• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.886-894
• /
• 2012

Well-designed housing systems are important from the viewpoint of animal welfare and improvement of meat production. In this study, we investigated the effects of outdoor housing of pigs on their behavior, cortisol levels, and meat characteristics. Two groups that were born and raised in a spacious outdoor pen ($4{\times}10$ m for every two sows) or a minimum-sized standard pen in a piggery ($1.9{\times}2.2$ m for every sow) were studied. When their behaviors at the age of 2 to 3 wk were observed, the number of rooting episodes tended to be larger (p = 0.0509) and the total time of rooting tended to be longer (p = 0.0640) in the outdoor-housed piglets although the difference was not significant. Basal salivary cortisol levels of the outdoor piglets at the age of 4 wk were significantly lower than those of the indoor piglets ($5.0{\pm}0.59$ ng/ml vs. $11.6{\pm}0.91$ ng/ml, 30 min after treatment), although their plasma cortisol levels were similar ($53.3{\pm}3.54$ ng/ml vs. $59.9{\pm}4.84$ ng/ml, 30 min after treatment). When the ears were pierced at weaning, plasma and salivary cortisol levels were increased in both groups, even at 15 min after piercing. However, the increase in the outdoor-housed group was significantly less than that in the indoor-housed group. Throughout their lives, body weight and daily gain of the pigs were not significantly different between the two groups. In a meat taste preference test taken by 20 panelists, saltiness, flavor, and color of the outdoor-housed pork were found to be more acceptable. Moreover, when an electronic taste-sensing device was utilized, the C00 and CPA-C00 outputs ($3.78{\pm}0.07$ and $-0.20{\pm}0.023$), which correspond to compounds of bitterness and smells, respectively, were significantly lower in the outdoor-housed pork ($5.03{\pm}0.16$ and $-0.13{\pm}0.009$). Our results demonstrate that the outdoor housing system for piglets induces natural behaviors such as rooting and suppresses the strongest stress reaction of piglets, which could be important for animal welfare. Moreover, the outdoor housing system might change muscle characteristics and improve pork bitterness, flavor, and color. These changes may be preferred by consumers, increasing the sale of these meats.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.15-22
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyse of association between growth traits and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) polymorphism of phosphoglycerate kinase 2 (PGK 2) gene in pigs. The birth weight of piglet influences on weaning weight and survival rate that are import economic traits in pig industry. Also, these growth traits are representative factor to decrease a period getting to marketing weight as well as growth rate in pig. The PGK 2 is an isozyme that catalyzes the first ATP-generating step in the glycolytic pathwayand important enzyme related with energy metabolism. Twenty of SNPs were discoveredby genome structure analysis that compares the sequence on promoter and transcription region of PGK 2 gene in porcine chromosome 7. An association between PGK 2 SNPs and growth traits was analyzed in $F_2$ reciprocal-crossbred population between korean native pig (KNP) and Landrace. Association analysis indicated that polymorphism of the PGK 2 gene promoter region has significant effects on weight at birth (p<0.01) and weight at 3 weeks of age (p<0.0001). These results suggest that PGK 2 gene polymorphism was associated with energy metabolism and physiological function of growth in pig.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.163-184
• /
• 2003

This study was conducted to survey the farm which suffered from disease similar to classical swine fever(CSF) in Gyeongbuk province. Clinical signs appeared first in a few number of growing pigs which showed specific signs of diarrhea, depression, sleepiness, and reluctance to get up or to eat. Younger piglets may have appeared chilled, shiver and huddle together. As the disease progresses the affected pig's skin went red and purple. In histopathological signs, there were many haemorrhages throughout the body and larger haemorrhages in some organs such as lymph nodes. And there is a precipitous fall in the number of circulating leukocytes in the blood. In spite of insisting of farmer which did not vaccinate to classical swine fever, significant antibody production was detected in these affected pigs at enzyme-linked immuonsorbent assay. According to the above results at first glance, these affected pig suspected with CSF in clinical signs and histopathological lesions only. Because the symptoms and post-mortem picture were very similar to CSF, these false positive results would have been dangerous to diagnostician. But by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and comparative nucleotide sequence analysis, the disease was correctly diagnosed with post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome(PMWS) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome(PRRS) compoundly. And the antigen which were detected the lesion similar to CSF virus, was confirmed with LOM vaccine strain of CSF. In most national CSF eradication program and in countries which are free of the CSF virus, vaccination against CSF is not practiced and generally is not allowed. But now in Korea, routine vaccination is practiced because of outbreaking the CSF repeatedly. When CSF is diagnosed the whole herd and other in contact animal are slaughtered continuously.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.72-79
• /
• 2016

