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Sperling D, Rodríguez M, de Frutos L, Morales J. Combined Injection for Control of Iron-Deficiency Anemia and Coccidiosis in Piglets Decreases Stress at Management Time. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:2241. [PMID: 39123767 PMCID: PMC11310942 DOI: 10.3390/ani14152241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the short-term behavioral and physiological responses of piglets to different treatment protocols for the control of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) and cystoisosporosis. Piglets were treated with either (1) an injection of iron combined with an oral application of toltrazuril (TLZ) by drenching or (2) a combination injection of TZL + gleptoferron; the behavior of the piglets was then evaluated. For this study, 288 piglets were divided into three experimental groups: 96 piglets were kept untreated (control group); 96 piglets received an oral administration of a generic TZL-based anticoccidial agent (20 mg/kg BW) along with intramuscular administration of iron dextran (200 mg/mL; 1 mL/piglet) at the same handling (oral + parenteral group, O + P); and 96 piglets received an intramuscular application of the combination product (parenteral group, P). For each treated piglet, the total handling time, flight reaction, and the intensity and frequency of vocalizations were determined using the methodology described by Scollo et al. (2020). Piglets in the O + P group were found to emit more screams during treatment administration than animals in the P group (21.05% vs. 8.42% of animals; p < 0.05). Piglets in the O + P group reacted worse to manipulation and oral administration because a higher percentage of animals continued to fidget even after handling (32.63% vs. 12.63%; p < 0.05). Differences in growth performance between the groups were not observed in our study (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the administration of a combination product reduced stress during administration, as indicated by reduced vocalizations and reactions to manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Sperling
- Ceva Santé Animale, 10 Avenue de la Ballastière, 33500 Libourne, France
| | - María Rodríguez
- Animal Data Analytics, S.L., Dámaso Alonso 14, 40006 Segovia, Spain; (M.R.); (L.d.F.); (J.M.)
| | - Laura de Frutos
- Animal Data Analytics, S.L., Dámaso Alonso 14, 40006 Segovia, Spain; (M.R.); (L.d.F.); (J.M.)
| | - Joaquín Morales
- Animal Data Analytics, S.L., Dámaso Alonso 14, 40006 Segovia, Spain; (M.R.); (L.d.F.); (J.M.)
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Čobanović N, Čalović S, Suvajdžić B, Grković N, Stanković SD, Radaković M, Spariosu K, Karabasil N. Consequences of Transport Conditions on the Welfare of Slaughter Pigs with Different Health Status and RYR-1 Genotype. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:191. [PMID: 38254360 PMCID: PMC10812478 DOI: 10.3390/ani14020191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
This study assessed the influence of transport conditions on welfare indicators of slaughter pigs with different health status and RYR-1 genotype. The group of pigs, predominantly consisting of Nn (56.67%) and subclinically diseased (60.00%) individuals, that were exposed to short transportation (<30 min) at high loading density (~235 kg/m2) had the highest slipping (p < 0.0001), falling (p = 0.0009), turning back (p < 0.0001), reluctance to move (p < 0.0001), panting (p < 0.0001) and shivering (p < 0.0001) frequencies at unloading. Subclinically diseased Nn pigs subjected to short transportation (<30 min) and high loading density (~235 kg/m2) had the highest lactate (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001), glucose (p = 0.0450 and p = 0.0002), CK (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0010), LDH (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0484), AST (p = 0.0208 and p = 0.0170), ALT (p = 0.0500 and p = 0.00081), ceruloplasmin (p = 0.0334 and p < 0.0001) and MDA (p = 0.0048 and p < 0.0001) concentrations, but the lowest sodium (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001), chloride (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0432), albumin (p < 0.0090 and p < 0.0001), PON-1 (p = 0.0122 and p = 0.0500) and GSH (p = 0.0042 and p = 0.0340) levels, respectively. In the group consisting of of stress-resistant (100%) and predominantly healthy (60.00%) pigs subjected to short transportation (<30 min) at high loading density (~235 kg/m2), none of the individuals showed irregular behavioural reactions during unloading. Healthy NN pigs that underwent short transportation (<30 min) at high loading density (~235 kg/m2) had the lowest lactate (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001), glucose (p = 0.0450 and p = 0.0002), CK (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0010), LDH (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0484) and ceruloplasmin (p = 0.0334 and p < 0.0001) levels, but the highest sodium (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001) and chloride (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0432) concentrations, respectively. In conclusion, the most compromised welfare was recorded in subclinically diseased Nn pigs exposed to short transportation (<30 min) and high loading density (~235 kg/m2), while under the same conditions, the welfare of healthy NN pigs was not compromised. Therefore, stress-carrier pigs with subclinical pathological lesions should not be considered fit for transportation, indicating that the health status and genotype are the key factors for optimising pig welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Čobanović
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (B.S.); (N.G.); (N.K.)
