Journal of animal science最新文献

{"title":"The effects of a plant-based and a plant- and marine-based n-3 oil supplement on behavioural reactivity, heart rate variability, and plasma fatty acid profile in young healthy horses","authors":"Samantha Hartwig, Alexandra Rankovic, Persephone McCrae, Kiara Gagliardi, Scarlett Burron, Jennifer Ellis, David W L Ma, Anna K Shoveller","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf117","url":null,"abstract":"Behavioural reactivity in horses poses a welfare and safety risk to both the horse and the handler, however, beneficial effects have been observed when dietary fat is increased in replacement of sugar. Supplementation with the fatty acids (FA) eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appear to improve negative behaviours in rodents and humans, but the effect of α-linolenic acid (ALA), EPA, and DHA, specifically, on reactivity in horses is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of camelina oil (CAM; ALA-enriched) and a mix of camelina and algal oil (ALG; ALA-, EPA-, and DHA-enriched) both fed at a dose of 0.37 g oil/kg body weight on plasma FA, behaviour, and heart rate variability (HRV) in young horses compared to a negative control (CON). Thirty-four client-owned horses aged 7 months – 6 years were enrolled. Horses were assigned to either CAM, ALG, or CON and underwent a novel object test (NOT) before and after a 6-week supplementation period. Prior to each NOT, blood was collected for evaluation of plasma FA profile (n = 28). During the NOT, behaviour was recorded using a pre-determined ethogram and assessed in BORIS software by two raters (n = 29). Electrocardiogram (ECG) data was collected at baseline, during the NOT, and after the NOT (recovery). The ECG data was analyzed in Kubios software for determination of heart rate (HR) and several HRV parameters (n = 24). The treatment oils were treated as fixed effects, baseline measurements as covariates, and location as a random effect. Plasma DHA (P < 0.01) was greater and n-6:n-3 ratio (P < 0.01) was reduced in ALG than in CAM and CON, while ALA and EPA were similar among treatments (P > 0.05). When treatments were pooled, the maximum HR (P < 0.01) and the low frequency to high frequency ratio HRV parameter (P < 0.01) were greater during the NOT compared to baseline and recovery. Bucking (P = 0.03) and backing (P = 0.02) behaviours were reduced in the CAM group compared to the CON group, but neither group differed from ALG. All other behaviours, HR, and HRV parameters were similar among treatments (P > 0.05). Our results suggest that the NOT was successful in creating acute stress, however, feeding either CAM or ALG at this dose did not reduce reactivity in this cohort of horses. Further research is needed to understand the effects of specific FA, if any, on behaviour and HRV in more specific populations of horses and specifically those deemed highly reactive.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143805778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beef cattle phenotypic plasticity and stability of dry matter intake and respiration rate across varying levels of temperature humidity index","authors":"William R Shaffer, Jorge Hidalgo, Nora M Bello, Rylie Noland, Jennifer Bormann, Robert L Weaber, Cashley M Ahlberg, Kelsey Bruno, Clint R Krehbiel, Michelle S Calvo-Lorenzo, Chris J Richards, Sara E Place, Udaya DeSilva, Larry A Kuehn, Megan M Rolf","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf115","url":null,"abstract":"Expected changes in climate warrant research on selection for a phenotypically stable cattle population that can perform consistently across diverse environmental conditions. In this study, we utilize a heteroscedastic random regression model to: 1) characterize the additive genetic and other phenotypic components of dry matter intake (DMI) and respiration rate (RR) with respect to the temperature humidity index (THI), 2) assess the presence of genotype-by-environment interactions (G×E) by determining whether the additive genetic reaction norm changes along the observed THI range and by evaluating the additive genetic correlations between DMI or RR at different THI values, and 3) evaluate model derived accuracy of estimated breeding values (EBV) along a range of THI. Data consisted of repeated observations of DMI and RR on 788 and 569 steers, respectively, over a period of 70d. A hierarchical model with subject-specific additive genetic and permanent environment effects was fitted to each trait using Bayesian inference. Estimated population slopes, expressed as posterior median and 95% highest posterior density (HPD) interval, were -0.046 (-0.053, -0.039) kg DMI per unit increase in THI per day and 0.027 (0.026, 0.029) breaths per 30s (BP30S) RR for each unit increase in THI on the logarithmic scale, thereby suggesting environmental sensitivity for both traits. Estimated correlations between the additive genetic intercept and slope were -0.78 (-0.86, -0.69) and -0.66 (-1.0, -0.20) for DMI and RR, respectively, indicating that selection for increased DMI and decreased RR at the onset of heat stress can be expected to associate positively with mean population environmental sensitivity to THI. Heritability estimates for DMI at the onset of heat stress (i.e., THI of 70) ranged from 0.30 (0.17, 0.44) to 0.37 (0.20, 0.48) across cohorts, but decreased as THI increased. Heritability estimates for RR were low, with 95% HPD upper boundaries ranging from 0.03 to 0.08 across the range of THI evaluated. For DMI, the median additive genetic correlation between 70 and 85 THI and the Spearman correlations between estimated breeding values at 70 and 85 THI levels were 0.42 (0.26, 0.57) and 0.39 (0.26, 0.52), respectively, indicating substantial G×E. The median DMI EBV model derived accuracy at a specific THI value increased from 70 THI to 0.65 at 82 THI, at which point it stabilized. This was likely because more data points were gathered at greater THI.