A WLED based on LuAG:Ce3+ PiG coated red-emitting K2SiF6:Mn4+ phosphor by screen-printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Rui; Wu, Lingchao; Di, Xiaoxuan; Li, Pengzhi; Hu, Guangcai; Liang, Xiaojuan; Xiang, Weidong

2017-08-01

It is high-profile that the use of phosphor-in-glass (PiG) is extensive because of its excellent advantages in thermal resistance and lifetime aspects, and so on. Here, white light-emitting diodes (WLED) based on LuAG:Ce3+ PiG coated red-emitting K2SiF6:Mn4+ (KSF) phosphors by screen-printing are fabricated. Among all of these, the commercial LuAG phosphors and glass raw materials of TeO2-based glass, were weighted and milled in an agate thoroughly. Then, the mixture was melted and sintered at 850 K or so for 20 min in the ambient atmosphere through low temperature co-fired method, cold-forming LuAG PiG clump and cut into different LuAG PiG thicknesses. After that, the commercial red phosphor KSF was coated on LuAG PiG by screen-printing technique. Finally, high-performance WLEDs based on the TeO2-based glass were obtained, tested and characterized, which exhibit a highest color rendering index of 94.1, a lowest color temperature of 3744 K and a largest luminous efficiency of 101.02 lm·W-1. Most noticeably of all, the promising method has excellent developing potential for industrialization in high-power WLED.

The Munich MIDY Pig Biobank - A unique resource for studying organ crosstalk in diabetes.

PubMed

Blutke, Andreas; Renner, Simone; Flenkenthaler, Florian; Backman, Mattias; Haesner, Serena; Kemter, Elisabeth; Ländström, Erik; Braun-Reichhart, Christina; Albl, Barbara; Streckel, Elisabeth; Rathkolb, Birgit; Prehn, Cornelia; Palladini, Alessandra; Grzybek, Michal; Krebs, Stefan; Bauersachs, Stefan; Bähr, Andrea; Brühschwein, Andreas; Deeg, Cornelia A; De Monte, Erica; Dmochewitz, Michaela; Eberle, Caroline; Emrich, Daniela; Fux, Robert; Groth, Frauke; Gumbert, Sophie; Heitmann, Antonia; Hinrichs, Arne; Keßler, Barbara; Kurome, Mayuko; Leipig-Rudolph, Miriam; Matiasek, Kaspar; Öztürk, Hazal; Otzdorff, Christiane; Reichenbach, Myriam; Reichenbach, Horst Dieter; Rieger, Alexandra; Rieseberg, Birte; Rosati, Marco; Saucedo, Manuel Nicolas; Schleicher, Anna; Schneider, Marlon R; Simmet, Kilian; Steinmetz, Judith; Übel, Nicole; Zehetmaier, Patrizia; Jung, Andreas; Adamski, Jerzy; Coskun, Ünal; Hrabě de Angelis, Martin; Simmet, Christian; Ritzmann, Mathias; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andrea; Blum, Helmut; Arnold, Georg J; Fröhlich, Thomas; Wanke, Rüdiger; Wolf, Eckhard

2017-08-01

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and associated complications is steadily increasing. As a resource for studying systemic consequences of chronic insulin insufficiency and hyperglycemia, we established a comprehensive biobank of long-term diabetic INS C94Y transgenic pigs, a model of mutant INS gene-induced diabetes of youth (MIDY), and of wild-type (WT) littermates. Female MIDY pigs (n = 4) were maintained with suboptimal insulin treatment for 2 years, together with female WT littermates (n = 5). Plasma insulin, C-peptide and glucagon levels were regularly determined using specific immunoassays. In addition, clinical chemical, targeted metabolomics, and lipidomics analyses were performed. At age 2 years, all pigs were euthanized, necropsied, and a broad spectrum of tissues was taken by systematic uniform random sampling procedures. Total beta cell volume was determined by stereological methods. A pilot proteome analysis of pancreas, liver, and kidney cortex was performed by label free proteomics. MIDY pigs had elevated fasting plasma glucose and fructosamine concentrations, C-peptide levels that decreased with age and were undetectable at 2 years, and an 82% reduced total beta cell volume compared to WT. Plasma glucagon and beta hydroxybutyrate levels of MIDY pigs were chronically elevated, reflecting hallmarks of poorly controlled diabetes in humans. In total, ∼1900 samples of different body fluids (blood, serum, plasma, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and synovial fluid) as well as ∼17,000 samples from ∼50 different tissues and organs were preserved to facilitate a plethora of morphological and molecular analyses. Principal component analyses of plasma targeted metabolomics and lipidomics data and of proteome profiles from pancreas, liver, and kidney cortex clearly separated MIDY and WT samples. The broad spectrum of well-defined biosamples in the Munich MIDY Pig Biobank that will be available to the scientific community provides a unique resource for

Carcass characteristics and fat depots in Iberian and F Large White × Landrace pigs intensively finished or raised outdoors in oak-tree forests.

PubMed

Bressan, M C; Almeida, J; Santos Silva, J; Bettencourt, C; Francisco, A; Gama, L T

2016-06-01

A factorial experiment was performed with 117 barrows belonging to the Iberian (IB) and crossbred F Large White × Landrace (F) genetic groups, either intensively finished (IN) or finished outdoors on pasture in an oak and cork tree forest (EX). Information was collected on carcass weight, yield, and dimensions; weight of organs, carcass cuts, and abdominal fat depots; backfat depth; measurements of the longissimus thoracis (LT); and yield of different leg tissues. For the 41 slaughter and carcass traits analyzed, the interaction between genetic group and finishing system was significant ( < 0.05) in 18 traits, and overall, there was a more pronounced influence of genetic group than of finishing system. In most variables, particularly those related with fat deposition, the interaction reflected mostly changes in mean differences among genetic groups rather than in their ranking, where IB pigs consistently produced fatter carcasses, regardless of the finishing system. Liver weight in IB-EX pigs was lower by nearly 8% when compared with F-EX or IB-IN pigs, but the opposite pattern was found in F pigs, where liver weight in F-EX pigs was higher by 16% relative to IB-EX pigs or to F-IN pigs. The deposition of adipose tissue was much larger ( < 0.05) in IB pigs compared with F pigs, with means for fat depots in IB pigs that were higher by about 25% in total abdominal fat, 94% in dorsal fat depth, 72% in intermuscular plus subcutaneous fat in the leg, and over 300% in intramuscular fat (IMF). The deposition of lean tissue was much lower in IB pigs ( < 0.05), with means for trimmed loin weight corresponding to about one-half of the means obtained in F pigs, whereas lean percentage in the leg of IB pigs was about two-thirds of the mean in F pigs and the mean area of the LT was nearly one-half of that observed in F pigs in the same finishing system ( < 0.05). A strong correlation was observed between the various fat depots when the full data set was considered (correlations

Comparison of mouse, guinea pig and rabbit models for evaluation of plague subunit vaccine F1+rV270.

PubMed

Qi, Zhizhen; Zhou, Lei; Zhang, Qingwen; Ren, Lingling; Dai, Ruixia; Wu, Benchuan; Wang, Tang; Zhu, Ziwen; Yang, Yonghai; Cui, Baizhong; Wang, Zuyun; Wang, Hu; Qiu, Yefeng; Guo, Zhaobiao; Yang, Ruifu; Wang, Xiaoyi

2010-02-10

In this study, a new subunit vaccine that comprised native F1 and recombinant rV270 was evaluated for protective efficacy using mouse, guinea pig and rabbit models in comparison with the live attenuated vaccine EV76. Complete protection against challenging with 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU) of virulent Yersinia pestis strain 141 was observed for mice immunized with the subunit vaccines and EV76 vaccine. In contrast, the subunit vaccine recipes VII (F1-20 microg+rV270-10 microg) and IX (F1-40 microg+rV270-20 microg) and EV76 vaccine provided 86%, 79% and 93% protection against the same level of challenge in guinea pigs and 100%, 83% and 100% protection in rabbits, respectively. The immunized mice with the vaccines had significantly higher IgG titres than the guinea pigs and rabbits, and the immunized guinea pigs developed significantly higher IgG titres than the rabbits, but the anti-F1 response in guinea pigs was more variable than in the mice and rabbits, indicating that guinea pig is not an ideal model for evaluating protective efficacy of plague subunit vaccine, instead the rabbits could be used as an alternative model. All the immunized animals with EV76 developed a negligible IgG titre to rV270 antigen. Furthermore, analysis of IgG subclasses in the immunized animals showed a strong response for IgG1, whereas those receiving EV76 immunization demonstrated predominant production of IgG1 and IgG2a isotypes. The subunit vaccine and EV76 vaccine are able to provide protection for animals against Y. pestis challenge, but the subunit vaccines have obvious advantages over EV76 in terms of safety of use. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PIG2LIG-4FUTURE: a database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Ouahabi, A.; Martrat, B.; Lopez, J. F.; Grimalt, J. O.