| | - Sara Čalović
- Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Branko Suvajdžić
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (B.S.); (N.G.); (N.K.)
| | - Nevena Grković
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (B.S.); (N.G.); (N.K.)
| | - Sanja Dj Stanković
- Center for Medical Biochemistry, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Milena Radaković
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.R.); (K.S.)
| | - Kristina Spariosu
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.R.); (K.S.)
| | - Nedjeljko Karabasil
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (B.S.); (N.G.); (N.K.)
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Miller I, Gianazza E. Proteomic methods for the study of porcine acute phase proteins - anything new to detect? Vet Res Commun 2023; 47:1801-1815. [PMID: 37452983 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10170-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Acute phase proteins (APPs) reflect the health status of individuals and are important tools in diagnostics, as their altered levels are a sign of disturbed homeostasis. While, in most cases, quantitation of known serum APPs is routinely performed by immunoassays, proteomics is helpful in discovery of new biomarker candidates, especially in samples other than body fluids. Besides putting APP regulation into an overall context of differentially abundant proteins, this approach can detect further details or outright new features in protein structure or specific modifications, and help understand better their function. Thus, it can show up ways to make present diagnostic assays more sensitive and/or specific, or correlate regulations of disease-specific proteins. The APP repertoire is dependent on the species. The pig is both, an important farm animal and a model animal for human diseases, due to similarities in physiology. Besides reviewing existing literature, yet unpublished examples for two-dimensional electrophoresis in connection with pig APPs highlight some of the benefits of proteomics. Of further help would be the emerging targeted proteomics, offering the possibility to determine particular isoforms or proteoforms, without the need of specific antibodies, but this method is presently scarcely used in veterinary medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Miller
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Wien, Austria.
| | - Elisabetta Gianazza
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, I-20133, Milano, Italy
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Saco Y, Bassols A. Acute phase proteins in cattle and swine: A review. Vet Clin Pathol 2023; 52 Suppl 1:50-63. [PMID: 36526287 DOI: 10.1111/vcp.13220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The major acute phase proteins (APPs) in cattle are haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and in swine, are Hp, SAA, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Pig major acute phase protein (Pig-MAP). Many methodologic assays are presently available to measure these parameters, which are still being improved to increase their specificity, sensitivity, user-friendliness, and economic availability. In cattle, the main applications are the diagnosis and monitoring of frequent diseases such as mastitis and metritis in dairy cows and respiratory problems in young calves. In pigs, APPs are useful in the control of bacterial and viral infections, and they may be used at the slaughterhouse to monitor subclinical pathologies and improve food safety. The utility of APP in animal production must not be forgotten; optimization of protocols to improve performance, welfare, and nutrition may benefit from the use of APPs. Other sample types besides serum or plasma have potential uses; APP determination in milk is a powerful tool in the control of mastitis, saliva is a non-invasive sample type, and meat juice is easily obtained at the slaughterhouse. Increasing our knowledge of reference intervals and the influence of variables such as age, breed, sex, and the season is important. Finally, worldwide harmonization and standardization of analytical procedures will help to expand the use of APPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Saco
