Young Pigs Research Articles

Anatomical study of the cardiac conduction system in swine hearts.

The cardiac conduction system (CCS) is crucial for regulating heartbeats; therefore, clinicians and comedicals involved in cardiovascular medicine treatment must have a thorough understanding of the CCS structure and function. However, anatomical education of the CCS based on actual dissection and observation is uncommon, although such educational methodology promotes three-dimensional structural understanding of the observed object. Based on previous studies, we examined the CCS structure in the heart of a swine (pig, Sus scrofa domestica) which has been used in the biological, medical and anatomical curricula as science teaching materials, by using macroscopic dissection procedures. Most CCS structures in a young pig heart were successfully identified and illustrated on a macroscopic scale. The atrioventricular bundle (His bundle) was located on the lower edge of the membranous interventricular septum and was clearly distinguished from the general myocardial fibres by its colour and fibre arrangement direction. Following the atrioventricular bundle towards the atrium or ventricle with properly removing the endocardium and myocardium, the atrioventricular node or the right and left bundles appeared respectively. In contrast, the sinoatrial node was not identified. The anatomy of the CCS in young pig hearts was essentially similar to that previously reported in humans and several domestic animals. Our findings of the CCS in young pig hearts are expected to be useful for medical and anatomical education for medical and comedical students, young clinicians and comedical workers.

Morphological and biochemical blood parameters of piglets feeding the feed additive “activo”

It has been established that the blood test is one of the quick methods of assessing the physiological state of the body under the action of exogenous stimuli, what is important when testing new feed additives in pig feeding. Studies of morphological blood parameters showed that feeding young pigs with starter feed with feed additive “Activo” helped to increase the red blood cells and hemoglobin level. Thus, the hemoglobin content in the blood of pigs of the second group increased by 7.5 % compared to the control. The difference between the control and experimental groups for red blood cells was highly significant (P < 0.001) in favor of the latter. The content of leukocytes and eosinophils in the blood of young animals of the experimental group increased in comparison with the same parameter of control group, while the content of bacillary and segmented granulocytes and monocytes is insignificantly reduced or at the control level. Biochemical parameters of blood showed that in experimental animals the content of total protein increased by 19.4 %, albumin by 11.1 %, globulins by 3.07 %. These results were obtained as a result of scientific and economic experiment on two groups-analogues of young large white breed pigs of PIC genetics, 25 animals each. The initial live weight of piglets was 12 kg. The starting feed of piglets consisted of barley stubble – 28 %, wheat – 29.79 %, corn – 15 %, soybean oilcake – 22.91 %, premix “Nutrimin” – 4.3 %. During the main period of the experiment, the animals of the experimental group received the feed additive “Activo” in the amount of 0.2 kg t, which was produced by the German company EW Nutrition GmBH. The level of feeding provided average daily gains by groups within the following limits: 562 and 621 g respectively control and experimental groups. The average daily weight gain of young pigs of the second group was higher than the control group by 52 g, or 9.14 % (P ˂ 0.001). Accordingly, the absolute gain in these animals increases by 1.4 kg. Feed conversion rate per 1 kg of gain decreased by 0.18, or 8.5 % (P < 0.001) comparing to the first.

Pig biology: serum enzymes and their correlation with physicochemical properties and chemical composition of muscle tissue

