquid chromatography, and total Se and Se species were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.The SeMet supplemented diets resulted in higher feed intake and in higher levels of total Se, SelP, SeAlb and SeMet in colostrum compared with sows fed sodium selenite. Similar results were obtained for levels of total Se and SeMet in milk at weaning. The higher dietary sodium selenite concentration in sows’ feed did not increase the Se transfer into colostrum or milk when compared with those receiving the lower level of sodium selenite. However, the increase in serum-Zn from initiation until farrowing, observed in sows fed SeMet as well as the higher glutamate dehydrogenase activity in sodium selenite supplemented sows in this period might indicate a higher requirement of antioxidant defence in sodium selenite-supplemented sows.To our knowledge, the present data on Se species in plasma, colostrum and milk of sows represent the most complete investigation of Se in sows conducted to date. A higher amount of the above-mentioned Se species in the colostrum of sows supplemented with SeMet might strengthen the piglets’ antioxidative system and passive immunity as well as improve their average daily weight gain. The higher feed intake in sows fed diets supplemented with SeMet is an interesting finding that warrants further investigation.

Increasing selenium supply for heat-stressed or actively cooled sows improves piglet preweaning survival, colostrum and milk composition, as well as maternal selenium, antioxidant status and immunoglobulin transfer

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of increasing selenium (Se) supply for heat-stressed or actively cooled sows on sow productivity, colostrum and milk composition, as well as the selenium and antioxidant status and immunoglobulin levels of sows and nursing piglets. The study was a 2 × 2 factorial design, where the first factor was farrowing environment [heat stress vs. actively cooling, temperature: 29.61 ± 0.19 ℃ (27.70–31.60 ℃) vs. 27.90 ± 0.15 ℃ (26.90–30.20 ℃); temperature-humidity index: 72.91 ± 0.26 (70.30–75.70) vs. 70.81 ± 0.22 (69.30–73.80)], and the second factor was dietary Se level during late gestation and lactation [(0.3 vs. 1.2 mg/kg Se as Se-yeast, the basal diet was corn-soybean meal diet formulated according to NRC (2012) except for Se level]. Forty multiparous sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatments (10 sows and following 90 piglets per treatment, respectively). The results show that: (1) There were no interactions of farrowing environment with Se treatments with the exceptions of nutrient content of 7-d milk; (2) As for zootechnical measures, piglets of sows receiving increasing Se tended to have greater preweaning survival compared with those of sows receiving control diet without interactions of environment and Se treatments; (3) As to colostrum and milk composition, greater concentrations of protein, lactose, solids-not-fat in colostrum, and greater fat concentration in 7-d and 14-d milk were found for sows fed increasing Se; (4) Regarding Se and antioxidant status, increasing Se supply for sows increased Se content in colostrum and 21-d milk, as well as in plasma of 1-day-old and 21-day-old piglets. Meanwhile, increasing Se supply for sows improved antioxidant status in colostrum (MDA content) and 21-d milk (T-AOC and MDA content), as well as in plasma of 1-day-old and 21-day-old piglets (GSH-Px activity and MDA content); (5) With regard to immunoglobulins, sows fed increasing Se had higher IgM levels in colostrum, and higher IgA in 21-d milk. Also, piglets from sows fed increasing Se had higher plasma IgA at 1 d of age, and higher IgA and IgG levels at 21 d of age. Collectively, increasing selenium supply for heat-stressed or actively cooled sows improved piglet preweaning survival, colostrum and milk composition, as well as maternal selenium, antioxidant status and immunoglobulin transfer irrespective of the climatic conditions, which indicates that Se requirements for sows should be urgently reassessed.

Molecular networks affected by neonatal microbial colonization in porcine jejunum, luminally perfused with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, F4ac fimbria or Lactobacillus amylovorus.