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143805779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in the skeletal muscle transcriptome due to the intramuscular administration of lidocaine in wether lambs","authors":"Mackenzie C Batt, Rachel L Gibbs, Rachel R Reith, Anna M Fuller, Dustin T Yates, Jessica L Petersen","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf116","url":null,"abstract":"Lidocaine is a commonly used local anesthetic that blocks sodium channels in nociceptor neurons, preventing the transmission of pain signals to the brain. Lidocaine can be administered to reduce discomfort during tissue biopsies. Biopsy tissue may then be used to study the transcriptome under the assumption that the genomic activity of lidocaine-treated tissue accurately reflects that of untreated tissue. This study investigated how intramuscular lidocaine influenced skeletal muscle gene expression in sheep with the goal of understanding how transcriptomic changes could affect data interpretation. Approximately 10 minutes before euthanasia, the left biceps brachii muscle from each of 6 wether lambs (48.7 ± 0.8 kg) was injected (IM; 20G hypodermic needle) at a depth of 3 cm with 2 mL of 2% lidocaine (20 mg/mL); the right biceps brachii was untreated. At necropsy, muscle samples were collected from the injection sites and contralateral limbs and flash-frozen. In an additional set of lambs, lidocaine-treated and untreated samples were collected from the biceps brachii of 4 lambs, and from the vastus intermedius of 4 other lambs. RNA was isolated and mRNA sequenced to a targeted depth of 20 million reads per sample. Sequences were mapped and quantified; matched pair analysis was performed in edgeR. No genes were consistently differentially expressed due to treatment in both muscle types, perhaps reflecting their distinct physiological roles. Lidocaine did influence the transcriptome with anti-inflammatory effects evident in both muscle types, including the downregulation of immune-associated transcription factors and other genes. Lidocaine’s influence varied on other broad categories of genes, including those associated with muscle contractility, tissue repair, and structural integrity, which could affect the interpretation of transcriptome data in studies of muscle growth and development. Pathway analysis revealed that lidocaine impacted signaling mechanisms for cellular connectivity and structure. This study demonstrates that intramuscular administration of lidocaine results in the alteration of tissue’s gene expression profiles, highlighting the importance of considering lidocaine’s influence in transcriptome analyses. Thus, the use of complementary physiological measures to validate transcriptomic findings is recommended to ensure observed gene expression changes are accurately attributed to experimental conditions rather than the effects of lidocaine.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143805777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of undigestible neutral detergent fiber concentration in finishing diets containing dry-rolled or steam-rolled barley for feedlot steers","authors":"Stephanie A Terry, Wenzhu Yang, Karen A Beauchemin, Karen S Schwartzkopf-Genswein, Gregory B Penner, Katharine M Wood, Tim A McAllister","doi":"10.1093/jas/skae392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae392","url":null,"abstract":"This study evaluated the impact of grain processing method (dry- vs. steam-rolling) and diet uNDF concentration (low vs. high; 5.7% vs. 6.6% on DM basis by replacing silage with straw) in finishing diets on feed intake, feeding behavior, growth performance, ruminal pH, fermentation parameters, inflammatory stress responses, and carcass traits of 376 intact (initial BW ± SD, 440 ± 33.6 kg), and 24 ruminally cannulated steers (initial BW ± SD, 474 ± 30.5 kg). Steers were housed in 32 pens with 4 pens of 30 steers, and 28 pens of 10 steers. Eight of the pens with 10 steers, and all of the pens with 30 steers were equipped with GrowSafe® to record individual feed intake and feeding behavior. Three cannulated and 7 intact steers were housed in the smaller GrowSafe® pens. Diets included: 1) dry-rolled barley and barley silage; 2) dry-rolled barley and barley straw; 3) steam-rolled barley and barley silage; and 4) steam-rolled barley and barley straw, formulated to contain 89% barley-grain, 6% roughage and 5% vitamin and mineral supplement (DM basis). Interactions between processing method and uNDF concentration were observed for maximum ruminal pH, and concentrations of blood glucose and lipopolysaccharide binding proteins. Compared to dry-rolling, steam-rolling did not improve growth performance, ruminal pH, fermentation parameters, or liver abscess scores, but did increase longissimus muscle (LM) area (P = 0.01) and decrease the proportion of AAA carcasses (P = 0.01). Steam-rolled barley decreased (P = 0.04) glucose and increased (P = 0.01) blood concentrations of insulin and acute phase proteins. Increasing uNDF did not affect feed intake, growth, carcass traits, or liver abscess scores, but did increase (P = 0.01) bunk attendance, meal duration, and to a lesser extent meal intervals (P = 0.04) and eating rate (P = 0.01). Increased uNDF raised (P = 0.04) mean ruminal pH and reduced the duration of pH below 6.0, 5.8 and 5.2, and tended (P = 0.06) to increase the acetate to propionate ratio. The lack of growth response to dietary uNDF concentration could be due to the small differences in uNDF intake, or that uNDF concentration was sufficient to prevent digestive disturbances. Increasing dietary uNDF altered eating behavior and ruminal pH in a manner that could reduce the risk of clinical and subclinical ruminal acidosis.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"108 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143805781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Cottonseed diet on the Performance of Meat Does Artificially Infected with Haemonchus contortus.","authors":"Leyla Rios de Alvarez, Zully E Contreras-Correa, Caleb Lemley, Lindsey Dearborn, Peixin Fan, Chuan-Yu Hsu, Brandon Bernard, Michael Pesato, Carlos Sandoval-Castro, Juan Felipe Torres-Acosta","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gossypol is a phenolic compound found in cottonseed. Phenolic compounds are plant secondary metabolites, known to have both, beneficial and negative effects on animals. The present experiment evaluated the beneficial and negative effects of cottonseed on growth, daily weight gain, parasite infection measured by fecal egg counts, liver function, and ruminal microbiome of growing female meat goats. Forty Boer x Spanish doelings were assigned to 4 groups (n = 10 per group) in a 2 x 2 factorial design consisting of CS-NP cottonseed supplementation (CS) (0.5% body weight-BW in kg) + no parasite infection (NP) CON-NP commercial pellets or control (CON) + no parasite infection (NP); CON-P commercial pellets or control (CON) + Haemonchus contortus artificial infection (P); and CS-P CS supplementation (CS) + H. contortus artificial infection (P). Artificial infection consisted of 4,000 H. contortus infective larvae (L3). The FEC were not affected by diet. The liver function showed a diet by parasite interaction (P = 0.03) for the mean velocity of the hepatic portal vein, which was decreased in CON-P compared with CS-NP indicating a reduction in metabolism. A diet by parasite interaction (P = 0.014) was also observed for the diameter of the hepatic portal vein, which was increased in the CS-P goats compared to all other groups. Liver weights were affected by diet, being decreased in the CS animals vs. the CON ones (P = 0.00), as well as the liver weight relative to the animal's BW (P = 0.01). Diet effect (P = 0.01) was observed for the liver blood flow relative to liver weight. For the rumen microbiome, the number of bacterial species was unaffected by CS but decreased by the parasite challenge (P = 0.03). In conclusion, the supplementation of female meat goats with CS did not affect BW, DWG, parasite infection, and FAMACHA©, but reduced the liver weights, influenced fiber-digesting bacteria in the rumen, and restored lipolytic bacteria in the rumen of goats with parasite challenge.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dosing and fecal sample collection effects on the estimates of intake using n-alkanes as markers.","authors":"David M Jaramillo, Lisa M Bauman, Robin O Ogden, Matthew S Akins, Kenneth F Kalscheur","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of indigestible markers continues to be among the best tools available for estimating dry matter intake (DMI) in situations where individual animal feeding cannot be feasibly measured. The constant animal handling required for dosing markers and subsequent fecal sample collection required are often limiting, especially when grazing or when animal handling facilities are not accessible. Identifying strategies for more efficient use of labor while not sacrificing accuracy of DMI estimates are important for further application of these techniques. The objectives of this study were to: 1) Test potential diet and dosing effects of C32 n-alkane for intake estimates; 2) Compare intake estimates from two contrasting (i.e., intensive vs. less intensive) fecal sampling regimes; and 3) Determine whether intake estimates differ when two different n-alkane pairs (C31:C32 or C32:C33) are used. The study was laid out using a 2×2×2 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were two diets, two n-alkane marker dosing regimens, and two fecal sampling regimens. Diets were grass haylage (HLG) and a total mixed ration (TMR). Daily intakes were recorded using Calan gates. Alkane dosing was once (1X) or twice (2X) daily dosing of a bolus containing dotriacontane (C32) n-alkane. The 1X treatments received two capsules every morning, while the 2X treatments received one capsule in the morning and one in the afternoon, both receiving 933 mg of C32/d. Fecal samples were either taken three times daily over four days with times shifted each day (4x3), or twice daily at the same times each day (AMPM). The results indicate the use of C32:C33 n-alkane pairs were not accurate for predicting DMI (Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient [CCC] all < 0.5). The C31:C32 n-alkane pairs provided accurate estimates of DMI, having adequate agreement (CCC >0.6) between predicted and observed DMI estimates. Strategies for dosing either 1X or 2X daily were both accurate, within the confines of the experiment. In terms of fecal sampling, there was no discernable advantage for the intensive (4×3) sampling regimen compared to the twice daily (AMPM) sampling. In addition, intake estimates were similar with either the 1X or 2X dosing regimens. For studies conducted under similar conditions, it may be suitable to adopt 1X dosing regimen with twice-daily fecal sampling schedules.