2012-04-01

The ability to simulate the rhythm of abrupt climate changes (ACCs) will depend on the availability of high quality palæoclimate databases with sufficient temporal resolution to make relevant inferences from a human perspective. This study presents the PIG2LIG-4FUTURE database (P2L-4F db). The philosophy behind is to facilitate access to data not only for the scientific community, but also for those outside this community and, in doing so, ensure that the data are as useful as possible to help in answering a challenging key question: What is the risk of ACCs in periods similar to the present one? The P2L-4F db identifies an intra- and inter-event stratigraphy. A breakdown of the events in the PIG (present interglacial, time period from which more information is available and it is reasonably well dated) is defined in order to (2) identify ACCs in the LIG (last interglacial, much less known and dated period) for (4) better evaluation of the likelihood of sudden shifts within warm climate behaviour (i.e. next centuries, FUTURE). For this db, both the PIG and the LIG include deglaciation and interglacial states and they are referred to by means of chronostratigraphy: (i) the PIG refers to the last 19 ka years, i.e. a precessional cycle should be complete within the next 5 ka years; (ii) the LIG is the time span between 133 ka and 109 ka years, i.e. a time slot of 24 ka years, roughly a precessional cycle. The db compiles comprehensive selected palæo-data retrieved from a variety of sources (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov, http://www.pangaea.de and others) but also instrumental data, to validate reconstructions against observations (e.g. http://data.giss.nasa.gov, http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu, etc). The records included accomplish two simple criteria: they cover the time span of interest, specifically the PIG and the LIG periods, and have sufficient time resolution to distinguish between an ACC and a gradual event. The research has focussed on three main pal

Restored PB1-F2 in the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus Has Minimal Effects in Swine

PubMed Central

Pena, Lindomar; Loving, Crystal L.; Henningson, Jamie N.; Lager, Kelly M.; Lorusso, Alessio

2012-01-01

PB1-F2 is an 87- to 90-amino-acid-long protein expressed by certain influenza A viruses. Previous studies have shown that PB1-F2 contributes to virulence in the mouse model; however, its role in natural hosts—pigs, humans, or birds—remains largely unknown. Outbreaks of domestic pigs infected with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus (pH1N1) have been detected worldwide. Unlike previous pandemic strains, pH1N1 viruses do not encode a functional PB1-F2 due to the presence of three stop codons resulting in premature truncation after codon 11. However, pH1N1s have the potential to acquire the full-length form of PB1-F2 through mutation or reassortment. In this study, we assessed whether restoring the full-length PB1-F2 open reading frame (ORF) in the pH1N1 background would have an effect on virus replication and virulence in pigs. Restoring the PB1-F2 ORF resulted in upregulation of viral polymerase activity at early time points in vitro and enhanced virus yields in porcine respiratory explants and in the lungs of infected pigs. There was an increase in the severity of pneumonia in pigs infected with isogenic virus expressing PB1-F2 compared to the wild-type (WT) pH1N1. The extent of microscopic pneumonia correlated with increased pulmonary levels of alpha interferon and interleukin-1β in pigs infected with pH1N1 encoding a functional PB1-F2 but only early in the infection. Together, our results indicate that PB1-F2 in the context of pH1N1 moderately modulates viral replication, lung histopathology, and local cytokine response in pigs. PMID:22379102

The fecal presence of enterotoxin and F4 genes as an indicator of efficacy of treatment with colistin sulfate in pigs.

PubMed

Rhouma, Mohamed; Fairbrother, John Morris; Thériault, William; Beaudry, Francis; Bergeron, Nadia; Laurent-Lewandowski, Sylvette; Letellier, Ann

2017-01-05

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains producing multiple enterotoxins are important causes of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the fecal presence of ETEC enterotoxin as well as F4 and F18 genes as an indicator of colistin sulfate (CS) efficacy for treatment of PWD in pigs. Forty-eight piglets were weaned at the age of 21 days, and were divided into four groups: challenged treated, challenged untreated, unchallenged treated, and unchallenged untreated. Challenge was performed using 10 9  CFU of an ETEC: F4 strain, and treatment was conducted using oral CS at the dose of 50,000 IU/kg. The fecal presence of genes encoding for STa, STb, LT, F4 and F18 was detected using PCR. The PCR amplification of ETEC virulence genes showed that nearly 100% of pigs excreted genes encoding for STa and STb toxins in the feces before the challenge. These genes, in the absence of the gene encoding F4, were considered as a marker for F4-negative ETEC. One day after ETEC: F4 oral challenge pigs in the two challenged groups excreted the genes encoding LT and F4 in the feces. These genes were considered as a marker for F4-positive ETEC. However, the gene encoding F18 was not detected in any fecal samples of the 4 groups throughout the experiment. After only 3 days of successive oral treatment with CS, a significant reduction in both the F4-positive and negative ETEC populations was observed in the challenged treated group compared to the challenged untreated group (p < 0.0001). Our study is among the first to report that under controlled farming conditions, oral CS treatment had a significant effect on both fecal F4-positive and F4-negative ETEC in pigs. However, CS clinical efficiency was correlated with non-detection of F4-positive ETEC in the feces. Furthermore the fecal presence of F4-negative ETEC was not associated with clinical symptoms of post-weaning diarrhea in pigs.

Effects of diet form and feeder adjustment on growth performance of nursery and finishing pigs.

PubMed

Nemechek, J E; Tokach, M D; Dritz, S S; Fruge, E D; Hansen, E L; Goodband, R D; DeRouchey, J M; Woodworth, J C

2015-08-01

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeder adjustment and diet form on growth performance of nursery (Exp. 1 and 2) and finishing (Exp. 3) pigs. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial with the main effects of feeder adjustment and diet form. The 2 feeder adjustments were a narrow and wide feeder adjustment (minimum gap opening of 1.27 and 2.54 cm, respectively). The 3 diet forms were meal, poor-quality pellets (70% pellets and 30% fines for Exp. 1 and 2 and 50% pellets and 50% fines for Exp. 3), and screened pellets with minimal fines (3 to 10%). In Exp. 1, 210 pigs (initially 11.9 kg BW) were used in a 21-d trial with 7 pigs per pen and 5 pens per treatment. No feeder adjustment × diet form interactions were observed. There were no differences in ADG, ADFI, or G:F due to feeder adjustment. Pigs fed the meal diet had increased ( < 0.05) ADG and ADFI compared with pigs fed the poor-quality or screened pellets. Pigs fed meal or poor-quality pellets had decreased ( < 0.05) G:F compared with pigs fed screened pellets. In Exp. 2, 1,005 nursery pigs (initially 14.1 kg BW) were used in a 28-d trial with 26 to 28 pigs per pen and 6 pens per treatment. Pigs fed from the narrow feeder adjustment had decreased ( < 0.05) ADG and ADFI compared with pigs fed from the wide adjustment with no differences in G:F. Pigs fed the meal diet had decreased ( < 0.05) ADG compared with pigs fed poor-quality or screened pellets. Pigs fed meal or poor-quality pellets had decreased ( < 0.05) G:F compared with pigs fed screened pellets. In Exp. 3, 246 pigs (initially 56.8 kg BW) were used in a 69-d trial with 5 pens per treatment and 6 or 7 pigs per pen. Overall, ADFI decreased ( < 0.05) and G:F increased ( < 0.05) for pigs fed from the narrow adjusted feeders compared with the wide adjustment with no differences in ADG. Overall, pigs fed meal diets tended to have decreased ( < 0.10) ADG and had decreased ( < 0.05) G:F compared with pigs fed screened pellets

Oral immunization with F4 fimbriae and CpG formulated with carboxymethyl starch enhances F4-specific mucosal immune response and modulates Th1 and Th2 cytokines in weaned pigs.

