Relationships between tail biting in pigs and disease lesions and condemnations at slaughter

Two matched case-control studies were performed at an abattoir with a capacity of 780 pigs per hour, each study using the approximately 7000 pigs slaughtered on one day. In the first study, the severity of tail biting and pneumonia were recorded in pigs with bitten or intact tails. In the second study, the tail score, sex, and the presence of pleuritis, externally visible abscesses and trimming were recorded in pigs with bitten or intact tails. In study 1, there was no significant association between the tail score and the percentage of lung tissue affected by lesions typical of enzootic pneumonia, but there was a significant association between the severity of tail biting and the prevalence of lungs with abscesses and/or pleuritic lesions (P<0.0001). In study 2, there were significant associations between the severity of tail biting, and the prevalence of external carcase abscesses and carcase trimming; the carcases of castrated males had evidence of tail biting more frequently than the carcases of females (P<0.05).     

The welfare of finishing pigs in two contrasting housing systems: Fully-slatted versus straw-bedded accommodation

Four consecutive studies were carried out over a 3-year period to assess the health and welfare implications of housing finishing pigs in either fully-slatted or straw-bedded accommodation. In each study, 1024 (Large White × Landrace) × Large White pigs, housed in pen groups of 32, were fed ad libitum from 34 kg to slaughter at 104 kg live weight. Eight batches of pigs were received in each study and allocated alternately to fill one room of four pens in each house. Data were collected on a range of welfare parameters. Lameness (P < 0.001) and bitten tails (P < 0.001) were more prevalent health problems in the fully-slatted system, whilst in the straw-bedded system pigs showed more respiratory (P < 0.01) and PMWS-type symptoms (P < 0.01). Acute phase protein titres at slaughter were higher in pigs from the fully-slatted system (P < 0.001). Skin lesion score did not differ between systems; however, bursitis was more severe in pigs in the fully-slatted system (P < 0.001). Pigs in the straw-bedded system had poorer hygiene scores (P < 0.001), but the magnitude of this difference varied between studies depending on season. Pigs with straw were more active (P < 0.001), spending a large proportion of time manipulating straw. In the absence of straw, pigs spent more time in behaviour directed at other pigs (P < 0.001) and the pen components (P < 0.001). Post-slaughter assessment showed no system differences in lung lesions and cardiac scores, or osteochondrosis. Pigs with straw had more severe toe erosions on the foot (P < 0.001), whilst pigs without straw had more severe sole (P < 0.001) and heel erosions (P < 0.001). Gastric lesion scores were lower in the fully-slatted system (P < 0.001). The results show both advantages and disadvantages to each of the housing systems for pig welfare.     

Tail-in-mouth Behaviour Among Weaner Pigs in Relation to Age,Gender and Group Composition Regarding Gender

Male pigs are significantly more often found to be tail-bitten at slaughter than are females. Age is also thought to be a crucial factor in relation to the ontogeny of tail-biting among slaughter pigs. Tail-in-mouth behaviour (TIM) among young pigs is probably the precursor of the damaging tail-biting in older pigs. Hence, this experiment aimed to elucidate the frequency of TIM in relation to gender, age and group composition regarding gender in weaner pigs. Pigs were reared in groups of 24 until 5 weeks of age and then divided into three groups: (A) eight female pigs, (B) eight castrated male pigs and (C) four female and four castrated male pigs (mixed pen). Observations was performed through video-recording 12 h per day, 1 day per week, for 4 consecutive weeks. The number of TIM events (counts) as well as the identity of the performer and the receiver of TIM were recorded. The results showed that the level of TIM activity in the single-gender pens was significantly lower than in the mixed pen (P<0.05). In the mixed pen, TIM tended to be more directed towards the opposite gender and female pigs tended to perform more TIM than the males. Finally, the frequency of TIM increased significantly with age in all three pens (P<0.01).     

Factors in the housing environment of finisher pigs associated with the development of gastric ulcers

The prevalence and severity of gastric ulcers were investigated in a sample of 50 slaughter pigs from each of 16 commercial farms in the uk. The mean prevalence of ulcers was 19.1 per cent and the mean (se) severity score on the 16 farms was 2.2 (0.15) on a scale from 0 (normal) to 6 (severe). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the type of lying surface provided for the pigs during the finishing phase was the most important factor associated with the occurrence of gastric ulcers in the farms studied. Finisher pigs housed on slatted floors had a significantly higher mean ulcer severity score (P<0.001) than pigs housed on solid concrete floors, which had a significantly higher score (P<0.01) than pigs housed on straw bedding. Feeding a pelleted finisher ration was also associated with significant increase in ulcer severity (P<0.01) compared with feeding an unpelleted ration, but was of less importance than the type of floor. The detrimental influence of feeding pellets was ameliorated by the provision of straw bedding.     