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Economic analysis of randomized controlled trial data: a framework and feedlot cattle case study.","authors":"Lucas M Horton, Dustin L Pendell, David G Renter","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Livestock industry stakeholders rely on research, often randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to make evidence-based decisions. Economic implications of interventions are often a major deciding factor for adoption by producers. However, economic analyses in beef feedlot trials are infrequently conducted and often suffer from inconsistent methodologies. Gaps in planning, execution, and reporting of economic assessments underscore the need for guidance and standardized approaches in conducting economic evaluations on RCT data. Our objective was to compare and contrast methodologies for assessing costs and benefits associated with livestock health and production trials and to provide scientific guidance, rationale, and recommendations for future conduct of economic analyses on RCT data. Several types of economic analyses are frequently used by agricultural economists, including cash flow budgets, enterprise budgets, gross margin analysis, cost-benefit and -effectiveness analyses, and partial budgets. Partial budgeting emerges as the most pragmatic strategy for RCT data, focusing on the marginal impact of alternative interventions or management strategies, aligning well with RCT objectives. We provided an example of applying a partial budget to an RCT conducted at a commercial beef feedlot using published data. All observed data for relevant animal performance, health, and carcass variables were included, regardless of their original statistical significance. The budget was applied to each experimental unit (pen), with net return as the final outcome, and analyzed statistically using linear mixed models. While simple partial budgets use fixed prices that may not represent economic risk, incorporating statistical analyses at the pen-level accounts for biological variability and error in the estimates. When warranted, other strategies to account for economic risk (e.g., sensitivity analysis, stochastic simulation) can be incorporated within a partial budget framework. To encourage robust and transparent reporting, future research should explicitly state the type of economic assessment, the values and sources of all prices and the timeframe they represent, the methodology used, and how analyses were conducted. By adopting more consistent and transparent economic evaluation methods, researchers can enhance the applicability of RCT findings, ultimately supporting stakeholders in making economically sound decisions.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143772088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short communication: Ileal digestibility of amino acids in feed ingredients for 22-, 56-, and 87-kilogram pigs.","authors":"Jung Yeol Sung, Sun Jong You, Beob Gyun Kim","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf104","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids (AA) in feed ingredients is not constant in pigs with 3 different body weight (BW) after reaching 20 kg. Eight ileal-cannulated pigs with an initial BW of 22.2 kg (standard deviation = 1.2) were used in a 2-period cross-over design. Each period consisted of a 5-d adaptation and a 2-d ileal digesta collection. Two experimental diets contained corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or a soybean meal-wheat mixture (SWM; 70% soybean meal + 30% wheat) as the sole source of nitrogen, respectively. The same pigs were used for the heavier BW groups. The diets and experimental procedure for 55.6-kg (standard deviation = 3.3) pigs and 86.9-kg (standard deviation = 5.1) pigs were identical to those used for 22.2-kg pigs. The AID values were calculated using the index method, with chromic oxide as the indigestible index. A linear increase in the AID of most AA with increasing BW of pigs was observed only in the SWM, whereas no significant difference was observed in the AID of most AA among the different BW groups in corn DDGS (interaction; P < 0.05). The linear increase in the AID values in the SWM is primarily because of the increase from 22 to 56 kg rather than 56 to 87 kg. In conclusion, the AID values of most AA in the SWM were not constant across the BW range of 22 to 87 kg, whereas corn DDGS did not show such variation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143772099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic parameters for image-based estimations of swine feet and leg conformation traits.","authors":"Zack