PubMed

Delisle, Benjamin; Calinescu, Carmen; Mateescu, Mircea Alexandru; Fairbrother, John Morris; Nadeau, Éric

2012-01-01

F4 fimbriae are a potential candidate for an oral subunit vaccine for prevention of post-weaning diarrhea in swine due to infection with F4-positive enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. However, large quantities of F4 fimbriae are required to induce a specific antibody response. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of F4 fimbriae with Cytosine-phosphate-Guanosine-oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-A D19) or with complete cholera toxin (CT) as adjuvants on the F4-specific antibody response and cytokine production in weaned pigs following oral administration of F4 fimbrial antigen formulated with Carboxymethyl Starch (CMS). Oral dosage forms of F4 fimbriae alone or supplemented with CpG-A D19 or with CT were formulated with CMS as monolithic tablets, obtained by direct compression, and administered to weaned pigs. Blood and faecal samples were collected to determine the systemic and mucosal immune status of animals at various times until necropsy. During necropsy, contents of the jejunum and ileum were collected for determination of mucosal F4 specific antibodies. Segments of jejunum and ileum were also used to measure mRNA cytokine production. The presence of CpG in the formulation of the fimbriae significantly increased F4-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) IgM and IgG levels in intestinal secretions, and enhanced Th1 (Interferon-gamma / IFN-γ, Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha / TNF-α, Interleukin-12p40 / IL-12p40, IL-1β) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-6) cytokine production in intestinal tissues. Supplementation with CT did not result in induction of F4-specific antibodies in secretions, although a significant Th1 response (IFN-α, IFN-γ, IL-18) was detected in tissues. Neither F4-specific systemic antibodies, nor intestinally secreted IgA were detected throughout the immunization trial for all groups. CpG-A D19 appeared to be a promising adjuvant for an oral F4 subunit vaccine formulated with CMS excipient as monolithic tablets. This matrix afforded gastro

Effects of Increasing Space Allowance by Removing a Pig or Gate Adjustment on Finishing Pig Growth Performance.

PubMed

Carpenter, Corey B; Holder, Cheyenne J; Wu, Fanghou; Woodworth, Jason C; DeRouchey, Joel M; Tokach, Mike D; Goodband, Robert D; Dritz, Steve S

2018-05-03

A total of 256 pigs (initially 55.9 ± 4.88 kg) were used in a 71-d study to determine the effects of increasing space allowance and pig removal on pig growth performance. Pens of pigs were blocked by body weight (BW) and allotted to one of four space allowance treatments, initially with 8 pigs per pen and 8 pens per treatment. First two treatments included pens with 0.91 m2 per pig or 0.63 m2 per pig for the entire study; two additional treatments initially provided 0.63 m2 per pig, but either a gate was adjusted on d 28, 45, and 62 or the heaviest pig in the pen was removed from the pen on d 28 and 45 to provide more space and keep pigs in accordance with their predicted minimum space requirement [(m2) = 0.0336 × (BW, kg)0.67]. From d 0 to 14 (56 to 69 kg), there was no effect of stocking density observed for average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain:feed (G:F). From d 14 to 28 (69 to 83 kg), pigs provided 0.91 m2 had increased (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F compared with those allowed 0.63 m2. Pigs provided 0.91 m2 were marginally heavier (P = 0.081) on d 28 and had greater ADFI (P = 0.025) during d 28 to 45 than those provided 0.63 m2 or those that had the heaviest pig removed. From d 45 to 62 (98 to 116 kg), pigs provided 0.91 m2 were heavier (P < 0.01) than all others, while pigs provided 0.63 m2 had reduced ADFI compared to other treatments. From d 62 to 71 (116 to 124 kg), pigs provided 0.91 m2 and those with space adjustment treatments had greater (P < 0.05) ADG and ADFI than those provided 0.63 m2. Overall (56 to 124 kg), pigs provided 0.91 m2 had increased (P = 0.001) ADG compared with those allowed 0.63 m2 with pigs provided space adjustments intermediate. In summary, pigs with 0.91 m2 grew faster and consumed more feed than pigs restricted in space. As pigs reached the critical k value, gate adjustments and pig removals affected growth similarly. As pigs grew to the predicted space requirement and were subsequently allowed more

Genome-Wide Association Study of Meat Quality Traits in a White Duroc×Erhualian F2 Intercross and Chinese Sutai Pigs

PubMed Central

Ma, Junwu; Yang, Jie; Zhou, Lisheng; Zhang, Zhiyan; Ma, Huanban; Xie, Xianhua; Zhang, Feng; Xiong, Xinwei; Cui, Leilei; Yang, Hui; Liu, Xianxian; Duan, Yanyu; Xiao, Shijun; Ai, Huashui; Ren, Jun; Huang, Lusheng

2013-01-01

Thousands of QTLs for meat quality traits have been identified by linkage mapping studies, but most of them lack precise position or replication between populations, which hinder their application in pig breeding programs. To localize QTLs for meat quality traits to precise genomic regions, we performed a genome-wide association (GWA) study using the Illumina PorcineSNP60K Beadchip in two swine populations: 434 Sutai pigs and 933 F2 pigs from a White Duroc×Erhualian intercross. Meat quality traits, including pH, color, drip loss, moisture content, protein content and intramuscular fat content (IMF), marbling and firmness scores in the M. longissimus (LM) and M. semimembranosus (SM) muscles, were recorded on the two populations. In total, 127 chromosome-wide significant SNPs for these traits were identified. Among them, 11 SNPs reached genome-wise significance level, including 1 on SSC3 for pH, 1 on SSC3 and 3 on SSC15 for drip loss, 3 (unmapped) for color a*, and 2 for IMF each on SSC9 and SSCX. Except for 11 unmapped SNPs, 116 significant SNPs fell into 28 genomic regions of approximately 10 Mb or less. Most of these regions corresponded to previously reported QTL regions and spanned smaller intervals than before. The loci on SSC3 and SSC7 appeared to have pleiotropic effects on several related traits. Besides them, a few QTL signals were replicated between the two populations. Further, we identified thirteen new candidate genes for IMF, marbling and firmness, on the basis of their positions, functional annotations and reported expression patterns. The findings will contribute to further identification of the causal mutation underlying these QTLs and future marker-assisted selection in pigs. PMID:23724019

The Pig PeptideAtlas: a resource for systems biology in animal production and biomedicine

PubMed Central

Hesselager, Marianne O.; Codrea, Marius C.; Sun, Zhi; Deutsch, Eric W.; Bennike, Tue B.; Stensballe, Allan; Bundgaard, Louise; Moritz, Robert L.; Bendixen, Emøke

2016-01-01

Biological research of Sus scrofa, the domestic pig, is of immediate relevance for food production sciences, and for developing pig as a model organism for human biomedical research. Publicly available data repositories play a fundamental role for all biological sciences, and protein data repositories are in particular essential for the successful development of new proteomic methods. Cumulative proteome data repositories, including the PeptideAtlas, provide the means for targeted proteomics, system wide observations, and cross species observational studies, but pigs have so far been underrepresented in existing repositories. We here present a significantly improved build of the Pig PeptideAtlas, which includes pig proteome data from 25 tissues and three body fluid types mapped to 7139 canonical proteins. The content of the Pig PeptideAtlas reflects actively ongoing research within the veterinary proteomics domain, and this manuscript demonstrates how the expression of isoform-unique peptides can be observed across distinct tissues and body fluids. The Pig PeptideAtlas is a unique resource for use in animal proteome research, particularly biomarker discovery and for preliminary design of SRM assays, which are equally important for progress in research that supports farm animal production and veterinary health, as for developing pig models with relevance to human health research. PMID:26699206

Oral administration of a select mixture of Bacillus probiotics generates Tr1 cells in weaned F4ab/acR- pigs challenged with an F4+ ETEC/VTEC/EPEC strain.