The paper presents the results of the study of some biochemical indicators of blood serum, physicochemical properties, and chemical composition of muscle tissue of young pigs of the large white breed, as well as the calculation of correlations between the main quantitative characteristics. The work was carried out in agricultural formations of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Scientific Research Center for Biosafety and Environmental Control of Agricultural Resources of the Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, LLC “Globynskyi Myasokbinat” of the Poltava Region, the Laboratory of Zootechnical Analysis of the Institute of Pig Breeding and Agro-Industrial Production of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Animal Husbandry Laboratory of the State Institution “Institut of grain crops of NAAS”. Control fattening and slaughtering of the animals of the experimental group was carried out on the condition that they reached a live weight of 105–115 kg. The selection of blood samples for biochemical studies was carried out in 5-month-old animals; the activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and α-amylase was determined in blood serum. Physico-chemical properties and chemical composition of the longest muscle of the back (m. longissimus dorsi) were studied according to the indicators “moisture-retaining capacity, %”, “color intensity, units ext. × 1000”, “tenderness, c”, “fat content, %”, “total moisture content, %”, “protein content, %”, “losses during heat treatment, %” and “energy value of muscle tissue, kcal”. A comprehensive assessment of meat quality was determined according to the methods of A. M. Polyvoda and others, biometric processing of research results was carried out according to the methods of V. P. Kovalenko and others. It was established that the biochemical parameters of the blood serum of young pigs of the large white breed at the age of 5 months correspond to the physiological norm of clinically healthy animals. Thus, the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is 1.33 ± 0.074 mmol/h/l, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is 1.87 ± 0.063 mmol/h/l, alkaline phosphatase is 291.99 ± 12.517 units/l, and amylase – 169.82 ± 5.005 g/h × l. Studies of the physicochemical properties and chemical composition of samples of the longest back muscle of young pigs of the large white breed show that the number of high-quality samples according to the indicators “moisture-holding capacity, %” equals 12.0 %, “color intensity, units ext. × 1000” – 16.0 %, “tenderness, c” – 12.0 % and “fat content, %” – 16.0 %. Significant correlations were established between the following pairs of traits: moisture-holding capacity × protein content (-0.484 ± 0.1825, tr = 2.65), moisture-holding capacity × losses during heat treatment (-0.416 ± 0.1896, tr = 2.19), fat content × moisture-holding capacity (-0.450 ± 01862, tr = 2.42), fat content × energy value (+0.836 ± 0.1144, tr = 7.31), alanine aminotransferase activity × pH, (+0.443 ± 0.1859, tr = 2.37), alkaline phosphatase activity × color intensity (-0.483 ± 0.1826, tr = 2.65), alkaline phosphatase activity × phosphorus content (+0.484 ± 0.1825, tr = 2, 65). Further work in this direction involves conducting a study of the qualitative composition of muscle and fat tissues of young pigs of various intrabreed and interbreed combinations, taking into account their genotype according to some DNA markers.

Productivity and hematological parameters of blood of young pigs at fatten-ing for feeding protein vitamin mineral supplement

The article presents data on the productivity and hematological parameters of the blood of young pigs for fattening for the inclusion in their diet of a new protein vitamin-mineral supplement with essential oils, Efiprot. Plant essential oils are natural phytobiotics containing fat-soluble vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, volatile acids, aldehydes, and other biologically active substances with bactericidal and antiseptic properties, increased appetite, and secretion of digestive juices. Thus, they provide better feed conversion and increased productivity. Protein vitamin-mineral supplement Efiprot is for a diet consisting of barley grains (50 %) and wheat grains (35 %). The experiment was carried out on two groups (12 heads in a group) of young pigs, a cross of Large White and Landrace. At the beginning of the experiment live weight of the animals was 35 kg; at the end, it was 110 kg. Control group animals were fed a supplement without essential oils; experimental group animals were additionally fed a dose of essential oils (200 g per 1 ton of supplement). Feeding supplements with essential oils positively affected pig productivity and feed growth. The absolute increase in live animals of the experimental group averaged 68.6 kg, average daily was 762 g; the corresponding values of the control group were 63.8 kg and 709 g for 90 days. Feeding protein vitamin-mineral supplement (PVMS) increased average daily gain by 53 g or 7.48 %, while feed consumption per 1 kg of live weight gain was lower by 0.3 energy feed units or 6.69 % than the control one. Hematological parameters of pig blood fed by PVMS Efiprot corresponded to the limits of the physiological norm. At the end of the experiment, an increase in erythrocytes, total protein, and hemoglobin was observed in the blood of the experimental animals, which is consistent with an increase in meat productivity. A slight increase in the mass of basophils, eosinophils, and leukocytes is adaptive and incredible.