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Servei de Bioquímica Clínica Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Anna Bassols
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Servei de Bioquímica Clínica Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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Rossi G. Acute phase proteins in cats: Diagnostic and prognostic role, future directions, and analytical challenges. Vet Clin Pathol 2023; 52 Suppl 1:37-49. [PMID: 36740231 DOI: 10.1111/vcp.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
While clinical studies on acute phase proteins (APPs) have significantly increased in the last decade, and most commercial labs are now offering major APPs in their biochemical profiles, APP testing has not been widely adopted by veterinary clinical pathologists and veterinarians. Measurement of APP concentration is a useful marker for detecting the presence or absence of inflammation in cats with various diseases. APPs can also be reliably measured in different biological fluids (eg, effusions and urine) to improve their diagnostic utility. Measurement of APPs can be extremely beneficial in cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) to discriminate between FIP and non-FIP cats with similar clinical presentations. Additional benefits come from multiple and sequential measurements of APPs, particularly in the assessment of therapeutic efficacy. APPs are more sensitive than WBC counts for early detection of inflammation and to demonstrate an early remission or recurrence of the diseases. Given the potential utility of APPs, more studies are warranted, with a particular focus on the applications of APPs to guide the length of antimicrobial therapies, as suggested by the antimicrobial stewardship policy. New inflammatory markers have been discovered in human medicine, with a higher specificity for distinguishing between septic versus nonseptic inflammatory diseases. It is desirable that these new markers be investigated in veterinary medicine, to further test the power of APPs in diagnostic setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Rossi
- School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
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Biosecurity and Lairage Time versus Pork Meat Quality Traits in a Farm-Abattoir Continuum. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233382. [PMID: 36496903 PMCID: PMC9738693 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The modern pig production chain is increasingly focused on biosecurity, quality, and safety of meat and is associated with many challenges impacting world meat markets, such as animal disease outbreaks and sanitary restrictions, trade regulations and quality requirements. To overcome such challenges and assure more consistent pork meat quality (and safety), there is a need to develop an effective and reliable monitoring system in a farm-abattoir continuum that can be based on selected biomarkers. This study assessed interrelations of selected stress and inflammation biomarkers (acute phase proteins (APP)) between farm biosecurity score versus pork meat quality traits after two different lairage periods. Briefly, the maximum recorded levels of stress hormones (436.2 and 241.2 ng/mL, for cortisol and Chromogranin A (CgA), respectively) and APP (389.4 and 400.9 μg/mL, Pig Major Acute Proteins (MAP) and Haptoglobin (Hp), respectively) at four commercial farms were within the recommended threshold values. Cortisol and APP were negatively correlated to the internal and total biosecurity scores of farms. The increase of level of both sets of biomarkers was found at bleeding (after transportation and lairage period), but with lower values after long (18-20 h) versus short (1-3 h) lairage lay-over time. In general, negative correlation was confirmed between stress and inflammation biomarkers and carcass/meat quality traits. The farm total biosecurity level significantly affected chilling yield, meat temperature, and a* value. Pig-MAP emerged as a good biomarker with a promising potential for assessment and anticipation of broad aspects in the pork meat chain. It can be used for detection of failures in the pig production system and might be incorporated in certification programs for the pork meat industry.
