Feed-and feed additives-related aspects of gut health and development in weanling pigs

The development of new/different management and feeding strategies to stimulate gut development and health in newly-weaned pigs, in order to improve growth performance while minimizing the use of antimicrobial compounds such as antibiotic growth promotants (AGP) and heavy mineral compounds, is essential for the long-term sustainability of the pig industry. Factors including the sub-optimal intake of nutrients and energy, inappropriate microbiota biomass and (or) balance, immature and compromised immune function, and psychosomatic factors caused by weaning can compromise both the efficiency of digestion and absorption and intestinal barrier function through mucosal damage and alteration of tight junction integrity. As a consequence, pigs at weaning are highly susceptible to pathogenic enteric conditions such as post-weaning diarrhea that may be caused by serotypes of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Many dietary components, e.g., protein, fiber, feed additives and minerals, are known to influence microbial growth in the gastrointestinal tract that in turn can impact upon pig growth and health, although the relationships between these are sometimes not necessarily apparent or obvious. In a world climate of increased scrutiny over the use of antibiotics per se in pig production, certain feed additives are seen as alternatives/replacements to antibiotics, and have evolved in some cases to have important roles in everyday commercial pig nutrition. Nevertheless and in general, there remains inconsistency and variability in the efficacy of some feed additives and in cases of severe disease outbreaks, for example, therapeutic antibiotics and/or heavy minerals such as zinc oxide (ZnO) are generally relied upon. If feed ingredients and (or) feed additives are to be used with greater regularity and reliability, then it is necessary to better understand the mechanisms whereby antibiotics and minerals such as ZnO influence animal physiology, in conjunction with the use of appropriate challenge models and in vitro and in vivo techniques.     

12个微卫星DNA标记在江口萝卜猪群体中的遗传多样性研究

采用12对微卫星引物对江口萝卜猪群体的遗传多样性进行研究。结果发现12个微卫星位点在江口萝卜猪群体中均具有多态性,平均基因杂合度、多态信息含量和有效等位基因数分别为0．7601、0．7079和4．1737。实验结果表明,江口萝卜猪群体具有较高的遗传多样性,群体内部变异较大,若通过家系育种有较大的选育潜力。     

Pigs as an experimental model for systemic Mycobacterium avium infectious disease

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is an opportunistic pathogen in AIDS patients and pigs, and causes dissemination through primary intestinal lesions. However, its pathogenesis is not well understood. In this article, we hypothesize that pigs can provide a suitable experimental model of disseminated MAC disease. We compared the initial route of infection, the characteristics of the pathogenic strains, the immunological status of the hosts, and the histological characteristics. The route of infection and infective strains are similar in AIDS patients and pigs. Pigs can respond to infection by the formation of systemic epithelioid granuloma with sufficient cell-mediated immunity. However, there are differences in immunological status and histological features between AIDS patients and pigs. Therefore, pigs might be used as an appropriate animal model because of their good cell mediated immunity triggered by systemic mycobacterial infection. In conclusion, MAC infections in AIDS patients and pigs show similarities in terms of the initial route of infection and the genetic characteristics of the pathogenic strains.     

The effect of dietary crude protein concentration and inulin supplementation on nitrogen excretion and intestinal microflora from finisher pigs

A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was used to investigate the interaction between dietary crude protein (CP) concentration (200 vs 140 g/kg) and inulin supplementation (0 vs 12.5 g/kg) on nitrogen (N) excretion and intestinal microflora from 16 boars (n = 4, 74.0 kg live weight). The diets were formulated to contain similar concentrations of digestible energy and lysine. Pigs offered the high CP diets had a higher excretion of urinary N (P < 0.01), faecal N (P < 0.01) and total N (P < 0.001) than the pigs offered the low CP diets. Inulin supplementation increased faecal N excretion (P < 0.05) and decreased urine: faeces N ratio (P < 0.05) compared to the inulin free diets. There was no significant effect (P > 0.05) of dietary treatment on N retention. There was an interaction (P < 0.05) between dietary CP concentration and inulin supplementation on caecal E.coli. Pigs offered the diet containing 200 g/kg CP plus inulin decreased the population of E.coli compared to the inulin supplemented 140 g/kg protein diet. However, CP concentration had no significant effect on the population of E.coli in the unsupplemented diets. Inulin supplementation increased caecal bifidobacteria (P < 0.01) compared to the inulin free diets. In conclusion, inulin supplementation favourably altered N excretion and lowered the population of E.coli at high CP concentrations.     