Ileal and total tract digestibility of energy and nutrients in pig diets supplemented with a novel consensus bacterial 6-phytase variant.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that increasing levels of a novel phytase increases the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients in diets fed to young pigs. A negative control (NC) diet based on corn, soybean meal, and canola meal that contained approximately 0.83% phytate (i.e., 0.23% phytate-bound P) was formulated to be deficient in Ca, P, and standardized ileal digestible amino acids (AA). Five additional diets were formulated by adding 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, or 4,000 phytase units/kg of the novel phytase to the NC diets. Eighteen ileal-cannulated pigs (17.81 ± 1.71 kg) were allotted to a 6 × 3 incomplete Latin square design with six diets and three 11-day periods. There were three pigs per diet in each period; therefore, there were nine replicate pigs per diet. The initial 5 d of each period was considered an adaptation period to the diet. For each period, fecal samples were collected via anal stimulation on days 6, 7, 8, and 9, whereas ileal digesta were collected on days 10 and 11 using standard procedures. Results indicated that the AID of crude protein, indispensable AA, and dispensable AA was increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as the concentration of microbial phytase increased in the diets. Dietary inclusion of the novel phytase at 1,000 or 2,000 FTU/kg increased the AID of total AA from 73.7% to 79.8%. Increasing levels of microbial phytase increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) the AID of dry matter and minerals (i.e., Ca, P, K, Mg, Cu) in the diets. Likewise, a linear increase (P < 0.05) in the AID of ash and Na was observed as the inclusion level of phytase increased in the diets. Increasing levels of microbial phytase increased (linear, P < 0.01) the AID of gross energy (GE) and starch in the diets. A quadratic (P < 0.05) increase in the ATTD of ash, Ca, P, K, and Cu in experimental diets was observed as the concentration of microbial phytase increased in the diets. The ATTD of Mg and GE also increased (linear; P < 0.05) as concentration of dietary phytase increased. In conclusion, the novel microbial phytase used in this experiment was effective in increasing the AID of dry matter, GE, starch, minerals, and AA, as well as the ATTD of gross energy and minerals in diets formulated to be deficient in Ca, P, and AA.

High-throughput sequencing-based metagenomic and transcriptomic analysis of intestine in piglets infected with salmonella

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolate HJL777 is a virulent bacterial strain in pigs. The high rate of salmonella infection are at high risk of non-typhoidal salmonella gastroenteritis development. Salmonellosis is most common in young pigs. We investigated changes in gut microbiota and biological function in piglets infected with salmonella via analysis of rectal fecal metagenome and intestinal transcriptome using 16S rRNA and RNA sequencing. We identified a decrease in Bacteroides and increase in harmful bacteria such as Spirochaetes and Proteobacteria by microbial community analysis. We predicted that reduction of Bacteroides by salmonella infection causes proliferation of salmonella and harmful bacteria that can cause an intestinal inflammatory response. Functional profiling of microbial communities in piglets with salmonella infection showed increasing lipid metabolism associated with proliferation of harmful bacteria and inflammatory responses. Transcriptome analysis identified 31 differentially expressed genes. Using gene ontology and Innate Immune Database analysis, we identified that BGN, DCN, ZFPM2 and BPI genes were involved in extracellular and immune mechanisms, specifically salmonella adhesion to host cells and inflammatory responses during infection. We confirmed alterations in gut microbiota and biological function during salmonella infection in piglets. Our findings will help prevent disease and improve productivity in the swine industry.

An oral gavage of lysine elicited early satiation while gavages of lysine, leucine, or isoleucine prolonged satiety in pigs.