C Peppmeier, Yijian Huang, Jan-Marie B Bartholomew, Jicai Jiang, Mark T Knauer, Suzanne M Leonard","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate a novel algorithm for image extraction of structural conformation traits and estimate variance components among skeletal conformation, growth, and herd retention traits. An Intel RealSense D435i camera was used to obtain left side-view RGB images on individual purebred Duroc pigs (n = 846) at 156 d of age. Frames were selected by a trained swine evaluator when either the left front leg (n = 1056), left back leg (n = 888), or both left legs (n = 728) were present in the field of view and the respective foot pads from toe to heel were in contact with the ground. Selected images were processed through Apple Inc's image segmentation algorithm to extract the pig from the background. Segmented pig images were then processed through a novel algorithm developed in this study. The algorithm identified the leg and estimated 21 skeletal conformation traits from each leg. Steps for user intervention were added to assist the algorithm in identifying which leg(s) were present and the general location of each leg to increase accuracy of leg identification and trait acquisition. The algorithm correctly identified at least one front and one back leg from an image for 99.9% and 98.0% of the pigs, respectively. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.01 to 0.33 for all conformation traits with the quadratic term for the curvature of the anterior side of the front and the height of the back leg having the highest heritability for each location (h2 = 0.33 and 0.30, respectively). Genetic correlations among image feet and leg conformation traits and production traits (finishing average daily gain, weight per day of age, and finishing feed efficiency) ranged from -0.37 to 0.19. Boars that remained in the breeding herd for longer than 200 days tended (p = 0.08) to have greater curvature of the front leg and lower (p = 0.07) angularity between the midpoint of foot and the anterior point of the pastern and had significantly (p = 0.03) shorter distance between the pastern and the top of the shoulder than those that were removed prior to 200 days. Gilts that remained in the breeding herd for longer than 200 days tended (p = 0.08) to have less curvature of the back leg. The current study presents an algorithm that extracts novel, objective structural conformation traits and reports corresponding genetic and phenotypic parameters.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Initial Postweaning Feed Intake on Weanling Piglet Metabolism, Gut Health, and Immunity","authors":"Lluís Fabà, Susana M Martín-Orúe, Tetske G Hulshof, José Francisco Pérez, Michael O Wellington, Hubèrt M J Van Hees","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf099","url":null,"abstract":"Low feed intake in weanling pigs can be hypothesized as both cause and consequence to intestinal disturbances and metabolic stress. We explored the associations between individual daily feed intake (FI) patterns, metabolic status and intestinal physiology. Female pigs (n = 24) were selected based on high or low cumulative FI between d1 and d3 relative to weaning (d0) from 12 pens equipped with electronic feeding stations at 1-week after weaning for dissection and sampling. Four classes of pigs were created with pigs which started with a high or low FI (d1 to d3) and continued with a high or low FI (d4 to d6) (HH, HL, LH and LL, respectively; n = 6) for data analysis. In plasma, HL pigs showed higher plasma glutamate dehydrogenase than LL pigs (P &amp;lt; 0.05). A low FI d1 to d3 increased plasma creatinine and lactate dehydrogenase, and reduced insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), gastrointestinal organ weights, and jejunal villus surface area at one week after weaning (P &amp;lt; 0.05). However, low FI d4 to d6 increased plasma haptoglobin, PigMAP, bile acids and bilirubin levels and reduced jejunal villus length (P &amp;lt; 0.05). In jejunum tissue, HH pigs had the highest jejunal upregulated IGF-I receptor and a reduced local inflammatory gene expression when compared to HL pigs (MyD88), and similarly, when compared to all classes (FAXDC2). For the main effects, pigs classified as high FI d1 to d3 had upregulated immune system including IL6, TGFB1, TLR2, and TLR4 genes compared to low FI d1 to d3 pigs (P &amp;lt; 0.05). In a multivariate model, variance in ADG (R2 = 0.82) was mostly explained by positive correlations with FI d1 to d3, jejunal morphometrics, and plasma IGF-I, while negatively explained by histamine in digesta, and creatinine, PigMAP, triglycerides, and haptoglobin in plasma. In conclusion, pigs transitioning from high to a low feed intake showed distinct metabolic alterations and a subtle local inflammation masked by the vigorous local immune response in pigs with initial (d1 to d3) high FI. Pigs with an initial low FI had a fasting-like metabolic state, indicated by hepatic alterations pointing at shifting protein metabolism into energy production. Altogether, feed intake during the initial days postweaning significantly impacts pig growth, immunity, and metabolism, with sustained low intake (i.e. up to 6 days) triggering a systemic inflammatory response.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143744961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}