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Adipose, muscle, and bone tissues modulate the metabolic state of mammals. However, the role of bone tissue as a metabolic state modulator in sows has not been studied. During the gestation–lactation transition, sows undergo metabolic adaptations to meet their nutritional requirements. Among these adaptations, bone remodeling is characterized by the synthesis and inhibition of hormones that participate, together with hormones from other tissues, in fetal development and lactogenesis. Osteocalcin is a hormone synthesized by the bone tissue which has been associated in different biological models with the improvement of the metabolic state. However, in sows, published results on the concentration of osteocalcin are scarce, and its concentration throughout the reproductive cycle is unknown. Therefore, with information from published trials on the measurement of serum osteocalcin, a structured review was conducted under the following objectives: (1) to review the promising effect of osteocalcin on energy metabolism in different models and (2) to characterize and model the serum concentrations of osteocalcin during the reproductive cycle of the sow. According to the review, the results obtained for humans and other animal models suggest that osteocalcin regulates energy metabolism, which has been associated with the need for integrated metabolism to cope with the metabolic demand during gestation and lactation in mammals. If these effects are significant in the sow, current recommendations for dietary balance should be reconsidered, particularly during the gestation–lactation transition period. According to mathematical modeling, it was the period in which the lowest concentration of osteocalcin was found. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 634-648]

Adipose, muscle, and bone tissues modulate the metabolic state of mammals. However, the role of bone tissue as a metabolic state modulator in sows has not been studied. During the gestation--lactation transition, sows undergo metabolic adaptations to meet their nutritional requirements. Among these adaptations, bone remodeling is characterized by the synthesis and inhibition of hormones that participate, together with hormones from other tissues, in fetal development and lactogenesis. Osteocalcin is a hormone synthesized by the bone tissue which has been associated in different biological models with the improvement of the metabolic state. However, in sows, published results on the concentration of osteocalcin are scarce, and its concentration throughout the reproductive cycle is unknown. Therefore, with information from published trials on the measurement of serum osteocalcin, a structured review was conducted under the following objectives: (1) to review the promising effect of osteocalcin on energy metabolism in different models and (2) to characterize and model the serum concentrations of osteocalcin during the reproductive cycle of the sow. According to the review, the results obtained for humans and other animal models suggest that osteocalcin regulates energy metabolism, which has been associated with the need for integrated metabolism to cope with the metabolic demand during gestation and lactation in mammals. If these effects are significant in the sow, current recommendations for dietary balance should be reconsidered, particularly during the gestation--lactation transition period. According to mathematical modeling, it was the period in which the lowest concentration of osteocalcin was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a viral disease that decreases the reproductive performance in breeding sows and leads to economic losses to the swine industry. The objective of the present study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated to the number of live-born piglets in the first (LBP1) and second birth (LBP2) in breeding sows exposed to PRRS virus. The study included 100 pregnant females of the Landrace(¾)/ Yorkshire(¼) line, 75 of which were infected with the PRRS virus and 25 were free of PRRS. Individual blood samples (6-8 drops) were obtained and spotted onto FTA cards and subsequently processed for DNA extraction, which was genotyped using a 10,000 SNP chip for genomic profile. Resulting genotypes were analyzed using a multi-locus mixed model that detected three SNP associated to LBP1 and five SNP associated to LBP2 (P

Lameness is a common problem in breeding sows, which often goes undetected for long periods with severe consequences for animal welfare and farm productivity. Automatic lameness detection could help pig farmers to recognise and treat lameness sooner. The SowSIS (Sow Stance Information System) is a device consisting of four force plates and providing non-invasive force measurements per leg of the sow. In this study, the SowSIS was built into electronic sow feeders and validated for lameness detection in group-housed gestating sows. Data was automatically collected for 71 sows. Visual gait scoring was performed twice a week using a 150-mm tagged visual analogue scale to determine the sows' lameness status. Only data from 32 gait scoring days were included, adding up to 674 sow days. A sow was classified as lame using >60 mm as the cut-off value for the visual gait scores. Stance variables were calculated from the SowSIS data per sow per day. First, a multivariable linear mixed model was used to detect lameness, using stance variables with significant influence on the gait score. The model's performance was 78.5% sensitivity, 81.4% specificity, 80.7% accuracy, 57.4% lame predictive value and 92.2% non-lame predictive value. Second, five types of classification models were tested to determine the lame leg on a sub-dataset. The random forest model could predict the lame leg correctly 90% of the time. The SowSIS shows great promise as an on-farm lameness detection system, as it allows continuous non-invasive data collection in a practical setting. • The Sow Stance Information System is robust and well adapted for on-farm use. • Daily non-invasive stance measurements of individual sows during feeding visits. • A linear mixed model using stance variables can correctly detect lameness in sows. • The lame leg can be identified using machine learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a viral disease that decreases the reproductive performance in breeding sows and leads to economic losses to the swine industry. The objective of the present study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated to the number of live-born piglets in the first (LBP1) and second birth (LBP2) in breeding sows exposed to PRRS virus. The study included 100 pregnant females of the Landrace(?)