Excess dietary amino acids (AA) may negatively affect feed intake in pigs. Previous results showed that Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe, and Glu significantly increased gut peptide secretion (i.e., cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide 1). However, the link between dietary AA and gut peptide secretion with changes in feeding behavior patterns has not been demonstrated to date in pigs. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe, and Glu, on feed intake and meal patterns in young pigs. Twelve male pigs (Landrace × Large White, body weight = 16.10 ± 2.69 kg) were administered an oral gavage of water (control) or Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe, Glu, or glucose (positive control) at 3 mmol.kg-1 following an overnight fasting. The experiment consisted in measuring individual feed disappearance and changes in meal pattern (including latency to first meal, first meal duration, intermeal interval, second meal duration, and number of meals) based on video footage. Compared to the control group Lys significantly (P ≤ 0.01) reduced feed intake during the first 30 min and up to 2.5 h post-gavage, including a reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in the first meal duration. Similarly, Leu and Ile also significantly decreased feed intake up to 3 h post-gavage on a cumulative count. However, the strongest (P ≤ 0.01) impacts on feed intake by the two branched chained AA were observed after the first- or second-hour post-gavage for Leu or Ile, respectively. In addition, Leu or Ile did not affect the first meal duration (P ≥ 0.05). Leu significantly increased (P ≤ 0.01) the intermeal interval while decreasing (P ≤ 0.05) the number of meals during the initial 2 h following the gavage when compared with the control group. In contrast, the oral gavages of Phe or Glu had no significant impact (P > 0.05) on the feeding behavior parameters measured relative to the control pigs. In turn, glucose had a short-lived effect on appetite by reducing (P < 0.05) feed intake for 30 min after the first-hour post-gavage. In conclusion, the impact of an oral gavage of Lys on feeding behavior is compatible with a stimulation of early satiation and an increased duration of satiety. The main impact of the oral gavages of Leu and Ile was an increase in the duration of satiety. The gastrointestinal mechanisms associated with non-bound dietary AA sensing and the impact on voluntary feed intake warrant further investigations.

Dynamics of morphological and biochemical indicators of blood of young pigs using Globigen® Pig Doser and Globigen ® Jump Start with different methods of their keeping

The article deals with the influence of Globigen® Pig Doser and Globigen® Jump Start products, which contain specific Ig Y, which is characterized by pronounced immunostimulating properties. A comprehensive analysis of the use and influence of these agents on the morphological and biochemical indicators of the blood of young pigs under conditions of intensive technologies under different methods of cultivation in different periods of their growth and development – 30, 60, and 120 days – was carried out. It was set that the use of the proposed means had a prolonged positive effect, which concerning hematological indicators, mainly appeared by an increase in the number of erythrocytes and the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood of experimental groups of animals of both farms of all age periods. It is worth noting that in the farm with single-phase breeding of pigs (FE PE “Glynyany Agro”) under the influence of Globigen®Pig Doser, the number of erythrocytes in the blood of animals was increased and, corresponding to the physiological norm, fluctuated between 7.09 and 7.43 T/l, and the concentration of hemoglobin, having reached the maximum value, in the blood of all experimental groups of animals was 108.62–112.77 g/l. In the farm, which practices three-phase pig breeding (“Meat Resources” Ltd.), under the influence of Globigen® Pig Doser, a pronounced effect has appeared in animals 60 and 120 days old; the number of erythrocytes in their blood was increased to 7.46–7.69 T/l, and under the influence of Globigen® Jump Start, a tendency to a gradual increase in hemoglobin concentration was observed, which stopped at 99.28 g/l in 120-day-old piglets. Evaluating the level of protein metabolism in animals under the influence of Globigen® Pig Doser and Globigen® Jump Start, a tendency to increase the total protein content, compared to the control, in the blood of animals in all age periods in both farms was set. It was noted that under the action of Globigen®Jump Start, the total protein content in the blood of 120-day-old piglets from a farm with single-phase farming (FE PE “Glynyany Agro”) was 76.38 g/l, and in a farm with three-phase farming (Ltd. “Meat resources”) 75.08 g/l. In addition, it was set that the normalization of the ratio of protein fractions, in particular, the use of Globigen® Pig Doser and Globigen® Jump Start, increased the synthesis of albumin and normalized gamma-globulin to the level of the physiological norm. The “Glynyany Agro” FE found a more pronounced effect with single-phase piglet rearing. It was concluded that Globigen® Pig Doser and Globigen® Jump Start positively influence maintaining body homeostasis.

Fattening and meat qualities of young pigs of different intensity of formation in early ontogenesis and intra-breed differentiation by melanocortin 4 receptor gene (Mc4r)

