Phenotypic and genetic variation in hematological traits of Pietrain-Meishan-F2 crossbred pigs

Hematological traits are essential parameters for veterinary practice to quantify health status of individuals and herds. A major problem with the interpretation of hematological values is their pronounced variability that is to a great extend caused by non-systematic factors. Differences in breeds and populations are providing evidence for different genotypes in this regard, although there is no information available in swine about the nature and shares of participating genes. Goal of the present paper was to evaluate the additive-genetic share of total variability of traits of the red and white blood cell count. The results are based on 139 F2-pigs of a Pietrain-Meishan-family. Medium to high heritabilities have been estimated for the numbers of neutrophiles, the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and the hemoglobin content, and for the shares of basophile granulocytes, platelets and lymphocytes. No meaningful shares of additive genetic variance were obvious in the other traits. Shares of additive genetic variance of the above mentioned traits argue for the existence of favourable and unfavourable gene variants to be involved in their phenotypic variation. Isolation of these variants might improve the diagnostical use of those traits in the future and provide a measure to advance general health in the pig.