PubMed

Zhou, Dong; Zhu, Yao-Hong; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Meng-Ling; Fan, Wen-Yi; Song, Dan; Yang, Gui-Yan; Jensen, Bent Borg; Wang, Jiu-Feng

2015-09-17

Although breeding of F4 receptor - negative (F4R(-)) pigs may prevent post-weaning diarrhea, the underlying immunity is poorly understood. Here, various doses of a Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis mixture (BLS-mix) were orally administered to F4ab/acR(-) pigs for 1 week before F4 (K88) - positive ETEC/VTEC/EPEC challenge. Administration of BLS-mix increased the percentage of Foxp3(-)IL-10(+) T cells but not of Foxp3(+)IL-10(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells among peripheral blood CD4(+) T cells. A low dose of BLS-mix feeding resulted in increased the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, and the transcription factors Foxp3 and T-bet mRNAs in the jejunum. Administration of either a low or high dose BLS-mix also led to an increase in the percentage of CD4(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells among intraepithelial lymphocytes and CD4(+)IL-10(+) T cells in the small intestinal Peyer's patches and the lamina propria of F4ab/acR(-) pigs following F4(+) ETEC/VTEC/EPEC challenge. The increased number of IL-10-producing CD4(+) T cells was attributed to an increase in the proportion of Foxp3(-)IL-10(+) Treg cells rather than Foxp3(+)IL-10(+) Treg cells. Our data indicate that oral administration of BLS-mix to newly weaned F4ab/acR(-) pigs ameliorates enteritis in an F4(+) ETEC/VTEC/EPEC model; however, induction of IL-10-producing Foxp3(-) Treg cells by BLS-mix administration cannot account for the protection of newly weaned F4ab/acR(-) pigs from F4(+) ETEC/VTEC/EPEC infection, and that excessive generation of CD4(+)IL-10(+) T cells following consumption of BLS-mix during episodes of intestinal inflammation that is caused by enteric pathogens might prohibit clearance of the pathogen. Select probiotic mixtures may allow for tailoring strategies to prevent infectious diseases.

The Pig PeptideAtlas: A resource for systems biology in animal production and biomedicine.

PubMed

Hesselager, Marianne O; Codrea, Marius C; Sun, Zhi; Deutsch, Eric W; Bennike, Tue B; Stensballe, Allan; Bundgaard, Louise; Moritz, Robert L; Bendixen, Emøke

2016-02-01

Biological research of Sus scrofa, the domestic pig, is of immediate relevance for food production sciences, and for developing pig as a model organism for human biomedical research. Publicly available data repositories play a fundamental role for all biological sciences, and protein data repositories are in particular essential for the successful development of new proteomic methods. Cumulative proteome data repositories, including the PeptideAtlas, provide the means for targeted proteomics, system-wide observations, and cross-species observational studies, but pigs have so far been underrepresented in existing repositories. We here present a significantly improved build of the Pig PeptideAtlas, which includes pig proteome data from 25 tissues and three body fluid types mapped to 7139 canonical proteins. The content of the Pig PeptideAtlas reflects actively ongoing research within the veterinary proteomics domain, and this article demonstrates how the expression of isoform-unique peptides can be observed across distinct tissues and body fluids. The Pig PeptideAtlas is a unique resource for use in animal proteome research, particularly biomarker discovery and for preliminary design of SRM assays, which are equally important for progress in research that supports farm animal production and veterinary health, as for developing pig models with relevance to human health research. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Energy and nutrient cycling in pig production systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lammers, Peter J.

United States pig production is centered in Iowa and is a major influence on the economic and ecological condition of that community. A pig production system includes buildings, equipment, production of feed ingredients, feed processing, and nutrient management. Although feed is the largest single input into a pig production system, nearly 30% of the non-solar energy use of a conventional--mechanically ventilated buildings with liquid manure handling--pig production system is associated with constructing and operating the pig facility. Using bedded hoop barns for gestating sows and grow-finish pigs reduces construction resource use and construction costs of pig production systems. The hoop based systems also requires approximately 40% less non-solar energy to operate as the conventional system although hoop barn-based systems may require more feed. The total non-solar energy input associated with one 136 kg pig produced in a conventional farrow-to-finish system in Iowa and fed a typical corn-soybean meal diet that includes synthetic lysine and exogenous phytase is 967.9 MJ. Consuming the non-solar energy results in emissions of 79.8 kg CO2 equivalents. Alternatively producing the same pig in a system using bedded hoop barns for gestating sows and grow-finish pigs requires 939.8 MJ/pig and results in emission of 70.2 kg CO2 equivalents, a reduction of 3 and 12% respectively. Hoop barn-based swine production systems can be managed to use similar or less resources than conventional confinement systems. As we strive to optimally allocate non-solar energy reserves and limited resources, support for examining and improving alternative systems is warranted.

Effect of Lactobacillus salivarius on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, fecal bacterial population and intestinal morphology of suckling pigs challenged with F4+ enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Sayan, Harutai; Assavacheep, Pornchalit; Angkanaporn, Kris; Assavacheep, Anongnart

2018-04-12

Gut health improvements were monitored with respect to growth performance, diarrhea incidence, fecal bacterial population and intestinal morphology of suckling pigs orally supplemented with live Lactobacillus salivarius oral suspensions and challenged with F4+ enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Two groups of newborn pigs from 18 multiparous sows were randomly designated as non-supplemented (control: n=114 piglets) and L. salivarius supplemented groups (treatment: n=87 piglets). Treatment pigs were orally administered with 2 ml of 109 CFU/ml L. salivarius on days 1 - 3, then they were orally administered with 5 ml of 109 CFU/ml L. salivarius on days 4 - 10, while those in control group received an equal amount of phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS). On day 24 (2 weeks post supplementation), one pig per replicate of both groups was orally administered with 108 CFU/ml F4+ ETEC, then they were euthanized on day 29 of experiment. Results revealed that pigs in treatment group had statistically significant in average daily gain (ADG), body weight and weight gain, and tended to lower diarrhea throughout the study. Numbers of Lactobacillus population in feces of treatment pigs were higher than control pigs, especially on day 10 of study. Numbers of total bacteria in intestinal contents of control pigs were also increased, but not Coliform and Lactobacillus populations. Histological examination revealed statistically significant improvement of villous height and villous/crypt ratio of duodenum, proximal jejunum and distal jejunum parts of treatment pigs better than control. Duodenal pH of treatment group was significantly decreased. Oral supplementation of live L. salivarius during the first 10 days of suckling pig promoted growth performance and guts health, reduced diarrhea incidence, and increased fecal Lactobacillus populations, and improved intestinal morphology.

Prevention of pneumonic plague in mice, rats, guinea pigs and non-human primates with clinical grade rV10, rV10-2 or F1-V vaccines

PubMed Central

Quenee, Lauriane E.; Ciletti, Nancy A.; Elli, Derek; Hermanas, Timothy M.; Schneewind, Olaf

2012-01-01

Yersinia pestis causes plague, a disease with high mortality in humans that can be transmitted by fleabite or aerosol. A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed plague vaccine is currently not available. Vaccine developers have focused on two subunits of Y. pestis: LcrV, a protein at the tip of type III secretion needles, and F1, the fraction 1 pilus antigen. F1-V, a hybrid generated via translational fusion of both antigens, is being developed for licensure as a plague vaccine. The rV10 vaccine is a non-toxigenic variant of LcrV lacking residues 271–300. Here we developed Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) protocols for rV10. Comparison of clinical grade rV10 with F1-V did not reveal significant differences in plague protection in mice, guinea pigs or cynomolgus macaques. We also developed cGMP protocols for rV10-2, a variant of rV10 with an altered affinity tag. Immunization with rV10-2 adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide elicited antibodies against LcrV and conferred pneumonic plague protection in mice, rats, guinea pigs, cynomolgus macaques and African Green monkeys. The data support further development of rV10-2 for FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) authorization review and clinical testing. PMID:21763383

Oral administration of citrus pulp reduces gasrointestinal recovery of orally dosed Escherichia coli F18 in weaned pigs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effects of citrus pulp (CTP), on the immune and cortisol responses to E. coli F18 inoculation and subsequent E. coli recovery were evaluated in newly weaned pigs (23.3 + 1.8 d of age). Barrows were assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups; with (CTP; n = 15) and without (Control; n = 15) the in-feed ...

Oral administration of citrus pulp reduces gastrointestinal recovery of orally dosed Escherichia coli F18 in weaned pigs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effects of citrus pulp (CTP) on the immune and cortisol responses to E. coli F18 inoculation and subsequent E. coli recovery were evaluated in newly weaned pigs (23.3 + 1.8 d of age). Barrows were assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups; with (CTP; n = 15) and without (Control; n = 15) the in-feed i...