It has long been known that nutritional and environmental influences during the early developmental period affect the biological mechanisms which determine animal metabolism. This phenomenon, termed 'metabolic imprinting', can cause subtle but long-lasting responses to prenatal and postnatal nutrition and even be passed onto the next generation. A large amount of research data shows that nutrient availability, in terms of quantity as well as quality, during the early developing stages can decrease the number of newborn piglets and their body weight and increase their susceptibility to death before weaning. However, investigation of potential mechanisms of 'the metabolic imprinting' effect have been scant. Therefore, it remains unknown which factors are responsible for embryonic and early postnatal nutrition and which factors are major determinants of body weight and number of new born piglets. Intrauterine undernutrition, for example, was studied using a rat model providing dams 50% restricted nutrients during pregnancy and the results showed significant decreases in birth weight of newborns. This response may be a characteristic of a subset of modulations in embryonic development which is caused by the metabolic imprinting. Underlying mechanisms of intrauterine undernutrition and growth retardation can be explained in part by epigenetics. Epigenetics modulate animal phenotypes without changes in DNA sequences. Epigenetic modifications include DNA methylation, chromatin modification and small non-coding RNA-associated gene silencing. Precise mechanisms must be identified at the morphologic, cellular, and molecular levels by using interdisciplinary nutrigenomics approaches to increase pig production. Experimental approaches for explaining these potential mechanisms will be discussed in this review.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.381-384
• /
• 1998

Twenty-three crossbred (Yorkshire $\times$ Duroc $\times$ Hampshire $\times$ Chester White) primiparous sows were used to evaluate the effects of the mineral-salt laxative in lactation diets on sow and litter performance. The sows were fed a sorghum-extruded soybean-based diet with .85% lysine, .90% Ca, .80% P, and 3.2 Mcal ME/kg. Sow body weight (p > .54) and backfat loss (p > .61), average daily feed intake (p > .42), and litter weight gain (p > .74) were not affected by the mineral-salt laxative in the diet. However, survivability of piglets was greater (p < .06) for sows with the mineral-salt laxative in their diet and, thus, number of pigs weaned was increased. As expected, fecal moisture was increased (p < .09) in sows fed the mineral-salt laxative. Apparent digestibilities of DM, N, and GE were not affected by treatment (p > .26). After weaning, stomachs were collected and scored for ulcers and keratinization using a scoring system of 0 = normal to 3 = severe. Severity of ulceration and keratinization was not significantly affected by treatment (row mean scores differ test p > .25), but scores for sows fed the diet containing the mineral-salt laxative were numerically lower than sows fed the control diet. Thus, our data indicate that sows fed the mineral-salt laxative during lactation had improved piglet survivability, greater fecal moisture, and tended to have fewer lesions in the mucosa of the stomach.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.7
• /
• pp.1019-1023
• /
• 2001

An on-farm trial was conducted in temperature-controlled lactation rooms at a commercial pig farm to investigate the efficacy of broadcasting sow suckling grunts from day 4 of lactation, on increasing piglet growth to weaning. In the Broadcast treatment, sows and litters were exposed to a 3-min broadcast from loud-speakers every 42 min. The Control treatment was not exposed to the broadcast. All sows and litters had similar husbandry and piglets were provided with creep feed on the floor twice daily. In each of the three replicates in time, the Broadcast and Control treatments were allocated to different lactation rooms at random and there were 12 sows and litters per treatment per replicate. A total of four identical lactation rooms were available for the trial, each containing 28 conventional sow and litter crates with piglet heater in the creep area. A non-trial room separated the two treatment rooms in each replicate to minimise the chance that the broadcast grunt stimulation was audible to the Control treatment litters. Five "normal and average-looking" piglets from the trial litters were weighed twice, 7 d apart. The cohort of five piglets was identified by ear-tags and formed the experimental unit for the statistical analysis. The average (${\pm}SD$) age of piglets at initial weighing was 7.7(${\pm}2.22$) days. For each litter, mean piglet live weight at day 14 of lactation was estimated by linear regression of the two weights recorded seven days apart, when on average, the Broadcast treatment had been exposed to the stimulation for 10 days. Piglets in the Broadcast treatment were heavier (p<0.01) at day 14 of lactation compared to Control treatment (4.24 and 3.92 kg, respectively) and tended to have a greater average daily weight gain over the 7-d period (245 and 228 g/day, respectively; p<0.08). The results suggest piglet growth was improved by about 8% in response to the regular, timed broadcast of sow suckling grunts in the lactation shed. The independent contributions of milk and creep feed to the improved growth remain to be determined.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.57 no.1
• /
• pp.4.1-4.5
• /
• 2015