The development of an early complex gut microbiota may play an important role in the protection against intestinal dysbiosis later in life. The significance of the developed microbiota for gut barrier functionality upon interaction with pathogenic or beneficial bacteria is largely unknown. The transcriptome of differently perfused jejunal loops of 12 caesarian-derived pigs, neonatally associated with microbiota of different complexity, was studied. Piglets received pasteurized sow colostrum at birth (d0), a starter microbiota (Lactobacillus amylovorus (LAM), Clostridium glycolicum, and Parabacteroides) on d1-d3, and a placebo inoculant (simple association, SA) or an inoculant consisting of sow’s diluted feces (complex association, CA) on d3-d4. On d 26–37, jejunal loops were perfused for 8 h with either enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4 (ETEC), purified F4 fimbriae, LAM or saline control (CTRL). Gene expression of each intestinal loop was analyzed by Affymetrix Porcine Gene 1.1_ST array strips. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was performed on expression values. Compared to CTRL, 184 and 74; 2 and 139; 2 and 48 gene sets, were up- and down-regulated by ETEC, F4 and LAM, respectively. ETEC up-regulated networks related to inflammatory and immune responses, RNA processing, and mitosis. There was a limited overlap in up-regulated gene sets between ETEC and F4 fimbriae. LAM down-regulated genes related to inflammatory and immune responses, as well as to cellular compound metabolism. In CA pigs, 57 gene sets were up-regulated by CA, while 73 were down-regulated compared to SA. CA up-regulated gene sets related to lymphocyte modulation and to cellular defense in all loop perfusions. In CA pigs, compared to SA pigs, genes for chemokine and cytokine activity and for response to external stimuli were down-regulated in ETEC-perfused loops and up-regulated in CTRL. The results highlight the importance of the nature of neonatal microbial colonization in the response to microbial stimuli later in life.

Colostrum and milk quality of sows fed different diets during mid-pregnancy

Colostrum and milk quality of sows fed different diets during mid-pregnancy

L-arginine supplementation in sow diet during late gestation decrease stillborn piglet, increase piglet birth weight and increase immunoglobulin G concentration in colostrum

The fetal growth is rapid during the last trimester of gestation in sows and hence sow nutrition during this period is important for fetal growth and development. During the last decade, studies reported that l-arginine HCl supplementation during gestation increased sow and piglet performances. However, clinical studies concerning the association between l-arginine HCL supplementation and some neonatal piglet characteristics as well as colostrum and milk yield of sow are still lacking. The present study aims to determine the effect of l-arginine HCl supplementation in sow diet during late gestation on piglet characteristics at birth, colostrum consumption (CC), concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in colostrum, milk yield, average daily gain at d 7 and 21 and piglet mortality at d 7 and 21 of life. In total, 166 sows were allocated into four groups, i.e., CON (n = 66), ARG-0.5 (n = 42), ARG-1.0 (n = 41) and ALA (n = 17). The sows in each group were fed with a conventional gestation diet (CON) or the same diet supplemented with 0.5% l-arginine HCl (ARG-0.5), 1.0% l-arginine HCl (ARG-1.0) or 1.7% l-alanine (ALA, isonitrogenous with ARG-1.0). The feeding protocol was carried out from 85 days of gestation until farrowing. The proportion of live-born piglets, piglet birth weight (BWB), within-litter variation of BWB, proportion of piglets with BWB above 1.35 kg, proportion of growth-restricted piglets (defined as BWB below 1.0 kg), blood oxygen saturation (SatO2) and heart rate were determined in 2292 newborn piglets from 166 litters. Colostrum consumption of each individual piglets and the colostral concentration of IgG was determined. The milk yield between d 0–7 and 7–21 and relative backfat loss were estimated in each individual sow. The piglet mortality and body weight was determined at d 7 and 21 of life. On average, the number of piglet born alive per litter was 12.4. The proportion of stillborn piglets, piglets with BWB above 1.35 kg and growth-restricted piglets were 6.9%, 62.7% and 14.0%, respectively. Piglet preweaning mortality at d 7 and 21 were 8.5% and 12.4%, respectively. Compared to the ALA group, ARG-0.5 increased the proportion of live-born piglets per litter (+9.8%, P < 0.001), reduced stillborn (−8.3%, P < 0.001) and tended to increase the proportion of piglets with BWB above 1.35 kg (+6.4%, P = 0.08). Compared to the CON group, ARG-0.5 increased BWB (+7.0%, P < 0.001), increased SatO2 (+3%, P < 0.001) and reduced heart rate (−20%, P < 0.001) and tended to reduce the relative backfat loss (−4.4%, P = 0.06). No difference between ARG-1.0 and ARG-0.5 was observed among these traits. Other traits including within-litter variation of BWB, growth-restricted piglets, average daily gain, piglets preweaning mortality and CC and milk yield were not affected by treatment (P > 0.05). The colostral concentration of IgG at 1 h after onset of farrowing in ARG-1.0 sows (116 mg/ml) was higher than CON, ARG-0.5 and ALA sows (85, 74 and 78 mg/ml, respectively; P < 0.05). In conclusions, dietary l-arginine HCl supplementation in late gestating sows favourably increased proportion of live-born piglets, BWB, SatO2 and IgG concentration in the sow colostrum.