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Viscardi AV, Cull CA, Kleinhenz MD, Montgomery S, Curtis A, Lechtenberg K, Coetzee JF. Evaluating the utility of a CO2 surgical laser for piglet castration to reduce pain and improve wound healing: a pilot study. J Anim Sci 2021; 98:5917776. [PMID: 33011759 PMCID: PMC7660141 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skaa320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbie V Viscardi
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | | | - Michael D Kleinhenz
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Shawnee Montgomery
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Andrew Curtis
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | | | - Johann F Coetzee
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
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Čobanović N, Stajković S, Kureljušić J, Žutić J, Kureljušić B, Stanković SD, Karabasil N. Biochemical, carcass and meat quality alterations associated with different degree of lung lesions in slaughtered pigs. Prev Vet Med 2021; 188:105269. [PMID: 33485247 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between lung lesion severity and presence of antibodies of various respiratory pathogens, and the effects of lung lesion severity on growth performance, biochemical indicators, total aerobe counts, and carcass and meat quality indicators in total of 240 slaughter pigs originating from two farms with similar rearing conditions. Lung lesion severity was calculated based on the degree of pneumonia and pleurisy in slaughtered pigs. Two-step cluster analysis was used to place individual pigs to four clusters according to pneumonia and pleurisy scores: no lung lesions (cluster 1); mild lung lesions (cluster 2); moderate lung lesions (cluster 3); and severe lung lesions (cluster 4). ANOVA and post hoc pairwise comparisons using Tukey's test were performed to assess the differences between clusters in examined variables. Multivariate linear regression analysis was run to identify associations between lung lesions and examined variables. There was a strong evidence of association between the absence of lung lesions and increased albumin, sodium and chloride levels, daily weight gain, live weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, loin thickness and carcass lean content, and decreased haptoglobin, CK and LDH levels. Also, pigs without lung lesions produced the highest percentage of red, firm and nonexudative pork. Pigs having severe lung lesions had the highest percentage of simultaneously seropositive samples to SIV, PRRSV, PCV-2, PRCV, APP and M. hyopneumoniae. There was a strong evidence of association between the presence of severe lung lesions and decreased lactate, glucose, sodium, chloride and albumine levels, daily weight gain, live weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, loin thickness and carcass lean content, and increased CK, LDH and haptoglobin levels. There was a strong evidence of association between the presence of severe lung lesions in slaughered pigs and increased meat pH and sensory colour scores, and decreased drip, thawing and cooking losses and L* and b* values, which led to the highest occurrence of moderate DFD and DFD pork. There was a strong evidence of association between the presence of mild lung lesions in slaughtered pigs and decreased meat pH and sensory colour scores, and increased drip, thawing and cooking losses, L* and b* values, which led to the highest occurrence of moderate PSE and PSE pork. In conclusion, the presence of lung lesions, irrespective of severity, was significantly associated with alterations in the biochemical indicators, growth performance and carcass and meat quality in slaughtered pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Čobanović
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Bulevar Oslobodjenja 18, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Silvana Stajković
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Bulevar Oslobodjenja 18, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Jasna Kureljušić
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, Department of Food and Feed Safety, Janisa Janulisa 14, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Jadranka Žutić
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, Department of Immunology, Janisa Janulisa 14, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Branislav Kureljušić
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, Department of Pathology, Janisa Janulisa 14, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Sanja Dj Stanković
- Clinical Center of Serbia, Center for Medical Biochemistry, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Nedjeljko Karabasil
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Bulevar Oslobodjenja 18, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