/ Yorkshire(?) line, 75 of which were infected with the PRRS virus and 25 were free of PRRS. Individual blood samples (6-8 drops) were obtained and spotted onto FTA cards and subsequently processed for DNA extraction, which was genotyped using a 10,000 SNP chip for genomic profile. Resulting genotypes were analyzed using a multi-locus mixed model that detected three SNP associated to LBP1 and five SNP associated to LBP2 (P<0.001). These eight SNP were validated using an associative mixed effects model which included the terms genotype and age of dam as fixed effects, and sire as random effect. Allele substitution effects were estimated using the same model including the term genotype as covariate. The SNP rs81276080, rs81334603 and rs80947173 were associated to LBP1 (P<0.001), whereas the SNP rs81364943, rs80859829, rs80895640, rs80893794 and rs81245908 were associated to LBP2 (P<0.001). Only two SNP were in functional chromosomal regions and the remainder SNP were within an intergenic position. In conclusion, these results suggest the existence of gene variants associated with the reproductive performance of sows infected with the PRRS virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Summary: This study aimed to provide new insights into the epidemiology of Salmonella in pig production, focusing on potential shedding patterns in breeding pigs throughout a full production cycle and the risk of transmission of infection from the sow to her offspring. A longitudinal study was conducted on five farrow‐to‐finish commercial pig farms. In each herd, shedding of Salmonella in faeces was monitored in breeders through service, gestation and lactation. Swabs of the farrowing room floor and pools of faeces from piglets were collected on two occasions during lactation. Environmental pen swabs were also taken in the weaning and finisher houses. Salmonella isolates were serotyped, tested for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and typed by Multiple‐Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA). Shedding by breeding pigs was low in all stages of the production cycle; 5% of sows shed at service, the production stage with highest risk of shedding (p < .01), 1.6% shed during gestation and 2.5% after farrowing. Salmonella was detected in 4% of piglet faecal pools in the second week post‐farrowing and 5% in the fourth week. Serotyping and AMR profiles of Salmonella isolates revealed that strains in sows and gilts were mostly different from strains isolated in weaner and finisher facilities. MLVA typing confirmed that the source of infection in piglets was in most instances the contaminated environment rather than their dam. Based on the typing results, it appears that sows do not pose a major risk in the maintenance and transmission of Salmonella to their progeny but instead the contaminated pen environment is more significant in the perpetuation of the organism on farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farrowing induction and synchronization protocols enable pig farms to concentrate farrowings as convenient to ensure proper farrowing assistance, minimizing stillbirths and improving productive results. The present study evaluates the response of 97 sows to farrowing induction with 1 mL of a 2mg/mL solution of alphaprostol, a prostaglandin F2α analogue, in one fulldose or two half-dose injections. Sows were evaluated by the variables: stillborn, liveborn, and mummified fetus' numbers and the occurrence of farrowing within or without the target period. The results suggest a trend towards a better concentration of farrowings in the desired period, but also a higher number of stillborn, with two vs. one alphaprostol injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Cientifica de la Facultade de Veterinaria is the property of Universidad del Zulia, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has become a worldwide endemic disease of pigs. In 2006, an atypical and more virulent PRRS (HP-PRRS) emerged in China and spread to many countries, including Thailand. This study aimed to provide a first description of the spatio-temporal pattern of PRRS in Thailand and to quantify the statistical relationship between the presence of PRRS at the sub-district level and a set of risk factors. This should provide a basis for improving disease surveillance and control of PRRS in Thailand. Results Spatial scan statistics were used to detect clusters of outbreaks and allowed the identification of six spatial clusters covering 15 provinces of Thailand. Two modeling approaches were used to relate the presence or absence of PRRS outbreaks at the sub-district level to demographic characteristics of pig farming and other epidemiological spatial variables: autologistic multiple regressions and boosted regression trees (BRT). The variables showing a statistically significant association with PRRS presence in the autologistic multiple regression model were the sub-district human population and number of farms with breeding sows. The predictive power of the model, as measured by the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) plots was moderate. BRT models had higher goodness of fit the metrics and identified the sub-district human population and density of farms with breeding sows as important predictor variables. Conclusions The results indicated that farms with breeding sows may be an important group for targeted surveillance and control. However, these