Porcine Health Management最新文献

{"title":"Genomic characteristics and epidemic trends of NADC30-like PRRSV in China.","authors":"Siyu Zhang, Hu Xu, Zhenyang Guo, Lirun Xiang, Chao Li, Bangjun Gong, Jinhao Li, Zixuan Feng, Haonan Kang, Qian Wang, Guohui Zhou, Chaoliang Leng, Kuan Zhao, Yan-Dong Tang, Huairan Liu, Tong-Qing An, Xuehui Cai, Jinmei Peng, Zhi-Jun Tian, Hongliang Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00444-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-025-00444-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>NADC30-like PRRSV was first identified in China in 2012 and had become the predominant circulating strain since 2016. Currently, the recombination patterns of NADC30-like PRRSV in China exhibit a high degree of complexity, characterized by low whole-genome sequence homology. The genomic features and epidemiological trends of these strains remain to be elucidated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>To evaluate the prevalence of NADC30-like PRRSV in China, this study acquired 30 whole-genome sequences of NADC30-like strains via Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). These sequences were subsequently integrated with 224 whole-genome sequences from China available in the GenBank database. A comprehensive analysis of the genomic characteristics of contemporary NADC30-like PRRSV strains in China was conducted. Recombinant analysis indicated a yearly increase in the number of NADC30-like strains exhibiting recombination signals, whereas nonrecombinant NADC30-like strains have become nearly extinct. Among the recombination events, those involving L1C and L8E as parental strains are most prevalent. Based on the results of recombination and phylogenetic analyses, this study classified 120 Chinese NADC30-like strains with similar recombination characteristics into groups NADC30-R1 to R12. The intra-group genetic distances of the NADC30-R1 to R12 groups approximately 5.73% (SD ± 1.68), while the inter-group genetic distances between different groups are usually stably greater than 10%. The amino acid alignment of Nsp2 demonstrated that all NADC30-R1 to R12 strains exhibit a discontinuous deletion of 131 amino acids. These classifications do not exhibit consistent pathogenic characteristics within groups, with most NADC30-like PRRSVs showing moderate virulence. Geographical distribution analysis indicated that NADC30 whole-genome sequences in China originated from 19 provinces. Notably, the NADC30-R1 and NADC30-R2 strains are the most widely distributed and abundant, suggesting that these variants have established localized epidemics in specific regions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In summary, the vast majority of NADC30-like strains in our country have undergone recombination, L1C + L8E is the most common recombination mode. The NADC30-like strains in China can be classified into 12 different recombination patterns, NADC30-R1 and NADC30-R2 strains are already showing pandemic trends. These findings provide a critical foundation for future NADC30-like PRRSV prevention and control strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12121172/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144174622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detecting ear lesions in slaughtered pigs through open-source convolutional neural networks.","authors":"Matteo D'Angelo, Domenico Sciota, Anastasia Romano, Alfonso Rosamilia, Chiara Guarnieri, Chiara Cecchini, Alberto Olivastri, Giuseppe Marruchella","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00442-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-025-00442-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ear biting is a damaging behavior of pigs, likely triggered by a genetic predisposition, previous health issues and/or poor environmental conditions. The accurate assessment of animal health and welfare relies on the systematic gathering of data about animals, resources and management. In this respect, slaughterhouse surveys offer valuable insights, as distinct tail and skin lesions can act as 'iceberg' parameters, suitable to estimate welfare during the entire animals' lifecycle. However, the routine recording of lesions is often costly and time-consuming, making it unfeasible in high-throughput abattoirs. This study aims to train open-source convolutional neural networks for detecting ear biting lesions in slaughtered pigs, as a pre-requisite for a systematic and cost-effective welfare monitoring.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 3,140 pictures were employed to train and test open-source convolutional neural networks. Investigations were carried out by three veterinarians, who agreed to assess porcine ears using a simplified method, to minimize inter-observers' variability and to facilitate the convolutional neural networks' training: a) healthy auricles (label 0); deformed auricles displaying alterations in their contour due to real lesions (label 1); postmortem artefacts due to slaughtering (label 2). The entire dataset (training set and test set) was evaluated by one observer, while a supplementary set of 150 pictures was assessed by all veterinarians. Overall, the agreement among observers was very high (Cohen's kappa coefficient > 0.88). Moreover, convolutional neural networks' performances appeared suitable when compared with veterinarians: overall accuracy 0.89, specificity 0.96, sensitivity 0.86, agreement with each individual observer 0.79 (Cohen's kappa coefficient).