Restored PB1-F2 into the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus has minimal effects in swine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

PB1-F2 is an 87-90 amino acid long protein expressed by certain influenza A viruses. Previous studies have shown that PB1-F2 contributes to virulence in the mouse model; however, its role in natural hosts - pigs, humans, or birds - remains largely unknown. Outbreaks of domestic pigs infected with th...

Avian influenza H9N2 seroprevalence among pig population and pig farm staff in Shandong, China.

PubMed

Li, Song; Zhou, Yufa; Zhao, Yuxin; Li, Wenbo; Song, Wengang; Miao, Zengmin

2015-03-01

Shandong province of China has a large number of pig farms with the semi-enclosed houses, allowing crowds of wild birds to seek food in the pig houses. As the carriers of avian influenza virus (AIV), these wild birds can easily pass the viruses to the pigs and even the occupational swine-exposed workers. However, thus far, serological investigation concerning H9N2 AIV in pig population and pig farm staff in Shandong is sparse. To better understand the prevalence of H9N2 AIV in pig population and pig farm staff in Shandong, the serum samples of pigs and occupational pig-exposed workers were collected and tested for the antibodies for H9N2 AIV by both hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and micro-neutralization (MN) assays. When using the antibody titers ≥40 as cut-off value, 106 (HI: 106/2176, 4.87%) and 84 (MN: 84/2176, 3.86%) serum samples of pigs were tested positive, respectively; 6 (HI: 6/287, 2.09%) and 4 (MN: 4/287, 1.39%) serum samples of the pig farm staff were positive, respectively; however, serum samples from the control humans were tested negative in both HI and MN assays. These findings revealed that there were H9N2 AIV infections in pig population and pig farm staff in Shandong, China. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to conduct the long-term surveillance of AIV in pig population and the pig farm staff.

Territoriality of feral pigs in a highly persecuted population on Fort Benning, Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparklin, B.D.; Mitchell, M.S.; Hanson, L.B.; Jolley, D.B.; Ditchkoff, S.S.

2009-01-01

We examined home range behavior of female feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in a heavily hunted population on Fort Benning Military Reservation in west-central Georgia, USA. We used Global Positioning System location data from 24 individuals representing 18 sounders (i.e., F social groups) combined with markrecapture and camera-trap data to evaluate evidence of territorial behavior at the individual and sounder levels. Through a manipulative experiment, we examined evidence for an inverse relationship between population density and home range size that would be expected for territorial animals. Pigs from the same sounder had extensive home range overlap and did not have exclusive core areas. Sounders had nearly exclusive home ranges and had completely exclusive core areas, suggesting that female feral pigs on Fort Benning were territorial at the sounder level but not at the individual level. Lethal removal maintained stable densities of pigs in our treatment area, whereas density increased in our control area; territory size in the 2 areas was weakly and inversely related to density of pigs. Territorial behavior in feral pigs could influence population density by limiting access to reproductive space. Removal strategies that 1) match distribution of removal efforts to distribution of territories, 2) remove entire sounders instead of individuals, and 3) focus efforts where high-quality food resources strongly influence territorial behaviors may be best for long-term control of feral pigs.

Systems genetics of obesity in an F2 pig model by genome-wide association, genetic network, and pathway analyses

PubMed Central

Kogelman, Lisette J. A.; Pant, Sameer D.; Fredholm, Merete; Kadarmideen, Haja N.

2014-01-01

Obesity is a complex condition with world-wide exponentially rising prevalence rates, linked with severe diseases like Type 2 Diabetes. Economic and welfare consequences have led to a raised interest in a better understanding of the biological and genetic background. To date, whole genome investigations focusing on single genetic variants have achieved limited success, and the importance of including genetic interactions is becoming evident. Here, the aim was to perform an integrative genomic analysis in an F2 pig resource population that was constructed with an aim to maximize genetic variation of obesity-related phenotypes and genotyped using the 60K SNP chip. Firstly, Genome Wide Association (GWA) analysis was performed on the Obesity Index to locate candidate genomic regions that were further validated using combined Linkage Disequilibrium Linkage Analysis and investigated by evaluation of haplotype blocks. We built Weighted Interaction SNP Hub (WISH) and differentially wired (DW) networks using genotypic correlations amongst obesity-associated SNPs resulting from GWA analysis. GWA results and SNP modules detected by WISH and DW analyses were further investigated by functional enrichment analyses. The functional annotation of SNPs revealed several genes associated with obesity, e.g., NPC2 and OR4D10. Moreover, gene enrichment analyses identified several significantly associated pathways, over and above the GWA study results, that may influence obesity and obesity related diseases, e.g., metabolic processes. WISH networks based on genotypic correlations allowed further identification of various gene ontology terms and pathways related to obesity and related traits, which were not identified by the GWA study. In conclusion, this is the first study to develop a (genetic) obesity index and employ systems genetics in a porcine model to provide important insights into the complex genetic architecture associated with obesity and many biological pathways that underlie

Direct cortical hemodynamic mapping of somatotopy of pig nostril sensation by functional near-infrared cortical imaging (fNCI).

PubMed

Uga, Minako; Saito, Toshiyuki; Sano, Toshifumi; Yokota, Hidenori; Oguro, Keiji; Rizki, Edmi Edison; Mizutani, Tsutomu; Katura, Takusige; Dan, Ippeita; Watanabe, Eiju

2014-05-01

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging technique for the noninvasive monitoring of human brain activation states utilizing the coupling between neural activity and regional cerebral hemodynamics. Illuminators and detectors, together constituting optodes, are placed on the scalp, but due to the presence of head tissues, an inter-optode distance of more than 2.5cm is necessary to detect cortical signals. Although direct cortical monitoring with fNIRS has been pursued, a high-resolution visualization of hemodynamic changes associated with sensory, motor and cognitive neural responses directly from the cortical surface has yet to be realized. To acquire robust information on the hemodynamics of the cortex, devoid of signal complications in transcranial measurement, we devised a functional near-infrared cortical imaging (fNCI) technique. Here we demonstrate the first direct functional measurement of temporal and spatial patterns of cortical hemodynamics using the fNCI technique. For fNCI, inter-optode distance was set at 5mm, and light leakage from illuminators was prevented by a special optode holder made of a light-shielding rubber sheet. fNCI successfully detected the somatotopy of pig nostril sensation, as assessed in comparison with concurrent and sequential somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) measurements on the same stimulation sites. Accordingly, the fNCI system realized a direct cortical hemodynamic measurement with a spatial resolution comparable to that of SEP mapping on the rostral region of the pig brain. This study provides an important initial step toward realizing functional cortical hemodynamic monitoring during neurosurgery of human brains. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Outbreak of influenza A (H3N2) in people and pigs at county fairs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

On July 11, 2012 a fair veterinarian was requested to examine an ill pig in the show barn. The following day additional pigs were reported as listless, anorexic, and febrile (up to 107F). The Board of Animal Health was notified of the situation on July 12th. Approximately 280 pigs were in attendance...

Taking advantage from phenotype variability in a local animal genetic resource: identification of genomic regions associated with the hairless phenotype in Casertana pigs.

PubMed

Schiavo, G; Bertolini, F; Utzeri, V J; Ribani, A; Geraci, C; Santoro, L; Óvilo, C; Fernández, A I; Gallo, M; Fontanesi, L

2018-04-19

Casertana is an endangered autochthonous pig breed (raised in south-central Italy) that is considered to be the descendant of the influential Neapolitan pig population that was used to improve British breeds in the 19th century. Casertana pigs are characterized by a typical, almost complete, hairless phenotype, even though a few Casertana pigs are normal haired. In this work, using Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip data, we carried out a genome-wide association study and an F ST analysis with this breed by comparing animals showing the classical hairless phenotype (n = 81) versus pigs classified as haired (n = 15). Combining the results obtained with the two approaches, we identified two significant regions: one on porcine chromosome (SSC) 7 and one on SSC15. The SSC7 region contains the forkhead box N3 (FOXN3) gene, the most plausible candidate gene of this region, considering that mutations in another gene of the same family (forkhead box N1; Foxn1 or FOXN1) are responsible for the nude locus in rodents and alopecia in humans. Another potential candidate gene, rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 10 (ARHGEF10), is located in the SSC15 region. FOXN3 and ARHGEF10 have been detected as differentially expressed in androgenetic and senescent alopecia respectively. This study on an autochthonous pig breed contributes to shed some light on novel genes potentially involved in hair development and growth and demonstrates that local animal breeds can be valuable genetic resources for disclosing genetic factors affecting unique traits, taking advantage of phenotype variability segregating in small populations. © 2018 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

The impact of flutamide on prostaglandin F2α synthase and prostaglandin F2α receptor expression, and prostaglandin F2α concentration in the porcine corpus luteum of pregnancy.