The results of studies of fattening and meat qualities of young pigs of different intensity of formation in early ontogeny and different genotypes of the melanocortin 4 receptor gene (Mc4r) are presented, the level of correlations between traits and economic efficiency of animals in experimental groups&#x0D; The research was conducted in Druzhba-Kaznacheyivka LLC of Dnipropetrovsk region, Jazz meat-packing plant, genetics laboratory of the Institute of Pig Breeding and APV NAAS and livestock laboratory of the State Institution "Institute of Grain Crops NAAS". The work was performed according to the research program of NAAS №30 "Innovative technologies of breeding, industrial and organic production of pig products (" Pig breeding "). Evaluation of animals for fattening and meat qualities was carried out taking into account the following characteristics: the average daily increase in live weight during the period of control fattening, g; age of live weight 100 kg, days, length of chilled carcass, cm; length of bacon half of chilled carcass, cm; fat thickness at the level of 6-7 thoracic vertebrae, mm (Berezovsky, Khatko, 2005). Biometric processing of research results (Kovalenko et al., 2010) and calculation of economic efficiency of research results ("Methods of determining economic", 1983) was carried out according to generally accepted methods. It has been established that young pigs of the controlled population meet the requirements of class I and elite class in terms of fattening and meat qualities. Taking into account the intrabreed differentiation of large white animals by the gene of the melanocortin 4 receptor (Mc4r), the following was established. Young pigs of the Mc4r AG genotype outperform their Mc4r AA peers in terms of average daily live weight gain, age of 100 kg live weight, fat thickness at the level of 6-7 thoracic vertebrae and chilled carcass length by an average of 4.50%. The difference between the groups according to the Tyler B. index is 11.82 points (td = 3.70; P &lt;0.01). According to the average daily gain of live weight, the difference between young pigs of different intrabreeding differentiation on the index "intensity of formation" is 4.69%, the age of 100 kg - 3.10% and the length of chilled carcass - 1.23%. The number of reliable relationships between fattening and meat qualities, as well as the indices of "intensity of formation" and Tyler B. is 75.0%, which indicates their use in breeding and breeding work. The use of young pigs of the Mc4r AG genotype and animals of group I, in which the index of "intensity of formation" is 0.996 ± 0.0126 provided additional products at the level of +2.65 - +2.71%.

Chemical body composition and bone growth of young pigs as affected by deficiency, adequate and excess of dietary phosphorus supply

Abstract Objective of the experiment was to study the effect of deficiency, adequate and excess dietary phosphorus supply on growth performance, retention and utilisation of phosphorus, length, mass and geometry measurements of the femur shaft, content of protein, ash, phosphorus in viscera, edible (meat and fat) and inedible (bones and skin) parts of the body in pigs ageing from 33 to 110 days. It was found that compared to animals fed according to phosphorus requirement the deficiency and excess of dietary phosphorus did not influenced o total feed intake (mean 120.6 kg) and feed conversion (mean 1.9 kg/kg gain). However phosphorus deficiency lowered total gain of the body mass (P=0.0072), diminished weight of the inedible part of the carcass (P=0.0229), decreased the content of body protein (P=0.0171), ash (P=0.0001), and phosphorus (P=0.0001). Whereas, over-supply of dietary phosphorus did not cause any change of these component. Utilisation of the total phosphorus was diminished (P=0.0001) in pigs fed diet with both excess (by 16.26%) and deficiency (by 12.28%) of the phosphorus, but excess had much lower negative impact than its’ deficiency. When available form of this element was considered over-supply still reduced (P=0.0001) its utilisation the most (by 26.58%) but deficiency made utilisation the best (7.77%). Both dietary deficiency and over-supply of the phosphorus diminished (P=0.0001) femur mass (by 25 and 11 g, respectively). Thus negative impact of phosphorus deficiency was much stronger. Moreover, phosphorus deficiency diminished (P=0.0015) bone length (by 0.5 cm), however, excess did not change this feature. Response of animals to a decrease bone mass and length due disturbances in phosphorus supply (both deficiency and excess) was the increase the vertical external diameter of the femur shaft.

Oral gamma-cyclodextrin-encapsulated tributyrin supplementation in young pigs with experimentally induced colitis.