Scoring tail damage in pigs: an evaluation based on recordings at Swedish slaughterhouses

Background

There is increasing interest in recording tail damage in pigs at slaughter to identify problem farms for advisory purposes, but also for benchmarking within and between countries as part of systematic monitoring of animal welfare. However, it is difficult to draw conclusions when comparing prevalence’s between studies and countries partly due to differences in management (e.g. differences in tail docking and enrichment routines) and partly due to differences in the definition of tail damage.

Methods

Tail damage and tail length was recorded for 15,068 pigs slaughtered during three and four consecutive days at two slaughterhouses in Sweden. Tail damage was visually scored according to a 6-point scale and tail length was both visually scored according to a 5-point scale and recorded as tail length in centimetres for pigs with injured or shortened tails.

Results

The total prevalence of injury or shortening of the tail was 7.0% and 7.2% in slaughterhouse A and B, respectively. When only considering pigs with half or less of the tail left, these percentages were 1.5% and 1.9%, which is in line with the prevalence estimated from the routine recordings at slaughter in Sweden. A higher percentage of males had injured and/or shortened tails, and males had more severely bitten tails than females.

Conclusions

While the current method to record tail damage in Sweden was found to be reliable as a method to identify problem farms, it clearly underestimates the actual prevalence of tail damage. For monitoring and benchmarking purposes, both in Sweden and internationally, we propose that a three graded scale including both old and new tail damage would be more appropriate. The scale consists of one class for no tail damage, one for mild tail damage (injured or shortened tail with more than half of the tail remaining) and one for severe tail damage (half or less of the tail remaining).     

A cross-sectional study of risk factors associated with pulmonary lesions in pigs at slaughter

A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify herd-level factors that may influence the prevalence and severity of macroscopically visible pulmonary lesions in pigs at slaughter. Data were collected following abattoir inspection of 50 randomly-selected batches of 6335 pigs and by interviewing the producers. Macroscopic lung lesions were identified and scored semi-quantitatively in ?80 pigs/herd and the prevalence of pleuritis and pneumonia was 20.76% and 23.85%, respectively. Following multivariable analysis, the seroprevalence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (P < 0.001) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (P = 0.018) and the number of pigs/nursery pen (P = 0.023) were positively associated, whereas average weaning age was negatively associated (P = 0.001) with the pleuritis score. Risk factors associated with a higher prevalence of pneumonia were the presence of pleuritis (P = 0.001) and the frequent purchasing of pigs (P = 0.020). The findings of this study indicate that the prevalence of pleuritis and pneumonia remains high in Belgium and management factors are central to disease control.     

Heritability of clinical tail-biting and its relation to performance traits

Clinical tail-biters were identified over a 12-month period at a commercial nucleus pig-breeding farm that had a history of tail-biting problems. The breed, gender, and relative size of the tail-biters were recorded. Using pedigree data for all the pigs on the farm at the time of observations, the heritability of the tail-biting behaviour was estimated for purebred Large White (LW) and Landrace (LR) pigs. The incidence of tail-biting was 2.8% for Large White and 3.5% for Landrace (breed effects, P<0.10). Tail-biting was found to be heritable in Landrace (h²=0.05±0.02, P<0.05 as a 0-1 trait, equivalent to h²=0.27 as a continuous trait), but not heritable in Large White pigs (h²=0.00±0.00, as a 0-1 trait). In the Landrace population, tail-biting was unfavourably genetically correlated with leanness [lean tissue growth rate (LTGR; r_g=0.27, P<0.05), and back fat (BF) thickness at 90 kg (r_g=−0.28, P<0.05)]. It is concluded that past selection for desirable production traits may have resulted in increased predisposition to exhibit tail-biting behaviour. From the correlations and covariance matrix reported, it would be possible to develop a selection index to reduce the predisposition to exhibit tail-biting behaviour through selective breeding.     