PubMed

Grzesiak, M; Knapczyk-Stwora, K; Slomczynska, M

2017-04-01

Recently, we have indicated that flutamide-induced androgen deficiency diminished progesterone production in the porcine corpus luteum (CL) during late pregnancy and before parturition, as a sign of functional luteolysis. In pigs, the main luteolytic factor is prostaglandin F 2α (PGF 2α ), which acts via specific receptors (PTGFRs), and its biosynthesis is catalyzed by prostaglandin F 2α synthase (PGFS). The present study investigated the impact of flutamide on luteal PGFS and PTGFR expression, as well as intraluteal PGF 2α content during pregnancy in pigs. Flutamide (50 mg/kg BW per day, for 7 d) or corn oil (control groups) were administered subcutaneously into pregnant gilts (n = 3 per group) between 83 and 89 (GD90) or 101-107 (GD108) days of gestation (GD). On GD90 and GD108 ovaries were collected and CLs were obtained. Real-time PCR and Western blot analyses were conducted to quantify PGFS and PTGFR mRNA and protein expression, respectively. In addition, immunohistochemical localization of both proteins was performed and the concentration of PGF 2α was analyzed by enzyme immunoassay method. Flutamide caused upregulation of PGFS mRNA and protein in GD90F (P = 0.008; P = 0.008, respectively) and GD108F (P = 0.041; P = 0.009, respectively) groups. The level of PTGFR mRNA increased only in the GD90F (P = 0.007) group, whereas PTGFR protein expression was greater in both gestational periods (P = 0.035; P = 0.038, respectively). On GD90 PGFS was immunolocalized in the cytoplasm of large luteal cells only, whereas on GD108, sparse small luteal cells also displayed positive staining. PTGFR showed membranous localization within large luteal cells on both days of pregnancy. In luteal tissue, PGF 2α concentration was greater after flutamide exposure on both days (P = 0.041; P = 0.038, respectively), when compared with control groups. Overall, the enhanced luteal PGF 2α content due to increased PGFS expression after flutamide administration might contribute to

Expression, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic data analysis of PigF, an O-­methyltransferase from the prodigiosin-synthetic pathway in Serratia

PubMed Central

Liu, Shaowei; Ran, Tingting; Shen, Xiang; Xu, Langlai; Wang, Weiwu; Xu, Dongqing

2012-01-01

Prodigiosin, which is a member of the prodiginines, is a red linear tripyrrole compound. A gene cluster for the biosynthesis of prodigiosin has been identified in Serratia and most genes in the cluster have been functionally assigned. A bifurcated biosynthetic pathway for prodigiosin has previously been determined. The last step in the biosynthetic pathway of 4-methoxy-2,2′-bipyrrole-5-­carbaldehyde (MBC) is catalyzed by PigF, which transfers a methyl group to 4-­hydroxy-2,2′-bipyrrole-5-carbaldehyde (HBC) to form the terminal product MBC, but its catalytic mechanism is not known. To elucidate its mechanism, recombinant PigF was purified and crystallized. The crystals belonged to space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 69.4, b = 52.4, c = 279.2 Å, β = 96.8°. The native crystals may contain six molecules in the asymmetric unit, with a V M of 2.17 Å3 Da−1 and a solvent content of 43.43%. A full data set was collected at 2.6 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation on beamline BL17U of Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), People’s Republic of China. Molecular replacement was unsuccessful. To solve the structure of PigF by experimental phasing, selenomethionine-derivativized protein crystals were prepared from a condition with 0.01 M spermidine as an additive. One crystal diffracted to 1.9 Å resolution and a full data set was collected on beamline BL17U at SSRF. The crystal belonged to space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 69.0, b = 52.9, c = 93.4 Å, β = 97.3°. Heavy-atom substructure determination and phasing by SAD clearly showed that the crystal contains two molecules in the asymmetric unit, with a V M of 2.19 Å3 Da−1 and a solvent content of 43.82%. PMID:22869117

Evaluation of the novel myocardial perfusion positron-emission tomography tracer 18F-BMS-747158-02: comparison to 13N-ammonia and validation with microspheres in a pig model.

PubMed

Nekolla, S G; Reder, S; Saraste, A; Higuchi, T; Dzewas, G; Preissel, A; Huisman, M; Poethko, T; Schuster, T; Yu, M; Robinson, S; Casebier, D; Henke, J; Wester, H J; Schwaiger, M

2009-05-05

Positron-emission tomography (PET) tracers for myocardial perfusion are commonly labeled with short-lived isotopes that limit their widespread clinical use. 18F-BMS-747158-02 (18F-BMS) is a novel pyridaben derivative that was evaluated for assessment of myocardial perfusion by comparison with 13N-ammonia (13NH3) and with radioactive microspheres in a pig model. Fourteen pigs injected with 500 MBq of 13NH3 or 100 to 200 MBq of 18F-BMS underwent dynamic PET at rest and during pharmacological stress. In 8 of these pigs, 18F-BMS was injected during stress combined with transient, 2.5-minute constriction of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Radioactive microspheres were coinjected with 18F-BMS. Ratios of myocardial tracer uptake to surrounding tissues were determined, and myocardial blood flow was quantified by compartmental modeling. Both tracers showed high and homogeneous myocardial uptake. Compared with 13NH3, 18F-BMS showed higher activity ratios between myocardium and blood (rest 2.5 versus 4.1; stress 2.1 versus 5.8), liver (rest 1.2 versus 1.8; stress 0.7 versus 2.0), and lungs (rest 2.5 versus 4.2; stress 2.9 versus 6.4). Regional myocardial blood flow assessed with 18F-BMS PET showed good correlation (r=0.88, slope=0.84) and agreement (mean difference -0.10 [25th percentile -0.3, 75th percentile 0.1 mL x min(-1) x g(-1)]) with that measured with radioactive microspheres over a flow range from 0.1 to 3.0 mL x min(-1) x g(-1). The extent of defects induced by left anterior descending coronary artery constriction measured by 18F-BMS and microspheres also correlated closely (r=0.63, slope=1.1). 18F-BMS-747158-02 is a very attractive new PET perfusion tracer that allows quantitative assessment of regional myocardial perfusion over a wide flow range. The long half-life of 18F renders this tracer useful for clinical PET/CT applications in the workup of patients with suspected or proven coronary artery disease.

Studies of guinea pig immunoglobulin isotype, idiotype and antiidiotype

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tirrell, S.M.

1988-01-01

Immunization of Guinea pigs with diphtheria toxoid generated antibodies of the IgG class that were capable of neutralizing native toxin in vivo. Sera from these animals were used to affinity purify idiotypic antibodies (AB1). AB1 vaccines derived from the IgG1 class and from F(ab{prime}){sub 2} of IgG1 + IgG2 (IgG1/2) classes were effective in inducing a syngeneic anti-idiotype (AB2) response. Animals immunized with AB1 consisting of both IgG1/2 did not elicit a detectable AB2 response. Binding of homologous {sup 125}I-F(ab{prime}){sub 2} (AB1) to the antiidiotype was inhibited 90% in the presence of DT.F(ab{prime}){sub 2} derived from preimmune serum or hadmore » no inhibitory effects on the idiotype-antiidiotype interactions. Two groups of outbred guinea pigs were vaccinated with alum absorbed F(ab{prime}){sub 2} of anti-idiotype IgG1/2 (AB2). Of the ten animals inoculated with AB2, three tested positive by RIA against {sup 125}I-DT. Two of the RIA positive sera contained antibodies that neutralized diphtheria toxin in a rabbit intracutaneous assay. Purification of guinea pig IgG by protein A-Sepharose affinity chromatography resulted in the separation of three distinct IgG populations.« less

Pathogenicity of 2 Porcine Deltacoronavirus Strains in Gnotobiotic Pigs

PubMed Central

Hu, Hui; Eyerly, Bryan; Lu, Zhongyan; Chepngeno, Juliet

2015-01-01

To verify whether porcine deltacoronavirus infection induces disease, we inoculated gnotobiotic pigs with 2 virus strains (OH-FD22 and OH-FD100) identified by 2 specific reverse transcription PCRs. At 21–120 h postinoculation, pigs exhibited severe diarrhea, vomiting, fecal shedding of virus, and severe atrophic enteritis. These findings confirm that these 2 strains are enteropathogenic in pigs. PMID:25811229

Production, performance, slaughter characteristics, and meat quality of Ziwuling wild crossbred pigs.