Disruption of intestinal integrity and barrier function due to tissue inflammation has negative implications on overall growth and well-being in young pigs. In this study, we investigated the effects of oral gamma-cyclodextrin-encapsulated tributyrin (TBCD) in young pigs experiencing dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. Pigs (n = 32 boars) were weaned from the sow at postnatal day (PND) 2, allotted to treatment based on the litter of origin and body weight (BW), and reared artificially over a 26-d feeding period. Treatment groups included: 1) nutritionally adequate (control) milk replacer, no DSS (Control n = 8), 2) control milk replacer plus oral DSS (DSS, n = 7), and 3) control diet supplemented with 8.3 g of TBCD per kg of reconstituted milk replacer plus oral DSS (TBCD + DSS, n = 8). Colitis was induced by administering DSS at 1.25 g of DSS/kg BW daily in a reconstituted milk replacer from PND 14-18. Milk replacer and water were provided ad libitum throughout the 26-d study. All the data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Control and DSS pigs had similar BW throughout the study, while TBCD + DSS pigs exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) BW starting at approximately PND 15. Additionally, average daily gain (ADG) before and after initiation of DSS dosing, along with over the total study duration, was decreased (P < 0.05) in pigs receiving TBCD + DSS compared with the Control. Milk disappearance was decreased (P < 0.05) in TBCD + DSS pigs when compared with Control and DSS groups. Both the concentration and molar ratio of cecal butyrate concentrations were increased (P < 0.05) in TBCD + DSS pigs compared with the Control group. The DSS and TBCD + DSS treatments also increased (P < 0.05) butyrate concentrations in the luminal contents with the proximal colon compared with Control. TBCD + DSS and DSS pigs had increased (P < 0.05) mucosal width in the distal colon compared with Control, thereby indicating heightened intestinal inflammation. Overall, oral supplementation of encapsulated tributyrin increased the concentration of butyrate in the colon, but was unable to mitigate the negative effects of DSS-induced colitis.

REDUCED THE CONSUMPTION OF PROCESS WATER FOR GROWING-FINISHING YOUNG PIGS

The production of meat products requires significant direct and indirect water expenditures. Our research was aimed at improving technological methods to reduce the consumption of process water during the growing-finishing phase in young pigs. It was found that the use of technological method to reduce the consumption of process water for manure removal, which consists in reducing the level of filling baths with water in the first growing-finishing phase to 0.05 m, in the second phase - to 0.07 m, allowed to reduce the average daily water consumption by 36.8% compared to the normal operation of a self-alloying intermittent manure removal system. At the same time, the temperature-humidity conditions and gas composition of indoor air corresponded to the normative requirements.

INFLUENCE OF PRE-SLAUGHTER LIVE WEIGHT OF PIGS ON THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF PORK OBTAINED

The article presents the results of studying the physicochemical and technological parameters of meat obtained from the carcasses of fattening young pigs of differen delivery weights. The subjects of the study were the results of slaughter of two-breed crosses of young Yorkshire × Landrace (Y × L) fattening pigs with a delivery live weight of 80-100, 100-120 and 120-140 kg. It was found that per 100 kg of pre-slaughter weight, the cost of products obtained from individuals with a delivery weight of 100-120 and 120-140 kg was higher than that of animals with a weight of 80-100 kg by 3.1 and 8.6 %, respectively, due to a higher yield of high-priced products.

DIGITAL TWIN METHODOLOGY FOR OBJECTIVE CONTROL OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY (THROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF PIG BREEDING)

According to the materials of the article, the digital twin of objective control of the agricultural enterprise should be based on monitoring the enterprise’s current account, on accounting entries, on the analysis of waybills, etc. Moreover, objective control should be carried out in real time by persons concerned with the obligatory informing of all employees of the enterprise. The temporal equality of two technological periods is justified: suckling, completion of growing, fattening of young pigs and rearing of replacement gilts, their insemination and pregnancy. The regularity in the equality of the two technological periods is the basis for the implementation of self-developing type-related technology (ST-technology), one of the elements of which is&#x0D; the exclusion of the group of main sows from the production cycle and the transfer for slaughter of the first-litter sows, from which suckling piglets are weaned.

USE OF PHOSPHOGLYCERIDES IN FEEDING YOUNG PIGS

Optimization of phosphatides content in mixed fodder with and without fats, determination of the role of various sources of phospholipids in the feeding of pigs are urgent tasks, since the presence of fat and fat-like substances in their diets is not standardized. The article is devoted to the biological role of phosphoglycerides in the body of monogastric animals. The content of phosphoglycerides and their fractions in the grain components of mixed fodder for pigs was studied, the fractional composition of fatty acids of grain fodder was investigated. It was established that the introduction of 1% of “Dry lecithin” additive into mixed fodder for young pigs increased the growth rate of weaned piglets by 30 g, and 2% – by 51.8 g. Feeding the growing-finishing gilts with mixed fodder containing 1% and 2% of the studied additive increased their live weight gain by 29.8 and 37.9 g respectively.