Development of an enzyme immuno assay for the determination of porcine haptoglobin in various body fluids: testing the significance of meat juice measurements for quality monitoring programs

Quantification of haptoglobin (Hp), an acute phase protein, in blood is presently discussed as being useful to monitor animal health. We developed an enzyme immuno assay (EIA) which is specific for porcine Hp, is not impaired by hemolytic samples and is sufficiently sensitive to be applied in meat juice. Hp was purified from porcine serum by affinity chromatography on hemoglobin Sepharose followed by gel filtration. A specific rabbit antiserum was obtained. In a competitive approach, biotinylated porcine Hp was used as tracer and incubated with Hp standard or sample in microtiter plates. The limit of detection was 0.02 mg/l, parallelism of sample dilutions was proven; recovery of Hp added to serum samples was 96.4 +/- 4.7%. The coefficients of intra and inter-assay variation were 3.3 (n=5) and 10.2% (n=16), respectively. Hp was reliably quantified in blood serum and plasma, whole blood, saliva and meat juice. For healthy pigs of different ages (4 weeks and 6 months), mean Hp concentrations of about 0.5-0.7 mg/ml were observed. To test the significance of Hp measurements in other matrices, samples were obtained from fattening pigs or from slaughter pigs. Blood serum or plasma was collected in parallel. In whole blood, Hp concentrations were about 40% lower than in plasma, but were closely related (n=24,r=0.85,P<0.001). Saliva Hp concentrations ranged between 0.3 and 3.0 microg/ml and were marginally related with blood plasma concentrations (n=93,r=0.35,P<0.001). From 106 hybrid slaughter pigs (100-110 kg) blood and muscle samples (diaphragmatic pillar, d.p.; m. brachiocephalicus, m.b.) were collected. Meat juice was obtained after freezing and thawing. Concentrations were 0.39+/-0.5 mg/ml in serum and 0.04+/-0.06 mg/ml in meat juice. Hp concentrations in blood were closely correlated with those in d.p. juice (P<0.001,r=0.750) and m.b. juice (P<0.001,r=0.776). In view of the many reports on Hp measurements being predictive for animal health even in the subclinical range, we conclude that Hp quantification in meat juice might be useful to assess meat quality at slaughter and further along the processing chain in terms of animal health.     

Occurrence of multidrug resistant Salmonella in antimicrobial-free (ABF) swine production systems

This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella species in swine reared in the intensive (indoor) and extensive (outdoor) ABF production systems at farm and slaughter in North Carolina, U.S.A. We sampled a total of 279 pigs at farm (extensive 107; intensive 172) and collected 274 carcass swabs (extensive 124; intensive 150) at slaughter. Salmonella species were tested for their susceptibility against 12 antimicrobial agents using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Serogrouping was done using polyvalent and group specific antisera. A total of 400 salmonellae were isolated in this study with a significantly higher Salmonella prevalence from the intensive (30%) than the extensive farms (0.9%) (P<0.001). At slaughter, significantly higher Salmonella was isolated at the pre- and post-evisceration stages from extensively (29% pre-evisceration and 33.3% post-evisceration) than the intensively (2% pre-evisceration and 6% post-evisceration) reared swine (P<0.001). The isolates were clustered in six serogroups including B, C, E1, E4, G and R. Highest frequency of antimicrobial resistance was observed against tetracycline (78.5%) and streptomycin (31.5%). A total of 13 antimicrobial resistance patterns were observed including the pentaresistant strains with ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline resistance pattern observed only among isolates from the intensive farms (n=28) and all were serotype Salmonella typhimurium var. Copenhagen. In conclusion, this study shows that multidrug resistant Salmonella are prevalent in ABF production systems despite the absence of antimicrobial selection pressure. In addition, it also highlights the possible role played by slaughterhouse and other environmental factors in the contamination and dissemination of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella in ABF production systems.     