PubMed

Chen, Guoshun; Sui, Yanan

2018-02-01

Wild boars, because of their large size and ability to survive adverse conditions, are usually used to cross with domestic breeds to improve the quality of domesticated pigs. This study aimed to investigate the growth performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality of Ziwuling crossbred pigs. Crossbred pigs in four groups (n = 8 per group, 4 boars and 4 sows, all aged 100 days), F 1 [wild × B (Bamei)], F 1  × B, F 1  × Y (Yorkshire), and F 1  × F 1 , were selected at a commercial pig farm. Growth performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality of these crossbred pigs were determined. Characteristics of fatty acids, amino acids, and longissimus muscle fiber in relation to growth, carcass, and meat quality traits were also investigated. Pigs in F 1 and F 1  × F 1 groups had lower average daily weight gain, water and storage loss rates, larger meat color score, higher muscle amino acid levels, larger muscle fiber diameter, and higher ratio of flavor amino acids to unsaturated fatty acids compared to other groups. Crossbred pigs with higher rate of wild boar's consanguinity could improve production performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality. Thus, crossbreeding wild pig with domestic breeds might be an effective method to improve meat quality and flavor.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a single-dose live non-pathogenic Escherichia coli oral vaccine against F4-positive enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli challenge in pigs.

PubMed

Fairbrother, John Morris; Nadeau, Éric; Bélanger, Louise; Tremblay, Cindy-Love; Tremblay, Danielle; Brunelle, Mélanie; Wolf, Regina; Hellmann, Klaus; Hidalgo, Álvaro

2017-01-05

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains expressing F4 (K88) fimbriae (F4-ETEC) are one of the most important causes of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs. F4, a major antigen, plays an important role in the early steps of the infection. Herein, the efficacy of a live oral vaccine consisting of a non-pathogenic E. coli strain expressing F4 for protection of pigs against PWD was evaluated. Three blinded, placebo-controlled, block design, parallel-group confirmatory experiments were conducted, using an F4-ETEC PWD challenge model, each with a different vaccination-challenge interval (3, 7, and 21days). The pigs were vaccinated via the drinking water with a single dose of the Coliprotec® F4 vaccine one day post-weaning. Efficacy was assessed by evaluating diarrhea, clinical observations, intestinal fluid accumulation, weight gain, intestinal colonization and fecal shedding of F4-ETEC. The immune response was evaluated by measuring serum and intestinal F4-specific antibodies. The administration of the vaccine resulted in a significant reduction of the incidence of moderate to severe diarrhea, ileal colonization by F4-ETEC, and fecal shedding of F4-ETEC after the heterologous challenge at 7 and 21days post-vaccination. The 7-day onset of protection was associated with an increase of serum anti-F4 IgM whereas the 21-day duration of protection was associated with an increase of both serum anti-F4 IgM and IgA. Significant correlations between levels of serum and intestinal secretory anti-F4 antibodies were detected. Maternally derived F4-specific serum antibodies did not interfere with the vaccine efficacy. The evaluation of protection following a challenge three days after vaccination showed a reduction of the severity and the duration of diarrhea and of fecal shedding of F4-ETEC. The 7-day onset and the 21-day duration of protection induced by Coliprotec® F4 vaccine administered once in drinking water to pigs of at least 18days of age were confirmed by protection

Production performance, carcass composition, and adipose tissue traits of heavy pigs: influence of breed and production system.

PubMed

Lebret, B; Dourmad, J Y; Mourot, J; Pollet, P Y; Gondret, F

2014-08-01

Both breed and production systems are responsible for production efficiency and quality traits of pork. Effects of breed and production system within breed on growth, body fatness, and adipose tissues traits were assessed in the pure Basque (B, nonselected, local French) and conventional Large White (LW) breeds, reared either in a conventional (C, slatted floor), alternative (A, indoor straw bedding and outdoor area), or extensive (E, free range) system. A total of 100 castrated males were produced in 2 replicates, each involving 50 pigs distributed in 5 treatments based on breed and production system (i.e., BC, BA, BE, LWC, and LWA [10 pigs/group and per replicate]). From 35 kg BW to slaughter at around 145 kg BW, the BC, BA, LWC, and LWA pigs received the same growing and finishing diets, whereas the BE pigs had free access to the natural resources of the E pen and received a standard growing-finishing diet at restricted allowance according to the farming practices of the B pork chain. The B pigs had lower (P < 0.001) ADG and G:F than the LW pigs and were much older (P < 0.001) at slaughter. The LWA pigs had similar ADG but lower (P = 0.03) G:F than the LWC. Within the B breed, the BA had higher (P = 0.04) and the BE lower (P < 0.001) ADG compared with BC pigs. The B pigs had a higher (P < 0.001) carcass dressing an exhibited around 2-fold higher (P < 0.001) back fat proportion, perirenal fat weight and LM lipid content than the LW pigs. Compared with C, the A system decreased (P = 0.04) carcass dressing within LW but did not influence carcass traits within B pigs. The E system decreased (P ≤ 0.05) carcass dressing, back fat proportion, and LM lipid content in BE compared with BC pigs. The B pigs exhibited larger (P < 0.001) adipocytes in both subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) and LM than the LW pigs. Malic enzyme activity was higher in SCAT of B than LW pigs despite their greater fatness, and was higher (P ≤ 0.01) in BA but lower (P < 0.001) in BE than in

Catecholamine secretion by chemical hypoxia in guinea-pig, but not rat, adrenal medullary cells: differences in mitochondria.

PubMed

Harada, K; Endo, Y; Warashina, A; Inoue, M

2015-08-20

The effects of mitochondrial inhibitors (CN(-), a complex IV inhibitor and CCCP, protonophore) on catecholamine (CA) secretion and mitochondrial function were explored functionally and biochemically in rat and guinea-pig adrenal chromaffin cells. Guinea-pig chromaffin cells conspicuously secreted CA in response to CN(-) or CCCP, but rat cells showed a little, if any, secretory response to either of them. The resting metabolic rates in rat adrenal medullae did not differ from those in guinea-pig adrenal medullae. On the other hand, the time course of depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in guinea-pig chromaffin cells in response to CN(-) was slower than that in rat chromaffin cells, and this difference was abolished by oligomycin, an F1F0-ATPase inhibitor. The extent of CCCP-induced decrease in cellular ATP in guinea-pig chromaffin cells, which was indirectly measured using a Mg(2+) indicator, was smaller than that in rat chromaffin cells. Relative expression levels of F1F0-ATPase inhibitor factor in guinea-pig adrenal medullae were smaller than in rat adrenal medullae, and the opposite was true for F1F0-ATPase α subunit. The present results indicate that guinea-pig chromaffin cells secrete more CA in response to a mitochondrial inhibitor than rat chromaffin cells and this higher susceptibility in the former is accounted for by a larger extent of reversed operation of F1F0-ATPase with the consequent decrease in ATP under conditions where ΔΨm is depolarized. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Confirmation of Pig-a mutation in flow cytometry-identified CD48-deficient T-lymphocytes from F344 rats.