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Open-source convolutional neural networks can achieve good performances, especially when the task is strictly defined and rather easy. Valuable experiences are being gathered about the routine application of artificial intelligence-powered tools in pig abattoirs. We consider that such tools will likely enable the systematic collection of data, addressing the distinct needs of stakeholders in a cost-effective manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12102859/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144132496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary bile acid supplementation improves the intestinal health and growth performance of piglets partially through the FXR/AQPs pathway.","authors":"Beibei Zhang, Min Tian, Yahui Yang, Yueqin Qiu, Li Wang, Hao Xiao, Xiaoping Zhu, Limei Qin, Xuefen Yang, Zongyong Jiang","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00440-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-025-00440-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Maintaining the integrity of the structure and function of piglet intestines is crucial for their growth and health. This study aims to evaluate the effects of an antibiotic free diet supplemented with bile acid on gut health and growth performance of weaned piglets, and to explore their regulatory mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-two weaned piglets were randomly divided into two groups and fed either a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with 350 mg/kg bile acid.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Dietary supplementation with bile acid increased the average daily gain (ADG) and final weight of piglets, and reduced the diarrhea incidence (P < 0.05), which was verified to be related to the improvement of lipid absorption, amino acid transport, and intestinal barrier function. Bile acid increased the concentration of lipase and decreased the concentration of total cholesterol, total glyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and urea nitrogen in serum (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, bile acid improved the mRNA expression of amino acid transporters in the intestine. On the other hand, bile acid decreased the pH values of the stomach, jejunum, and colon, and improved intestinal morphology (P < 0.05). The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that bile acid increased the mRNA expression of Occludin and ZO-1 in the duodenum and ileum (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary bile acid supplementation altered the composition of the ileal microbiota in piglets and increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus. In vitro, bile acid improved the repair of IPEC-J2 cells after injury and was shown to be associated with the activation of farnesoid X receptors (FXR) and increased expression of tight junction proteins and aquaporins (AQPs) proteins.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study found that dietary bile acid supplementation promotes the intestinal health and nutrient absorption partially through the FXR/AQPs pathway, ultimately improving growth performance of piglets.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12093730/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144120004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deoxynivalenol and pigs: review of harmful effect of Mycotoxin on swine health.","authors":"Izabela Malczak, Anna Gajda, Piotr Jedziniak","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00441-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00441-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mycotoxins are compounds produced by certain types of fungi, and the mycotoxin one of the most most frequently found in the tested cereal samples is deoxynivalenol (DON), naturally-occurring mycotoxin produced by Fusarium spp. An animal sensitive to the effects of this mycotoxin is the pig due to the diet containing primarily cereals and the structure of a digestive system, which causes DON to be quickly absorbed unchanged into the bloodstream and partially metabolized in the liver. An important aspect when considering the toxicity of DON is the occurrence of its modified forms, which can be transformed into DON in the digestive system. The toxic effect of DON can also be caused by other mycotoxins which co-occur in cereals. The toxic effect of DON on the body of pigs was observed mainly in the digestive, immune, and reproductive systems. The noticeable of DON's toxic effects depends on the exposure time, route of administration and mycotoxin concentration. The changes are mainly caused by impaired gene expression, inhibiting protein synthesis or the effect of DON on pathways in pigs' bodies. The negative impact of DON on the health of pigs may lead to reduced weight gain, poor health, and increased susceptibility to infections and reproductive disorders. There have also been many methods of DON elimination from cereals, but their efficiency is insufficient.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12066055/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143978974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A single recall vaccination lapse in sows triggers PRRSV resurgence and boosts viral genetic diversity.","authors":"H Clilverd, G E Martín-Valls, Y Li, I Domingo-Carreño, M Martín, M Cortey, E Mateu","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00433-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00433-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) persists on certain farms despite vaccination and control efforts, with genetic diversity suspected as a contributing factor. This study examined the evolution and persistence dynamics of PRRSV-1 on a farrow-to-fattening farm with 1,700 sows vaccinated quarterly, focusing on a summer vaccination lapse.