Effect of Lyophilized Bovine Colostrum on Growth and Survival of Newborn Piglets From Local Breed, in Benin Republic

In Benin, the effect of supplementation of newborn piglets from local breed with lyophilized bovine colostrum was evaluated over a 49-d trail on the survival, the growth performances and the absorption of bovine and porcine immunoglobulin G (IgGs). Three groups of 24 piglets, stemming from five sows (Parity 2) belonging to a unique traditional farm, were respectively fed for the first 7 d of life with only sow colostrum (SC group n = 9), shea butter in addition to suckling (SCB group; n = 7) and a mixture of lyophilized bovine colostrum and shea butter in addition to suckling (BCB group; n = 8). Risk of diarrhea was not affected by the treatments, but BCB treatment tended to reduce it (P = 0.09). Diarrheal and healthy piglets had similar average levels of serum porcine IgG at 10 d (13.9 ± 1.6 mg/ml vs 14.7 ± 1.4 mg/ml, P &gt; 0.05). No bovine IgG was detected in the piglets serum at 10 d of age. Serum porcine IgG at 10 d was not affected by the treatments (P &gt; 0.05). However, bovine colostrum improved serum IgG at 49 d (P &lt; 0.05). No significant difference (P &gt; 0.05) was observed between the three groups for body weight and Average Daily Gain (ADG). By contrast, Relative Average Daily Gain (RADG) was affected by the treatments (P &lt; 0.05). The lyophilized bovine colostrum improved numerically ADG when compared to the piglets fed only with the colostrum from the sow and those fed also shea butter (41g vs 35 and 36 g/d for the first and second groups respectively). A higher RADG was obtained with the piglets from the BCB group (31 ± 1.6 g/d.kg vs 25.3 ± 1.6 g/d.kg and 24.5 ± 1.9 g/d.kg for the SC and SCB groups respectively). Lyophilized bovine colostrum improved RADG, active immunity at weaning and tended to reduce prevalence of diarrhea in newborn piglets.

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) shedding in sow colostrum

The major objective of this work was to investigate the shedding of porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) in sow colostrum. PCV3 titers in the serum and colostrum samples of 38 sows were determined using qPCR. Interestingly, this is the first report regarding the identification of PCV3 from the colostrum samples. In the studied farm, the prevalence of PCV3 in the colostrum samples was 44.74% (17/38). When sows were grouped based on the PCV3 titers in the serum into the “High-viremic”, “Low-viremic” and “Non-viremic” sows, it was shown that the High-viremic sows showed significantly higher PCV3 colostrum prevalence (100%; 9/9) with the PCV3 titers ranging from 4.01 to 7.33 genomic copies/mL. The results indicated that PCV3 in the colostrum might be partly influenced by the viremic stage of the infection. However, the results also showed that approximately 41% of sows shedding PCV3 with low titers in the colostrum (7/17) were non-viremic sows. In conclusion, this study identified the presence of PCV3 in sow colostrum. Clinical impacts and mechanisms of colostrum shedding of PCV3 should be further investigated.

Impact of sow energy status during farrowing on farrowing kinetics, frequency of stillborn piglets, and farrowing assistance.

Farrowing duration is rather long in sows most likely due to selection for large litters, and we hypothesized that prolonged farrowings would compromise sow energy status during farrowing and in turn the farrowing process. Two studies were performed as follows: 1) to evaluate whether sow energy status during farrowing compromise the farrowing kinetics (FK, i.e., farrowing duration and birth intervals) and 2) to study the underlying mechanisms potentially affecting stillbirth rate and farrowing assistance. In study-1, parameters affecting FK were characterized based on data from a total of 166 farrowings from 7 feeding trials focused on sow colostrum production. The data were screened for associations with FK using the CORR procedure of SAS. Traits that were correlated with the FK at P < 0.05 were included in a multivariate regression model. Time since last meal until the onset of farrowing greatly affected the farrowing duration (r = 0.76; n = 166; P < 0.001) and a broken-line model was fitted to describe that relationship. According to the model, farrowing duration was constant (3.8 ± 1.5 h) if the farrowing started before the breakpoint (3.13 ± 0.34 h after the last meal), whereas farrowing duration increased to 9.3 h if the farrowing started 8 h after the last meal. Subsequently, sows were divided into 3 categories based on that trait (≤3, 3 to 6, and >6 h) to evaluate the impact on birth intervals, farrowing assistance, and stillbirth rate. Birth intervals (P < 0.001), odds for farrowing assistance (P < 0.001), and odds for stillbirth (P = 0.02) were low, intermediate, and high when time since last meal was ≤3, 3 to 6, and >6 h, respectively. In study-2, blood samples were collected once or twice each week in late gestation and each hour during farrowing to measure arterial concentrations and uterine extractions of plasma metabolites. Time since last meal was strongly negatively correlated with arterial glucose 1 h after the onset of farrowing (r= -0.96; n = 9; P < 0.001). Glucose appeared to be the key energy metabolite for oxidative metabolism of gravid uterus. In conclusion, the present study strongly suggests that a substantial proportion of sows suffer from low-energy status at the onset farrowing and that this negatively affects the farrowing process. Transferring this knowledge into practice, the results suggest that sows should be fed at least 3 daily meals in late gestation.