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Carroll GA, Boyle LA, Hanlon A, Palmer MA, Collins L, Griffin K, Armstrong D, O’Connell NE. Identifying physiological measures of lifetime welfare status in pigs: exploring the usefulness of haptoglobin, C- reactive protein and hair cortisol sampled at the time of slaughter. Ir Vet J 2018; 71:8. [PMID: 29507716 PMCID: PMC5833096 DOI: 10.1186/s13620-018-0118-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physiological measures indicative of the welfare status of animals during rearing could form part of an abattoir-based animal health and welfare assessment tool. A total of 66 pigs were used in this study, the aim of which was to assess how serum concentrations of haptoglobin (Hp) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (assessed in 51 pigs), and hair concentrations of cortisol (assessed in 65 pigs), measured at or close to slaughter, reflected welfare-related indicators recorded from the animal during its lifetime. These indicators were recorded at intervals between 7 and 21 weeks of age and included assigning scores for levels of tail and skin lesions, recording the presence or absence of certain health issues, and conducting qualitative behavioural assessments (QBA). RESULTS Pigs recorded as having tail lesions during their lifetime had higher hair cortisol levels than those with no tail lesions (tail lesions: 47.87 ± 3.34 pg/mg, no tail lesions: 42.20 ± 3.29 pg/mg, P = 0.023), and pigs recorded as having moderate or severe tail lesions had higher Hp levels than those with no or mild tail lesions (moderate/severe: 1.711 mg/ml ± 0.74, none/mild: 0.731 mg/ml ±0.10, P = 0.010). Pigs recorded as being lame during their lifetime tended to have higher hair cortisol levels than non-lame pigs (lame: 52.72 pg/mg ± 3.83, not lame: 43.07 pg/mg ± 2.69, P = 0.062). QBA scores were not associated with any of the physiological measures (P > 0.05). Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) analysis was also carried out to get a better understanding of the usefulness of the physiological measures in discriminating animals that had had welfare-related issues recorded during their lifetime from those that had not. Hair cortisol was determined as having 'moderate' accuracy in discriminating pigs that were tail bitten on-farm from unbitten pigs (AUC: 0.748) while Hp and CRP were determined to have no meaningful discriminatory ability (AUC < 0.600). CONCLUSION This research should be repeated on a larger scale, but the results suggest that hair cortisol measured at slaughter could provide insight into the welfare status of pigs during their lifetime. Hp may be a useful indicator of tail lesions in pigs. However, further research utilising a greater proportion of severely bitten pigs is required before conclusions can be drawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. A. Carroll
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland Technology Centre, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5HN UK
| | - L. A. Boyle
- Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Teagasc Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork Republic of Ireland
| | - A. Hanlon
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Republic of Ireland
| | - M. A. Palmer
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland Technology Centre, Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 5HN UK
| | - L. Collins
- Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7TS UK
| | - K. Griffin
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK
| | - D. Armstrong
- Agri-food and Biosciences Institute Pig Unit, Large Park, Hillsborough, Lisburn, County Down BT26 6DR UK
| | - N. E. O’Connell
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK
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Huang Y, Liu Z, Liu W, Yin C, Ci L, Zhao R, Yang X. Short communication: Salivary haptoglobin and chromogranin A as non-invasive markers during restraint stress in pigs. Res Vet Sci 2017; 114:27-30. [PMID: 28284048 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The objective of present study was to investigate changes in salivary components during restraint to identify potential markers of stress. Pigs were subjected to a nasal snare stress (Experiment 1) or an immobilization stress (Experiment 2) by being enclosed in a steel cage. Saliva was collected before, during and after the stress, respectively. Salivary cortisol, serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (HP), chromogranin A (CgA), amylase, K+, Ca2+ and lactoferrin content were detected. The results showed that in Experiment 1, HP and CgA content increased significantly at 10min during the restraint (P<0.05, P<0.05), in agreement with the significantly increased cortisol and SAA levels (P<0.01, P<0.05), while amylase, K+ and lactoferrin concentrations did not significantly change. In Experiment 2, salivary HP and CgA concentrations also changed significantly during the restraint (P<0.01, P<0.01), yet cortisol, SAA, amylase, K+ and lactoferrin levels did not show obvious change. The results confirmed that salivary HP and CgA content may be useful candidate biomarkers to monitor the physical state in pigs during stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanping Huang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Zhiqing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Weifeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Chao Yin
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Le Ci
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Ruqian Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Xiaojing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
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Gutiérrez A, Villa M, Marsilla B, Martinez-Subiela S, Montes A, Cerón J. Application of acute phase protein measurements in meat extract collected during routine veterinary inspection at abattoirs. Res Vet Sci 2015; 101:75-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2015.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Revised: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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