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over eight months, three farrowing batches were monitored from birth to nine weeks of age using virological (RT-qPCR, whole-genome, and ORF5 sequencing) and serological (ELISA and neutralizing antibody) analyses. An incident related to elevated temperatures during the summer involving unproper vaccine handling occurred during the last blanket vaccination, before sampling the third batch. Viral circulation was primarily confined to the nurseries, with a notable surge of incidence and mortality in this last batch, linked to lower maternal antibody levels likely due to vaccination failure. Phylogenetic analyses showed the persistence of the same viral strain throughout the study, with increased genetic diversity in Batch 3 driven by selection and recombination. Ultimately, reestablishing the vaccination program led to a PRRSV-positive-stable with vaccination status.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, a single vaccination lapse caused increased PRRSV-1 incidence and genetic diversity in weaners, linked to declining maternal antibody levels, underscoring the importance of strict vaccination adherence.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12063453/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143989654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Virulence characteristics and antibiotic resistance analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from pig farms in Xinjiang, China: revealing potential zoonotic risks.","authors":"Sheng-Hui Wan, Nana Li, Pei Zheng, Yanfang Li, Yan Liang, Yonggang Qu","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00424-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00424-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study aimed to analyze the antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity of Klebsiella pneumoniae(K. pneumoniae) isolates from pigs, evaluate their potential threat to pig farming and public health, and provide a theoretical basis for controlling K. pneumoniae infections in pig farms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Nasal swabs collected from pigs were subjected to bacterial isolation, biochemical identification, species-specific PCR, and 16S rRNA sequencing to identify K. pneumoniae. Serotyping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were conducted using the wzi and MLST methods, respectively. Biofilm formation was assessed using crystal violet staining. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated via the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and resistance and virulence genes were identified using PCR. Pathogenicity was determined through string testing and mouse infection models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>21 strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated and identified from 50 swabs of pig nasal cavities. The isolates were classified into serotypes wzi 19 and wzi 81 and sequence types ST37 and ST967. Ten isolates exhibited strong biofilm-forming ability, while 11 showed moderate biofilm production. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, aminoalcohols, and glycopeptides, with sensitivity restricted to imipenem and polymyxins. Ten resistance genes and eight virulence genes were detected. Pathogenicity testing in mice revealed a moderate virulence level, with a median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of 4.0 × 10⁶ CFU/mL. Infected mice exhibited significant lesions in the liver, lungs, and small intestine.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings highlight a potential risk to pig farming and public health, emphasizing the need for effective control measures against K. pneumoniae infections in pig farms.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12057239/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144007660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial use in pig herds in Ireland: analysis of a national database (2019-2023).","authors":"Julie Bolton, Lorcan O'Neill, Caroline Garvan, Andrew W Byrne","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00438-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00438-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and animal pathogens remains a global One-Health threat. The associations between antimicrobial use (AMU) and the evolution and dissemination of AMR bacteria, and their resistance genes, highlight the importance of monitoring and regulating AMU. Here, we present an analysis of national monitoring data of AMU in pig facilities in Ireland from 2019 to 2023 via the recently established National AMU Database. AMU was measured using two metrics (mg per corrected population units (mg/PCU) and defined daily dose (DDDvet/PCU)). Temporal trend models were fit using regression models with population average effects given there were multiple observations per herd, while controlling for herd type and size.