findings obtained at the sub-district level should be complemented by farm-level epidemiological investigations in order to obtain a more comprehensive view of the factors affecting PRRS presence. In this study, the outbreaks of PRRS could not be differentiated from the potential novel HP-PPRS form, which was recently discovered in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus in most diets for breeding sows is digested from 20% to 40%, thus leading to a relatively high amount of P in the manure. To enhance the P digestibility in diets for both lactating and gestating sows, two separate experiments were carried out to study the efficacy of phytase derived from Peniophora lycii. Thirty crossbred lactating sows and 24 gestating sows were used in the studies. Five treatments were imposed on the lactating sows: (1) the negative control, a low-P diet without added feed phosphate and microbial phytase. Treatments 2, 3 and 4 were the same as the negative control diet, except that an amount of 750, 1000 and 10,000 U of phytase kg−1 of diet, respectively, was added. Treatment 5 was the positive control diet, being treatment 1 with 1.5 g of digestible P added kg−1 of diet from monocalcium phosphate. The gestating sows received the same first three treatments and a positive control diet supplemented with 1.0 g of digestible P kg−1. The negative control diets were different in feedstuff composition. The ratio between Ca and digestible P was kept constant at 2.9:1 and 3.3:1 for the lactating and gestating diets, respectively. Feeding level of the sows was according to Dutch recommendations. Six sows per treatment were used. The lactating sows received the diets from 2 weeks before farrowing until weaning of piglets at 4 weeks of lactation and the gestating sows from day 49 to day 100 of pregnancy. Sampling of the faeces of the sows was done by rectal stimulation, and carried out at days 15 and 21 post-farrowing, and at days 70 and 99 of pregnancy. Digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), ash and the minerals under investigation were calculated using Cr2O3 as an indigestible marker. In addition, several performance characteristics were observed. Phosphorus digestibility was clearly enhanced by the addition of microbial phytase to the sow diets, as was the digestibility of ash, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cu and Zn. There was a positive relationship between dose of phytase and the amount of liberated digestible phosphorus in lactating sows. The difference in liberated amount of digestible P between 1000 and 10,000 U kg−1 was 0.34 g/kg of lactating diet. An amount of 0.77 and 0.42 g digestible P kg−1 was liberated by 750 U/kg in the lactation and gestating diets, respectively. No signs of any adverse effect of phytase was observed on sow or piglet health and performance, even at a dose of 10,000 U kg−1. The performance of piglets and sows at 10,000 U phytase kg−1 was comparable to or better than the positive control diet. If feed phosphates are (partly) replaced by 750 U phytase kg−1 of diet, then P excretion can be reduced by 0.75–0.90 kg per breeding sow per year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: Antimicrobial usage was analyzed in 598 Swiss pig farms as part of the SuisSano Health Program in 2017. Antimicrobial usage was calculated on the basis of the prescriptions of the veterinarians using the standard dosages DCDCH (Defined Course Dose for Switzerland) and the amount of active substance by weight. Usage was analyzed based on the active antimicrobial class, pharmaceutical form age category (suckling piglets, weaned piglets, fattening pigs, sows) and stock type (breeding farms, fattening farms, farrow-finish farms and sow pool systems (SPS). A total amount of 610 kg antimicrobials or 894,688 DCDCH standard doses were used. The proportion of Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIAs) of the total antimicrobial usage was 2.5% for breeding sows, 4.5% for piglets, and 2.7% for fattening pigs based on the number of treatments in DCDCH/animal/year. In contrast weaning piglets showed a calculated proportion of 26%, of which 18% was due to polypeptides (colistin). Suckling piglets produced in SPS stocks were treated significantly more frequently than suckling piglets from other farms (P.

This study aimed to provide new insights into the epidemiology of Salmonella in pig production, focusing on potential shedding patterns in breeding pigs throughout a full production cycle and the risk of transmission of infection from the sow to her offspring. A longitudinal study was conducted on five farrow-to-finish commercial pig farms. In each herd, shedding of Salmonella in faeces was monitored in breeders through service, gestation and lactation. Swabs of the farrowing room floor and pools of faeces from piglets were collected on two occasions during lactation. Environmental pen swabs were also taken in the weaning and finisher houses. Salmonella isolates were serotyped, tested for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and typed by Multiple-Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA). Shedding by breeding pigs was low in all stages of the production cycle; 5% of sows shed at service, the production stage with highest risk of shedding (p < .01), 1.6% shed during gestation and 2.5% after farrowing. Salmonella was detected in 4% of piglet faecal pools in the second week post-farrowing and 5% in the fourth week. Serotyping and AMR profiles of Salmonella isolates revealed that strains in sows and gilts were mostly different from strains isolated in weaner and finisher facilities. MLVA typing confirmed that the source of infection in piglets was in most instances the contaminated environment rather than their dam. Based on the typing results, it appears that sows do not pose a major risk in the maintenance and transmission of Salmonella to their progeny but instead the contaminated pen environment is more significant in the perpetuation of the organism on farm., (© 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)