PSXIII-B-14 Investigation of the Blood Transcriptome of Young Healthy Pigs to Identify Genetic Indicators for Disease Resilience

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic control of the blood transcriptome of young healthy pigs (~27 days of age) to identify genetic indicators for disease resilience. We estimated the heritability of the expression of 16,545 genes and their genetic correlations with 26 measures of performance and resilience before and after exposure to a natural polymicrobial disease challenge. Weaned barrows (n=3,205, Yorkshire*Landrace, 50 batches) from healthy multiplier farms were evaluated for disease resilience in an experimental facility consisting of a high-health quarantine nursery and a challenge nursery and finisher. All pigs were genotyped with a 650k array. Blood samples collected on 1,591 pigs in the quarantine nursery were used for 3’mRNA sequencing and analysis of white blood cell (WBC) counts. Heritability of gene expression was estimated using mixed linear models with (WI) or without (WO) accounting for WBC. The number of genes with significantly heritable expression levels (p&amp;lt; 0.05) was similar for the WI (4,994) and WO models (5,515). Genes with heritable expression levels were significantly enriched for biological processes such as cell activation, immune system process, stress response, and leukocyte activation (q&amp;lt; 1.0×10-7). One genomic region with heritable expression levels, based on average heritability estimates of genes in windows of 0.5Mb, overlapped with the major histocompatibility complex. Significant genetic correlations (p&amp;lt; 0.05) were observed with all recorded phenotypes but not beyond expected false discovery rates (FDR). However, enrichment analysis of genes ranked by estimates of genetic correlations with recorded phenotypes revealed 7 significant GO biological processes (FDR&amp;lt; 0.05), of which 5 were related to innate and/or adaptive immunity. These results suggest that expression levels in blood of young healthy pigs for genes in specific biological pathways have potential as indicator traits to select for disease resilience. Funding from USDA-NIFA #2017-67007-26144, Genome Canada, Genome Alberta, and PigGen Canada.

Isolation and Characterization of Stem Cells from the Anal Canal Transition Zone in Pigs

BackgroundUtilization of autologous stem cells has been proposed for the treatment of anal incontinence despite a lack of understanding of their mechanism of action and of the physiological healing process of anal sphincters after injury.AimsWe aim to develop a technique allowing isolation and further study of local mesenchymal stem cells, directly from anal canal transition zone in pig.MethodsAnal canal was resected “en bloc” from two young pigs and further microdissected. The anal canal transition zone was washed and digested with 0.1% type I collagenase for 45 min at 37 °C. The isolated cells were plated on dishes in mesenchymal stem cell medium and trypsinized when confluent. Cells were further used for flow cytometry analysis and differentiation assays.ResultsThe anal canal transition zone localization was confirmed with H&E staining. Following culture, cells exhibited a typical “fibroblast-like” morphology typical of stem cells. Isolated cells were positive for CD90 and CD44 but negative for CD14, CD34, CD45, CD105, CD106, and SLA-DR. Following incubation with specific differentiation medium, isolated cells differentiated into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes, confirming in vitro multipotency.ConclusionsHerein, we report for the first time the presence of mesenchymal stem cells in the anal canal transition zone in pigs and the feasibility of their isolation. This preliminary study opens the path to the isolation of human anal canal transition zone mesenchymal stem cells that might be used to study sphincters healing and to treat anal incontinence.