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Linear spline models revealed no significant change in overall usage from Q1-2019 until mid-2020, followed by a significant decrease in usage until mid-2022. There was evidence of increases in usage from mid-2022 until the end of the time series; the exact timing of the changes in trends varied by the AMU metric. A multinomial logit regression model suggested that there was a significantly decreased probability of premix use relative to oral administration from Q3-2021 through Q4-2023 (OR: 0.70 - 0.58; P < 0.03). The predicted probability that a high priority critically important antimicrobial (HPCIA) was used in a herd during a year-quarter declined by an average of 9% per quarter (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.90-0.92; p < 0.001) over the study period. The mean decline in use of cephalosporin (3rd /4th generation), fluoroquinolone and macrolide (a former HPCIA) per quarter were estimated to be -12% (95% CI: -8- -15%), -9% (95% CI: -8- -10%) and - 4% (95% CI: -2- -4%), respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This exploration of AMU in pigs in Ireland revealed significant changes in overall usage, with both decreases and increases. There were declines in usage of HPCIA agents. Additionally, there was evidence of a significant decline in the use of oral premixes, coinciding with policy change. Further monitoring of AMU is essential to understand how the pig farming sector is responding to policy changes (e.g., increasing AMU in response to zinc oxide bans).</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12048958/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143980726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The natural diet composition of young piglets suggests an overlook of fibre and food structure in farmed suckling piglets.","authors":"Renjie Yao, Hubèrt M J van Hees, An Cools, Sebastián A Ballari, Dominiek Maes, Geert P J Janssens","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00439-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00439-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The often disappointing intake of creep feed by suckling piglets coincides with a limited ability to cope with challenges such as weaning diarrhoea. Investigating the dietary nutrient profile of piglets (Sus scrofa) in the wild may help to improve nutrition for farmed piglets. This study was conducted to analyse the stomach content of feral piglets and their farmed counterparts, and to compare them with the composition of commercial creep feeds. Forty feral piglets (4.6 ± 1.4 kg) living in a wild herd were tracked and legally hunted in the Bahía Samborombón (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Their gastric contents were collected for analysing macronutrients. Twenty-eight farmed suckling piglets of similar ages were sourced from a Dutch research farm, and their stomach contents were collected and pooled into fourteen samples with the same procedure for comparison. Additionally, the composition data of twenty-five commercial feeds was also collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A higher dry matter content was observed in the farmed piglets' stomachs (233 vs. 148 g/kg, P < 0.05). The gastric crude protein concentration was similar between both groups but the crude fat concentration was higher in the stomach of farmed animals (525 vs. 238 g/kg DM, P < 0.05), while feral piglets consumed more ash and fibre (P < 0.05). A similar concentration of non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) on metabolizable energy basis was observed by calculation through the NRC's guideline (P > 0.05). Within the fibre content, significantly greater concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) were observed in the stomach of feral piglets than in those of farmed piglets (282 vs. 36 g/kg, 158 vs. 9 g/kg DM, 53 vs. 3 g/kg DM, respectively, P < 0.05). Similar protein concentrations were observed between the gastric content of feral piglets and creep feed, while significantly higher crude ash and crude fat concentrations were found in feral piglets' consumption (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In conclusion, piglets in natural conditions consume much more fibre-from coarse plant material-compared to farmed piglets receiving creep feed. Although technical performance is distinctly different between nature and farm, it raises the question whether suckling piglets under farming conditions would benefit from a more fibrous and coarser creep feed.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"23"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12042565/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144036292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of cloprostenol sodium and carbetocin on synchronous parturition and colostrum composition in large white sows.","authors":"Hongmei Gao, Miaolian Peng, Rongzhi Zhong, Zhenhua Xue, Zhenqiang Liu, Shiqiao Weng, Longchao Zhang, Dong Wang, Yan Liu, Jianhui Tian, Lixian Wang","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00436-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00436-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Synchronized parturition is essential for optimizing batch production and implementing effective \"all-in/all-out\" management strategies. However, the efficacy of exogenous hormones in regulating parturition and the potential adverse effects of parturition induction have remained inconsistent. This study investigates the impact of cloprostenol sodium and carbetocin on farrowing performance in sows, aiming to establish an optimal induction protocol.