Practical starter pig amino acid requirements in relation to immunity,gut health and growth performance

Immune system activation begins a host of physiological responses. Infectious agents are recognized by monocytes and macrophages which in turn stimulate cytokine production. It is the hormone-like factors called cytokines that orchestrate the immune response. The classic responses observed with immune system activation and cytokine production include: anorexia, fever, lethargy, recruitment of other immune cells, and phagocytosis. While production of immune system components is known to require some amino acids, increases in amino acid requirements are more than offset by the associated decrease in protein accretion and increased muscle protein degradation that also accompanies immune system activation. However, the biggest impact of cytokine production is a decrease in feed intake. Therefore, as feed intake decreases, the energy needed to drive protein synthesis is also decreased. This suggests that diets should still be formulated on a similar calorie:lysine ratio as those formulated for non-immune challenged pigs. The evidence is sparse or equivocal for increasing nutrient requirements during an immune challenge. Nutritionists and swine producers should resist the pressure to alter the diet, limit feed, or add expensive feed additives during an immune challenge. While immune stimulation does not necessitate changes in diet formulation, when pigs are challenged with non-pathogenic diarrhea there are potential advantages on gut health with the increased use of crystalline amino acids rather than intact protein sources (i.e., soybean meal). This is because reducing crude protein decreases the quantity of fermentable protein entering the large intestine, which lowers post weaning diarrhea. It also lowers the requirement for expensive specialty protein sources or other protein sources such as soybean meal that present immunological challenges to the gut. The objective of this review is two-fold. The first is to discuss immunity by nutrition interactions, or lack thereof, and secondly, to review amino acid requirement estimates for nursery pigs.     

二丁酰环腺苷酸对猪胴体组成和肉品质的影响

通过皮下注射和饲料添加不同剂量dbcAMP进行饲养试验 ,研究其对肥育猪胴体组成和肉品质的影响。结果表明 :皮下注射 1.0mg/kg和饲料添加 2 0mg/kg对改善肥育猪的胴体组成和肉品质效果最好 ,眼肌面积分别提高31.99%和 36 .39% (P <0 .0 5 ) ;瘦肉率分别提高 12 .4 2 %和 11.94 % (P <0 .0 5 ) ;背膘厚分别降低 19.95 %和 2 0 .97%(P <0 .0 5 )。肌肉粗蛋白含量分别提高 10 .87%和 16 .5 4 % (P <0 .0 5 )。     

采光保温猪舍养猪效果的评价

在寒冷季节(12—4月份)进行试验,比较采光保温猪舍内外饲养条件下肥育猪的生长情况。结果表明:在采光保温猪舍内养猪具有耗料少、增重快的优点,在132天的试验期内,试验组比舍外环境中饲养的对照组平均多增重3.1kg(P>0.05),少耗料26.82kg,试验组的料肉比显著低于对照组(P<0.01)。并测得采光保温猪舍有较好的采暖和保温性能,舍内的温度(Y)随外环境温度(X)变化而改变的幅度较小,两者符合方程式Y=7.7135+0.2926X(r=0.8412;n=5;P<0.05),即舍内温度平均比舍外环境中高7.7℃。     

阿莫西林混悬注射液在猪体内的生物等效性研究

为了研究阿莫西林混悬注射液在猪体内的药代动力学和生物等效性,采用双处理、双周期随机交叉试验设计,将24头健康猪随机分成2组,按15 mg/kg体重肌肉分别单剂量注射受试制剂和参比制剂,采用高效液相色谱法测定血浆中阿莫西林的浓度,利用Win Nonlin6.4软件计算主要药动学参数,并评价两种制剂的生物等效性。结果显示,受试制剂和参比制剂的Tmax分别为(3.45±2.49)h,(1.34±1.74)h;Cmax分别为(6.94±4.73)mg/L,(4.39±2.87)mg/L;AUC0-t分别为(37.00±11.48)mg·h·L-1,(30.02±8.93)mg·h·L-1;AUC0-∞分别为(40.26±13.36)mg·h·L-1,(38.46±15.38)mg·h·L-1。阿莫西林混悬注射液受试制剂和参比制剂的AUC0-t、AUC0-∞、Cmax、Tmax均有显著性差异,双单侧t检验结果显示两种制剂生物不等效,试验为兽医临床给药方案的制定以及合理用药提供参考。     

猪RN基因的研究

RN基因是影响猪肉质性状的一个主效基因,已被定位在猪的15号染色体上(15q25),包含显性的不利等位基因(RN)为影响猪肉的工艺产量和隐性正常的等位基因(rn)。最近发现的与肌肉过量糖原含量相关的PRKAG3基因的非保守替换(R200Q),被认为是引起酸肉的主要原因。