Growth of nursing pigs related to the characteristics of nursed mammary glands

The purpose of this study was to determine growth performance of nursing pigs in relationship to teat order and to observe teat preference by pigs. In the first experiment, litter size of 13 primiparous sows was adjusted to 9 (8.7 +/- 1.5) pigs and teat order of each litter was observed on the day before slaughter. Another group of eight sows was killed on d 0 (within 12 h after farrowing). In the second experiment, litter size was adjusted to 9 (8.9 +/- 1.4) pigs for 20 primiparous sows and teat order for each litter was observed 1 d before slaughter. The weights of sows and individual pigs were recorded at farrowing, weekly, and on the day before slaughter. Mammary glands were collected at slaughter on d 21 of lactation and trimmed of skin and the extraneous fat pad. Individual glands were separated, weighed, and ground for measurement of dry matter, dry fat-free tissue, protein, fat, ash, and DNA contents. Middle mammary glands had the greatest wet weight among glands obtained within 12 h after weaning (P < .05). For sows completing the 21 d lactation, only glands known to have been nursed were included in the data sets. Greater than 60% of the first four pairs of mammary glands were nursed, and less than 40% of the seventh and eighth glands were nursed by pigs during lactation. Pigs that nursed the first five pairs of anterior glands gained faster than pigs nursing the remaining glands. The first five pairs of anterior glands had greater wet and dry weights, and greater protein and DNA contents compared with the remaining glands. Pigs that nursed heavier glands gained weight faster (r = .68, P = .0001), and those heavier glands contained greater amounts of protein (r = .98, P = .0001) and DNA (r = .66, P = .0001). Variation in weight gain of pigs nursing the anterior and middle glands was not statistically significant. The functional superiority of anterior and middle glands was positively correlated with body weight gain of nursing pigs.     

An Evaluation of the Use of Cottonseed Cake in the Diet of Growing Pigs

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of including cottonseed cake in rations for weaned growing pigs. Thirty-two Landrace x Large White pigs, weighing 20-24 kg, were included in four blocks formed on the basis of initial weight within sex in an otherwise completely randomized block design. The pigs were killed when they reached a live weight of 75.0 +/- 2.0 kg and the half carcases were analysed into cuts and the weights of the organs were recorded. An estimate of the productivity of the pigs on each diet was calculated. Cottonseed cake reduced the voluntary feed intake (p < 0.001) and live weight gains p < 0.001) and increased the heart, kidney and liver weights (p < 0.01). The pigs on the soya bean-based control diet took the shortest time to reach slaughter weight. The result was probably in part due to lysine deficiency and in part to the effect of free gossypol. It was found that it is at present cost-effective to include cottonseed cake in pig weaner-grower diets up to 300 g/kg in Cameroon.     

Within-herd biosecurity and Salmonella seroprevalence in slaughter pigs: a simulation study

In Europe, on-farm biosecurity measures, involving a strict all-in/all-out batch-management system and decontamination of the rearing rooms between consecutive batches, are recommended to control Salmonella infection in growing pigs. However, implementation of these measures is often relaxed under common farming conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the relative contributions of batch-management system and room decontamination efficacy on Salmonella seroprevalence for different growing rates and subsequent slaughter ages of pigs. Because the impact of these factors cannot be easily evaluated by an observational approach in commercial farms, a stochastic simulation model representing the population dynamics, herd management, and Salmonella infection within a farrow-to-finish pig herd was used. Realistic levels were set for each factor under study (3 for batch-management system and slaughter age; 4 for room decontamination) to generate 54 simulation scenarios. Salmonella shedding prevalence in groups of slaughter pigs was then compared. A sensitivity analysis was performed to rank the impacts of the 3 factors on output. Batch-management system had little effect. In contrast, room decontamination efficacy had the greatest impact on Salmonella prevalence in pigs at slaughter. A drop in decontamination efficacy from 100 to 50%, with a strict all-in/all-out batch-management system and for all slaughter ages tested, noticeably increased (P<0.001) the prevalence and almost doubled it for the reference slaughter age. Our results suggest that the control of Salmonella in pig herds should primarily focus on room decontamination efficacy. Provided that a good level of room decontamination is ensured, some flexibility in batch management, in terms of pig mixing, would be acceptable to limit the number of underweight pigs delivered to the slaughterhouse.     