Co-stimulation by TLR7/8 ligand R848 modulates IFN-γ production of porcine γδ T cells in a microenvironment-dependent manner

Gamma-Delta (γδ) T cells represent a prominent lymphocyte subset in pigs. Their role and function, however, remains largely unknown. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are key receptors for the recognition of pathogens, but so far, it is unknown if porcine γδ T cells express TLRs and therefore have the innate ability to recognize pathogens through pattern recognition receptors. In this study, we compared γδ T cells in different age groups of pigs and investigated the functional relevance of TLR7/8 expression. We found that the major γδ T cell phenotype shifts from CD2−CD8α−/dimCD27+ in young pigs to CD2+CD8αhighCD27− in 3-year-old pigs impacting their ability to produce IFN-γ upon cytokine and TLR stimulation. Furthermore, we report that stimulation with TLR7/8 ligand R848 increased IFN-γ production in purified γδ T cells upon co-stimulation with IL-2 and IL-12. However, the effect of R848 as a co-activator of γδ T cells was abrogated by the addition of monocytes or within PBMCs, suggesting that γδ T cells respond to multiple direct and indirect stimulations. Thus, our results indicate that γδ T cells express TLRs, are modulated by TLR7/8 ligand R848 and have subset-specific responses.

Gruel Creep Feeding Accelerates Growth and Alters Intestinal Health of Young Pigs.

Simple SummaryThe weaning period is one of the most stressful periods in a piglet’s life due to abrupt changes in diet and environment. To mitigate production loss, creep feed is given to piglets to supplement sow’s milk, but the intake of typical dry creep feed is low. Alternatively, liquid diets presented as a gruel may have increased positive effects post-weaning. The objective of this study was to discern whether a gruel pre-weaning supplementation could better prepare piglets to handle increased stress encountered after weaning. We conclude that piglets fed gruel creep feed had greater feed intake and body weight than pigs that had no supplementation, and the effects were sustained through the first week of weaning.To combat the stress of weaning, we utilized novel gruel creep feeders to supplement suckling pigs with divergent soluble (n = 6 litters) versus insoluble (n = 6) diets compared with un-supplemented controls (n = 6). Post-weaning, pigs were fed a common phase 1 diet. Average daily weight gains of pigs fed soluble and insoluble creep diets were 53% and 17% greater than control pigs, respectively (p < 0.01). Creep intake was higher (82%) for pigs fed the soluble diet, and the accompanying weight increase was sustained post-weaning (p < 0.02). Villus measures were prematurely altered in soluble-creep-fed pigs (p < 0.01), with decreases in villi length, crypt depth, and villus area pre-weaning. No effects of treatment were detected for VFA concentrations and pH in the cecum. There was an interaction between treatment and age for several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (p < 0.01), where soluble-creep-fed pigs had increased cytokine levels with age, whereas cytokine levels in the insoluble and control groups decreased over time. We conclude that a soluble creep diet fed in a gruel state during the pre-weaning period has a positive impact on weaning weight that is sustained post-weaning, and is accompanied by alterations in the intestinal health of young pigs.

Effects of protease enzyme supplementation in weanling pigs' diet with different crude protein levels on growth performance and nutrient digestibility.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of different levels of crude protein (CP) diets supplemented with dietary protease on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of the weanling pigs. In a 5-week study, 100 crossbred ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) of weaner pigs that have an average initial body weight (BW) of 7.17±1.06 kg were assigned to one of four dietary treatments with 5 replications and 5 pigs (3 gilts and 2 castrated male pigs) per pen in a randomized complete block design. The dietary treatments were as follows: Phase 1: CON: basal diets (20.60% CP); low protein (LP): CON − 0.30% CP; PLP1: (CON − 0.30% CP) + 0.05% protease; PLP2: (CON − 0.50% CP) + 0.05% protease. Phase 2: CON: basal diets (18.88% CP); LP: CON − 0.30% CP; PLP1: (CON − 0.30% CP) + 0.05% protease; PLP2: (CON − 0.50% CP) + 0.05% protease. The addition of protease to low CP diets significantly increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p = 0.039), BW (p = 0.046), average daily gain (ADG) (p = 0.049), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) tended to increase (p = 0.053) in the young pigs during phase 1. However, FCR tended to increase throughout the experiment but did not change during phase 2, whereas BW, ADG, and ADFI stayed unchanged throughout phase 2 and overall. There was no significant difference in dry matter, nitrogen (N), and gross energy of nutrient digestibility in all phases and overall in weaned pigs with low CP when protease was fed. In contrast, adding protease to the low CP diets increased the tendency of N digestibility (p = 0.059) during phase 1. It is concluded that dietary protease supplementation tended to increase N retention during the first phase of the weaning period, hence increasing piglet performance.