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Initially, based on a dataset comprising 3,657 gestation records of large white sows, we calculated the average gestation length for the herd to be 114 days, and the induction time was set at 113 days of gestation. Subsequently, parturition was induced in 546 primiparous sows and 339 multiparous sows, respectively. The experiment consisted of three groups: (1) CON group (control), (2) PG group (cloprostenol sodium), and (3) PGCAR group (combination of cloprostenol sodium and carbetocin). In primiparous sows, compared to the control group, the PG group exhibited farrowing rates of 23.5% on day 113 and 71.8% on day 114. Notably, the PGCAR group demonstrated a higher farrowing rate of 78.1% on day 114. Importantly, the working hours farrowing rate for the PGCAR group was 90.3%, with 64.6% of sows farrowing within five hours after carbetocin administration. Additionally, both the PG and PGCAR groups showed a significant reduction in farrowing duration, birth interval, and stillbirth rate compared to the control group. Similar trends were observed in multiparous sows. In the PG group, farrowing rates were 25.0% on day 113 and 66.7% on day 114. Notably, the PGCAR group demonstrated a farrowing rate of 76.2% on day 114. Specifically, within the PGCAR group, 87.7% of farrowing events occurred during working hours, and 68.0% of farrowing events occurred within five hours following carbetocin administration. Furthermore, compared to the control group, the PGCAR group of multiparous sows exhibited a significant reduction in both farrowing duration and birth intervals. Furthermore, our analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in colostrum composition and milk bioactive components across the CON, PG, and PGCAR groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The combined administration of cloprostenol sodium and carbetocin effectively induces parturition in large white sows, accelerating the parturition process without adverse effects on either the sows or the piglets. However, 5-22% of the sows in this study exhibited spontaneous farrowing prior to hormone-induced parturition. Further investigation is necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and address instances where sows initiate farrowing prematurely before induction.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004842/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144041337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two restraining devices in connection to surgical castration with or without local anesthesia: effects on piglet stress.","authors":"Ann-Helena Hokkanen, Mathilde Coutant, Mari Heinonen, Marianna Norring, Magdy Adam, Claudio Oliviero, Tiina Bergqvist, Anna Valros","doi":"10.1186/s40813-025-00428-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-025-00428-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Surgical castration causes severe pain to young piglets. In addition, piglets experience intense stress from handling and restraining during the procedure. Furthermore, piglets must be restrained twice when receiving local anesthesia before castration, and the injections are painful. Unfortunately, strategies to reduce piglets' stress during handling, local anesthetic injections, and painful procedures are limited and poorly understood. Thus, we randomized 179 male piglets aged 3 to 4 days to be restrained with either a commonly used commercial tubular bench with a dorsal restraining posture or a custom-made castration rack with a vertical restraining posture. Piglets received local anesthetic or sham injections (mimicking local anesthesia but without skin penetration) 10 min before castration. We then compared the effect of these devices on the piglets' behavioral reactions, vocalizations, and body temperatures at the following four times: when restrained for the first time, when given local anesthetic injections or receiving sham injections, during the second time restrained, and during castration.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Piglets were given higher mean reaction scores when restrained in the tubular bench than the castration rack. Piglets showed differing vocalization patterns in the two devices, with more grunts and screams in the castration rack and more squeals in the tubular bench. Moreover, local anesthetic injections resulted in higher mean reaction scores and longer vocalizations than sham injections during the injections/sham injections but reduced these measures during castration. After castration, the skin temperature was higher in sham-injected piglets than in piglets castrated with local anesthesia, irrespective of the restraining device used.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Local anesthesia reduced piglets' reaction scores and vocalizations during castration. However, receiving local anesthesia was painful. Based on piglet behavior, restraining in a tubular bench was more aversive than in the castration rack. However, the devices affected the proportions of the different vocalization types during local anesthetic injections and castration in a manner we cannot fully explain. As the restraining method affects piglets' behavior, it may influence pain assessment during local anesthetic injections and evaluation of local anesthesia efficacy during castration. Thus, less stressful methods to handle piglets are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"11 1","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12001485/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144033343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}