Immunostimulatory effect of dietary oregano etheric oils on lymphocytes from growth-retarded, low-weight growing-finishing pigs and productivity

The present study was designed to evaluate the possible effect of dietary oregano etheric oils as non-specific immunostimulating agents in growth-retarded, low-weight growing-finishing pigs. Forty-nine growth-retarded (> 10% under average weight in a group) growing-finishing pigs of the same age were assigned to two groups and treated as follows: Group 1 (n = 25): the animals weighed 58.2 +/- 2.4 kg and were fed until slaughter ad libitum with a commercial fattening diet supplemented with 3000 ppm commercial oregano feed additive (Oregpig Pecs, Hungary). Oregpig is dried leaf and flower of Origanum vulgare, enriched with 500 g/kg cold-pressed essential oils of the leaf and flower of Origanum vulgare. Analysis of Oregpig: 60 g carvacrol and 55 g thymol/kilogram. Group 2 (n = 24): the animals weighed 57.9 +/- 2.6 kg and were fed until slaughter with the same diet without Oregpig supplementation. Oregpig-receiving pigs showed a significantly (P < 0.05) better average daily gain and feed conversion rate than the non-treated animals (Oregpig group 788.1 +/- 31.3 g, control animals 709.3 +/- 42.2 g; 2.96, vs. 3.08, respectively). Mortality was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in the non-treated animals (Oregpig group, 1 animal = 4%; control, 8 animals = 33.3%). The proportion of CD4, CD8, MHC class II antigen, and non-T/non-B cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes was significantly higher in the Oregpig-receiving pigs than in the control animals. The proportion of CD4+ CD8+ double-positive T lymphocytes in peripheral blood and mesenteric lymph nodes was higher in the Oregpig-receiving pigs than in the control animals. Implication: Dietary oregano improves growth in growth-retarded growing-finishing pigs and has non-specific immunostimulatory effects on porcine immune cells.     

Comparison of characteristics of lambs fed concentrate or grazed on ryegrass to traditional or heavy slaughter weights. I. Production, carcass, and organoleptic characteristics

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of finishing lambs on concentrate (C) or by grazing ryegrass forage (F) to slaughter end weights of 52 (N) or 77 kg (H) on carcass characteristics and organoleptic properties. This experiment included 64 Targhee x Hampshire lambs (average BW = 24 +/- 1 kg) in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to compare wethers vs. ewes, C vs. F, and N vs. H slaughter weights. No interactions (P > 0.10) were observed between gender and other main effects. Hot carcass weight and dressing percent were greater (P < 0.001) for C- than for F-fed lambs. Backfat thickness also was greater (P < 0.001) for lambs fed C than for those fed F. Moreover, USDA lean quality score and USDA yield grades were higher (P < 0.001) for C- than for F-fed lambs, as well as for lambs slaughtered at H vs. N market weights. There was a higher (P < 0.005) incidence of off odors and off flavors in cooked muscle from F- vs. C-fed lambs, and also from H vs. N slaughter-weight lambs. The heavy C-fed lambs had juicier (P < 0.001) meat than other treatment combinations. Cooked meat from C-fed lambs received higher (P < 0.001) overall acceptability scores. Concentrate-finished lambs produced fatter carcasses and more palatable meat than forage-finished lambs; however, forage finishing allowed for slaughter at heavier weights without excessive fat deposition.     

仔猪咬尾症的原因及其防治方法

仔猪咬尾症是仔猪常见的异食癖,常由于营养机能紊乱及饲养管理不当导致的该应激反应发生。常见于仔猪12~14周龄,在每年1-3月份及8-12月份发病率较高,母仔猪较公仔猪发病率高。其特征症状是咬尾仔猪的行动敏捷,被咬仔猪一阵尖叫挣扎,猪尾断节,鲜血淋漓。轻者猪尾被咬掉半截,重者全部被咬掉。被咬仔猪,因失血而发生贫血,生长发育受阻,个别仔猪因失血过多而死亡。如果没有及时处理并采取治疗措施,会导致伤口发生感染,引发局部发炎和组织脓肿、坏死,使肉质下降、减产。文章通过分析仔猪咬尾症的症状、发病原因,并根据病因提出应对的防治措施。阐释仔猪咬尾症在养殖生产过程中的危害及在现代化养殖中如何科学合理地避免因咬尾造成的经济损失。     

Influence of rearing conditions on performance, behavioral, and physiological responses of pigs to preslaughter handling, carcass traits, and meat quality