150 Genetic Selection for Age at Puberty Altered Sow Colostrum Production and Piglet Survival.

150 Genetic Selection for Age at Puberty Altered Sow Colostrum Production and Piglet Survival.

Characterization of porcine milk oligosaccharides over lactation between primiparous and multiparous female pigs

Milk oligosaccharides (MOs) are complex carbohydrates with multifunctional health benefits for the neonate. Poor reproductive performance in primiparous gilts limits their productivity. Changes in the structure and abundance of porcine MO (PMOs) through lactation with parity remains unknown and may explain superior new-born growth in litters from multiparous sows relative to gilts. We report 55 PMOs structures, of which 25 are new (17 sialylated and 8 neutral). Their incidence in gilt and sow colostrum was almost identical (53 vs. 54), but not in transitional milk (48 vs. 53) nor mature milk (41 vs. 47). These PMOs including neutral-, sialyl- and fucosyl- MOs in colostrum were more abundant in the gilt than the sow, but always decreased during lactation. Structural diversity decreased, although fucosylated MO were conserved. In conclusion, high diversity and levels of MO in porcine milk is parity dependent. Given the similarity between porcine and human MO profiles, our findings may help define key roles for MOs as potential dietary additives to improve growth of neonates from first pregnancies in both human and sows.

Immunological Response of Pigs to Human Cells, Including Issues Such as the Production of Natural Antibodies in Newborns

Pigs have recently become very popular for use not only in xenotransplantation field, but in regeneration studies as well, sometimes with pigs being used as the scaffold. We have already presented our findings related to the pig immune system against human cells, including the complement systems, natural antibodies (NAs), and NK cells. In this study, we investigated the pig innate immunological reaction against human cells further. Our investigations included issues such as the production of NAs in newborns, day 0 and day 1, and sow colostrum.The alternative pathway for pig complement reacted with human cells, and pig NK cells and macrophages directly injured human aortic endothelial cells. Pig serum clearly contains the natural antibodies IgG and IgM to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Pig plasma from day 1 newborns contained almost the same levels of these natural antibodies to human PBMCs as those of sow plasma. On the other hand, pig plasma from day 0 newborns did not contain IgG and IgM to human PBMCs. In addition, sow colostrum clearly contained both IgG and IgM to human PBMCs.As expected, the pig innate immunity system reacted to human cells, including natural antibodies. However, the NAs of pigs, both IgM and IgG, against human cells do not exist in pig serum at day 0, but at day 1 and in mother's milk, indicating that NAs in newborns did not come from the placenta but from sow colostrum.

Effect of Multi-Microbial Probiotic Formulation Bokashi on Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines Profile in the Serum, Colostrum and Milk of Sows, and in a Culture of Polymorphonuclear Cells Isolated from Colostrum

The use of probiotics in sows during pregnancy and lactation and their impact on the quality of colostrum and milk, as well as the health conditions of their offspring during the rearing period, are currently gaining the attention of researchers. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of Bokashi formulation on the concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the serum of sows during pregnancy, in their colostrum and milk, and in a culture of Con-A-stimulated polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) isolated from the colostrum. The study was conducted on 60 sows aged 2–4 years. EM Bokashi were added to the sows’ feed. The material for the study consisted of peripheral blood, colostrum, and milk. Blood samples were collected from the sows on days 60 and 114 of gestation. Colostrum and milk samples were collected from all sows at 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 h after parturition. The results indicate that the use of Bokashi as feed additives resulted in increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, which increase the protective capacity of the colostrum by stimulating cellular immune mechanisms protecting the sow and neonates against infection. At the same time, the increased concentrations of cytokines IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β, and of immunoglobulins in the colostrum and milk from sows in the experimental group demonstrate the immunoregulatory effect of Bokashi on Th2 cells and may lead to increased expression of regulatory T cells and polarization of the immune response from Th1 to Th2.