The study was performed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of a lipid-encapsulated Zinc oxide on growth parameters and intestinal mucosal morphology piglets born to Duroc-sired Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire dams. Twenty-four 30-day-old piglets weaned at 25 days of age were orally challenged with $5{\times}10^8$ colony forming units of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 and fed one of the four diets for 7 days: (i) a nursery basal diet containing 100-ppm ZnO (referred to as BASAL), (ii) BASAL supplemented with 120-ppm apramycin (referred to as ANTIBIO), (iii) BASAL with 2,400-ppm ZnO (referred to as HIGH), and BASAL containing 100-ppm lipid-encapsulated ZnO (referred to as LE). All piglets were killed at the end of the experiment for histological examination on the intestine. The results showed that the average daily gain (ADG), the villus height: crypt depth (CD) ratio in the ileum, and the goblet cell density of the villus and crypt in the duodenum, jejunum, and colon were greater in the LE-fed group that those of the BASAL (p < 0.05). Fecal consistency score (FCS) and the CD ratio in the ileum were less in the LE-fed group, compared to the BASAL-fed one (p < 0.05). The effects observed in the LE-fed group were almost equal to those of the HIGH-fed group as well as even superior to those of the ANTIBIO-fed group. Taken together, our results imply that dietary supplementation of 100-ppm lipid-encapsulated ZnO is as effective as that of 2,400-ppm ZnO for promoting growth diarrhea and intestinal morphology caused by ETEC infection.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.10
• /
• pp.1473-1477
• /
• 2007

Four-and-a-half LIM-only protein 3 (FHL3) is a member of the LIM protein superfamily and can participate in mediating protein-protein interaction by binding one another through their LIM domains. In this study, the 5'- and 3'- cDNA ends were characterized by RACE (Rapid Amplification of the cDNA Ends) methodology in combination with in silico cloning based on the partial cDNA sequence obtained. Bioinformatics analysis showed FHL3 protein contained four LIM domains and four LIM zinc-binding domains. In silico mapping assigned this gene to the gene cluster MTF1-INPP5B-SF3A3-FHL3-CGI-94 on pig chromosome 6 where several QTL affecting intramuscular fat and eye muscle area had previously been identified. Transcription of the FHL3 gene was detected in spleen, liver, kidney, small intestine, skeletal muscle, fat and stomach, with the greatest expression in skeletal muscle. The A/G polymorphism in exon II was significantly associated with birth weight, average daily gain before weaning, drip loss rate, water holding capacity and intramuscular fat in a Landrace-derived pig population. Together, the present study provided the useful information for further studies to determine the roles of FHL3 gene in the regulation of skeletal muscle cell growth and differentiation in pigs.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.135-139
• /
• 2014

Pathogenic E. coli associated post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) and edema disease are common diseases in commercially-housed weanling pigs. An enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) oral challenge model has been used to mimic the physiological responses observed in commercial conditions. However, an oral challenge procedure has two major limitations: (1) the ETEC cell density is unknown at the point of oral inoculation, and (2) blending ETEC with traditional TSB (trypticase soy broth) is not palatable and hence decreases acceptability by piglets. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to (1) establish a regression equation that can be used for estimation of ETEC concentration in dilution media using the spectrophotometric measurement of cell density; and (2) examine survival of ETEC after blending either with TSB, sweetener or dextrose. A strain of ETEC (serogroup beta-hemolytic E. coli O149; K91; F4; toxins LT, STa, STb) was grown in TSB for 3.5 hours, centrifuged, the supernatant was discarded, and the ETEC pellet was then blended either with TSB (100 mL), sweetener (60 mL TSB + 40 mL fruit flavored concentrate), or dextrose (50 mL TSB + 50 mL dextrose; 0.5g/mL dextrose). Cell density was measured using the colorimetric method and also plated on a 5% sheep blood agar for counting of ETEC colony forming units at 0, 5, 35, 65 and 125 min after blending. The optical density at 600 nm explained 83% of ETEC colony forming units, indicating that the established linear equation (y= 6E+08x - 4E+07, P<0.004) can be used for robust quantification of ETEC cell density in TSB, sweetener and dextrose media. When ETEC was blended with sweetener and dextrose, survival of ETEC was decreased by 45% and 72% within 5 min post-blending. Therefore, further research is required to find out the suitable medium that has potential to improve palatability without compromising survival of ETEC.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.463-466
• /
• 2009

A swine farm located in the Kyungpook province (designated as farm D that have been suffering from PED for several years was selected to study the etiology and the outbreak pattern of PED by clinical and laboratory examinations. Clinical examination indicated that sows exhibited signs of mastitis resulting in an inadequate transfer of lactogenic immunity against PEDV to newborn piglets. Furthermore, serological tests revealed that all sow groups and their piglets had low levels of anti-PEDV antibody. These data suggest that improper vaccination program has been indeed performed in this farm. Remarkably, despite no symptoms of PED in weaners, the presence of PEDV was identified by RT-PCR from fecal samples of weaning piglets, indicating persistent PEDV circulation in the herd. Based on these results, the following basic control schemes were executed for the control of PEDV circulation in the farm; a) A quick removal of affected pigs and disinfection of affected sheds. b) restructuring of vaccination program and employment of consultant. c) prompt treatment of mastitis and removal of poor lactogenic sows, and d) enhancement of biosecurity of farrowing house by acquisition of additional space. We evaluated risk factors and implementation of control measures in two months and were unable to found any case related to PEDV infection. Taken together, our data indicate that the method described above is effective for the control of PED outbreak in farm persistently suffering from PEDV infection.