A total of 120 crossbred [synthetic line x (Large White x Landrace)] pigs (castrated males and females) were used to evaluate the influence of rearing conditions for growing-finishing pigs on growth performance, carcass, stress reactions at slaughter, and meat eating quality. At approximately 35 kg of live weight (LW), littermates were allocated to either a conventional (fully slatted floor, 0.65 m2/pig, considered as control, CON) or an alternative (sawdust bedding with free access to an outdoor area, 2.4 m2/pig, OUT) system, until slaughter at approximately 110 kg of LW. Pigs had free access to standard growing and finishing diets. The trials were conducted in spring, summer, and winter, with each season involving 2 pens of 10 pigs in each system. Compared with the CON, the OUT pigs exhibited a greater growth rate (+10%, P < 0.001) due to their greater feed intake (+0.23 kg/d, P < 0.01), resulting in a greater body weight at slaughter (+7 kg, P < 0.001). The OUT pigs had thicker backfat (+2.4 mm, P < 0.01) and lower lean meat content (- 2.0% points, P < 0.001) than the CON pigs. The OUT system did not (P > 0.10) influence the behavioral activities of pigs during lairage at the slaughterhouse, or the urinary levels of catecholamines and cortisol, and plasma levels of ACTH, cortisol, lactate, creatine kinase, and FFA immediately after slaughter. The OUT pigs had similar (P > 0.10) pH values 30 min postmortem (pH1) in the LM, biceps femoris (BF), and semimembranosus (SM) muscles, similar ultimate pH (pHu) in LM, but lower pHu in SM (- 0.07 unit, P < 0.001) and in BF (- 0.03 unit, P = 0.029). Despite nonsignificant effects of production system on stress reactions at slaughter, assessed by urine and plasma indicators and muscle metabolism at 30 min postmortem, meat from OUT pigs had more LM drip loss after 2 (+1.0%, P = 0.003) and 4 (+1.1%, P = 0.010) d than did meat from the CON pigs. The OUT system slightly increased meat yellowness (b* value) in the LM (+0.7 unit, P = 0.001), BF (+0.5 unit, P = 0.014), and SM (+0.5, unit P = 0.041), whereas redness (a*) and lightness (L*) of the 3 muscles were unaffected (P > 0.07). Intramuscular fat content was greater in the LM (+17%, P = 0.001), BF (+14%, P = 0.004), and SM (+17%, P = 0.003) of the OUT pigs. Outdoor rearing during summer and winter improved meat juiciness, whereas odor, flavor, and tenderness were unaffected (P > 0.10). Influence of rearing conditions on all the other traits studied did not depend on the season.     

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in sows from slaughterhouses and in pigs from an indoor and an outdoor farm in Argentina

The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies from slaughter sows and from pigs raised at an indoor and an outdoor swine farm. Serum samples were obtained from 230 slaughter sows belonging to 83 farms distributed in 5 provinces. Blood samples were collected monthly from pigs of different ages from an intensive management indoor farm (farm 1). A cross-sectional study was carried-out from an outdoor farm (farm 2). All sera were tested for T. gondii antibodies by the modified agglutination test (MAT), using formalin-fixed tachyzoites as antigen. An antibody titer > or =1:25 was considered positive. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 87 (37.8%) of 230 sows sera. Distribution among provinces was: 37.1% from Santa Fe, 62.8% from Buenos Aires, 3.3% from San Luis, 58.7% from La Pampa and 24% from Córdoba. Four of 88 (4.5%) serum samples from farm 1 had antibodies to T. gondii and none of the negative pigs seroconverted. However, 45 of 112 samples from farm 2 were positive (40.2%) with the following distribution: sows 100%; nursery 40%; growers 13.8% and fatteners 20%. It is concluded that the prevalence of T.gondii antibodies among sows seems to be quite variable. T. gondii prevalence was related to the facilities and management of the farm.     

Alternative housing systems for pigs: influences on growth,composition, and pork quality

Effects of pig birth (first 3-wk period) and rearing environments on growth and muscle quality characteristics of loins were evaluated in three experiments over seasons in west Texas and central Missouri. Housing systems included indoor slatted-floor buildings, indoor deep-bedded buildings, outdoor housing on dirt, and outdoor housing on alfalfa pasture. Experiments were conducted during the growing/finishing phases and pigs were slaughtered at the same age. Loins were collected, vacuum-packaged, and stored for 14 d at 2 degrees C. Pigs born and finished in an outdoor environment during the summer months (Exp. 1) had a greater ADG (0.92 vs 0.82+/-0.06 kg/d, P < 0.05) and had heavier carcass weights (87.9 vs 78.4+/-2.4 kg, P < 0.05) than pigs born and finished in an indoor environment with a slatted-floor finishing building. Carcasses from the outdoor-reared group measured a larger (P < 0.05) loineye area and were fatter (P < 0.01) at the first rib, last rib, and last lumbar vertebra measurements than carcasses from the indoor-reared group. Loin chops from outdoor-reared pigs had darker color scores in the retail display case throughout the 4-d period, measured lower L* values on d 1, and had more discoloration and browning on d 4 than loin chops from the indoor-reared group. During the winter months (Exp. 2), no difference was detected in ADG, carcass measurements, sensory characteristics, or shear force values from indoor-born pigs placed in either an outdoor or indoor finishing environment. Pigs finished on deep bedding (Exp. 3) had heavier carcass weights and more backfat (P < 0.01) than pigs finished on slats, but no differences were detected in sensory panel or shear force results. Overall, carcass measurements, pH, drip loss, sensory panel, and shear force values were similar among the groups finished in different housing systems. Outdoor or deep-bedded systems may increase growth rates of pigs if suitable land area and resources are available, but pork quality of loins will be similar for pigs finished in either conventional or alternative systems.     

Prevalence of gastric lesions in the pars proventricularis in finishing pigs at slaughter in Switzerland

A cross-sectional study was conducted at two large abattoirs in the winter 2003/04 to determine the prevalence of gastric lesions in Swiss finishing pigs. The stomachs of 1897 pigs from 107 slaughter groups were examined for macroscopic epithelial lesion of the pars proventricularis. Severe hyperceratosis, erosion, ulceration and constriction at the transition between oesophagus and stomach were described as gastric lesions. Lesions were observed in 36% of all animals, with slaughter group prevalence ranging from 0% to 94%. Ulceration or constriction was present in four percent of the examined pigs. Associations between gastric lesions, farm management data, and data obtained at ante and post mortem examinations conducted at the slaughterhouse were analysed. A significantly higher prevalence of gastric lesions was found in pigs originating from conventional housing systems compared to pigs raised on farms with 'animal-friendly' housing systems providing straw bedding and outdoor exercise to pigs. In addition, significantly higher prevalence was observed in pigs originating from herds with clinical signs of tail biting and peritarsitis.     

Morphological features of spermatozoa of swamp buffalo AI bulls in Thailand

The appearance and incidence of sperm abnormalities was studied in 115 ejaculates, collected periodically over 1 year covering all seasons from five mature, healthy swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bulls reared under tropical conditions and serving as the current source of semen for artificial insemination (AI) in Thailand. Light microscopy of stained smears was used to investigate sperm head shape morphology, while unstained wet smears were used to examine other sperm abnormalities. The most commonly found morphological aberrations were pear-shaped spermatozoa, knobbed acrosomes, proximal cytoplasmic droplets, simple bent tails and coiled tails under the head, whose ultrastructure (scanning electron microscopy) corresponded to what has been found in other species of bovidae, including varieties of buffalo. The mean prevalence (as least squares mean +/- SEM) of sperm abnormalities was low (below 15%), corresponding to healthy spermiograms. The younger bulls (<10 years old, n = 3) had less abnormalities than the older ones (10.1 +/- 0.6% versus 14.1 +/- 0.8%, P < 0.001, n = 2), including abnormalities of sperm head shape (1.1 +/- 0.3% versus 3.6 +/- 0.3, P < 0.001), acrosome defects with knobbed acrosomes (1.1 +/- 0.2% versus 1.2 +/- 0.3%, P < 0.001), spermatozoa with proximal cytoplasmic droplets (2.7 +/- 0.1% versus 1.4 +/- 0.2%, P < 0.001), defective mid-pieces (0.2 +/- 0.1% versus 0.3 +/- 0.1%) and abnormal sperm tails (3.1 +/- 0.3% versus 5.7 +/- 0.4%, P < 0.001). The within-bull effect of the year solely affected the incidence of pear-shaped spermatozoa while the incidences of abnormal contour, variable size of sperm head shapes, abnormal mid-piece and simple bent tail among bulls were affected by ejaculate (week of collection). Interaction between age and ejaculate affected only the prevalence of spermatozoa with proximal cytoplasmic droplets. In conclusion, the types of defects encountered were similar to those found in other bovidae, with a very low prevalence over the year the AI sires were followed through.