PubMed

Revollo, Javier; Pearce, Mason G; Petibone, Dayton M; Mittelstaedt, Roberta A; Dobrovolsky, Vasily N

2015-05-01

The Pig-a assay is used for monitoring somatic cell mutation in laboratory animals and humans. The assay detects haematopoietic cells deficient in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein surface markers using flow cytometry. However, given that synthesis of the protein markers (and the expression of their genes) is independent of the expression of the X-linked Pig-a gene and the function of its enzyme product, the deficiency of markers at the surface of the cells may be caused by a number of events (e.g. by mutation or epigenetic silencing in the marker gene itself or in any of about two dozen autosomal genes involved in the synthesis of GPI). Here we provide direct evidence that the deficiency of the GPI-anchored surface marker CD48 in rat T-cells is accompanied by mutation in the endogenous X-linked Pig-a gene. We treated male F344 rats with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), and established colonies from flow cytometry-identified and sorted CD48-deficient spleen T-lymphocytes. Molecular analysis confirmed that the expanded sorted cells have mutations in the Pig-a gene. The spectrum of Pig-a mutation in our model was consistent with the spectrum of ENU-induced mutation determined in other in vivo models, mostly base-pair substitutions at A:T with the mutated T on the non-transcribed strand of Pig-a genomic DNA. We also used next generation sequencing to derive a similar mutational spectrum from a pool of 64 clones developed from flow-sorted CD48-deficient lymphocytes. Our findings confirm that Pig-a assays detect what they are designed to detect-gene mutation in the Pig-a gene. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of two different dietary fermentable carbohydrates on activity and heat production in group-housed growing pigs.

PubMed

Rijnen, M M J A; Verstegen, M W A; Heetkamp, M J W; Schrama, J W

2003-05-01

The effects of two sources of dietary fiber (DF) on behavior and heat production (HP) in group-housed growing pigs were studied. Twenty clusters of 14 barrows (50 kg) were fed one of 10 diets. Diets differed mainly in type and content of fermentable DF (fDF) and in content of digestible starch. Five diets contained solvent-extracted coconut meal (SECM) and five diets contained soybean hulls (SBH) as the main fDF source. On an as-fed basis, pigs received 3.5, 13.2, 23.0, 32.7, or 42.4 g x kg(-0.75) x d(-1) of SECM or SBH. A total of 280 crossbred growing pigs were used, divided into clusters of 14 pigs each. Pigs were group-housed and fed at 2.5 times the assumed maintenance energy requirements. All clusters were fed similar amounts of NE, ileal-digestible protein and amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Consequently, DMI differed among diets because NE content decreased with increasing DF content. After a 32-d preliminary period, HP was measured per cluster during a 7-d experimental period in environmentally controlled respiration chambers. Behavior of the pigs was recorded using time-lapse video recordings during two different days within the experimental period. Intake of digestible starch and fDF was different (P < 0.001) among diets, whereas intake of digestible CP was similar among diets. On average, pigs spent 153 min standing, 42 min sitting, 202 min lying on their chest, and 1,043 min lying on their flanks each day. Pigs fed SECM diets spent, on average, less time (P < 0.05) lying on their chest than pigs fed SBH diets. Total time spent on physical activity (i.e., standing plus sitting, 195 min/d) was not affected by diet. Total HP and resting HP were affected by diet and were on average lower (P < 0.01) for pigs fed SECM diets than for pigs fed SBH diets. Activity-related heat production (AHP) averaged 65 kJ x kg(-0.75) x d(-1) and was not affected by diet. There was a linear relationship (P < 0.001) between fDF intake and HP, but there was no relationship

Genetic Characterization of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) in Pigs of Bhutan.

PubMed

Monger, V R; Loeffen, W L A; Kus, K; Stegeman, J A; Dukpa, K; Szymanek, K; Podgórska, K

2017-04-01

Porcine circovirus (PCV) is a small non-enveloped virus with a single-stranded circular DNA with two antigenically and genetically different species, PCV1 and PCV2. Among these two, PCV2 is responsible for multifactorial disease syndromes, the most important disease known as PCV2-systemic disease (PCV2-SD), previously known as post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). The epidemiological situation is dynamically changing and new strains including recombinant PCV2 have emerged in Asia. In Bhutan, pigs are important livestock and play a very important role in providing meat and income for rural farmers. Although high rate of pigs seropositive against PCV2 was described in Bhutan, there was no virological evidence for PCV2 infections. This study was conducted to confirm the presence of PCV2 through detection of PCV2 DNA and molecular characterization of PCV2 strains in tissue and blood samples collected from Bhutanese pigs. Porcine circovirus type 2 genome was detected in 16 of 34 tissue samples pigs from the government farm. In 9 pigs, very high level of viral replication indicated that PCV2-SD was detected. Phylogenetic analysis performed with a set of GenBank sequences revealed that the Bhutanese PCV2 strains belonged to the PCV2b genotype and grouped with cluster 1C. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Porcine circovirus type 2 antibody detection in backyard pigs from Mexico City.

PubMed

Ramírez-Mendoza, H; Martínez, C; Mercado, C; Castillo-Juárez, H; Hernández, J; Segalés, J

2007-08-01

PCV2 antibodies have been found in pigs from all continents. However, this finding has been mainly studied in domestic swine reared under intensive production conditions. Mexico City, with a human population over 19 million in 2005, has both urban and rural areas. The pig production in its rural area is based on small family backyard farms. Taking into account this rather unique form of rearing pigs, the objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence in backyard pigs from the rural area of Mexico City. A total of 695 backyard pig serum samples from 108 small family farms belonging to seven municipal areas were studied by immunoperoxidase monolayer assay technique. One hundred six out of the 108 family farms (98.14%) had at least one positive serum sample. On the other hand, 136 (19.57%), 264 (37.99%) and 248 (34.82%) pigs had low, intermediate and high titres to PCV2, respectively. Only 53 samples (7.63%) were negative for PCV2 antibodies. No apparent differences in antibody titre groups were observed among backyard pigs from the different municipal areas. In conclusion, the present study, the first one performed in this kind of extensively produced pigs, indicates that PCV2 is ubiquitous in backyard pigs from Mexico City.

Hairless pigmented guinea pigs: a new model for the study of mammalian pigmentation.

PubMed

Bolognia, J L; Murray, M S; Pawelek, J M

1990-09-01

A stock of hairless pigmented guinea pigs was developed to facilitate studies of mammalian pigmentation. This stock combines the convenience of a hairless animal with a pigmentary system that is similar to human skin. In both human and guinea pig skin, active melanocytes are located in the basal layer of the interfollicular epidermis. Hairless albino guinea pigs on an outbred Hartley background (CrI:IAF/HA(hr/hr)BR; designated hr/hr) were mated with red-haired guinea pigs (designated Hr/Hr). Red-haired heterozygotes from the F1 generation (Hr/hr) were then mated with each other or with hairless albino guinea pigs. The F2 generation included hairless pigmented guinea pigs that retained their interfollicular epidermal melanocytes and whose skin was red-brown in color. Following UV irradiation, there was an increase in cutaneous pigmentation as well as an increase in the number of active epidermal melanocytes. An additional strain of black hairless guinea pigs was developed using black Hr/Hr animals and a similar breeding scheme. These two strains should serve as useful models for studies of the mammalian pigment system.

Cardiomyopathy mutation (F88L) in troponin T abolishes length dependency of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity.

PubMed

Reda, Sherif M; Chandra, Murali

2018-05-18

Recent clinical studies have revealed a new hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-associated mutation (F87L) in the central region of human cardiac troponin T (TnT). However, despite its implication in several incidences of sudden cardiac death in young and old adults, whether F87L is associated with cardiac contractile dysfunction is unknown. Because the central region of TnT is important for modulating the muscle length-mediated recruitment of new force-bearing cross-bridges (XBs), we hypothesize that the F87L mutation causes molecular changes that are linked to the length-dependent activation of cardiac myofilaments. Length-dependent activation is important because it contributes significantly to the Frank-Starling mechanism, which enables the heart to vary stroke volume as a function of changes in venous return. We measured steady-state and dynamic contractile parameters in detergent-skinned guinea pig cardiac muscle fibers reconstituted with recombinant guinea pig wild-type TnT (TnT WT ) or the guinea pig analogue (TnT F88L ) of the human mutation at two different sarcomere lengths (SLs): short (1.9 µm) and long (2.3 µm). TnT F88L increases pCa 50 (-log [Ca 2+ ] free required for half-maximal activation) to a greater extent at short SL than at long SL; for example, pCa 50 increases by 0.25 pCa units at short SL and 0.17 pCa units at long SL. The greater increase in pCa 50 at short SL leads to the abolishment of the SL-dependent increase in myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity (ΔpCa 50 ) in TnT F88L fibers, ΔpCa 50 being 0.10 units in TnT WT fibers but only 0.02 units in TnT F88L fibers. Furthermore, at short SL, TnT F88L attenuates the negative impact of strained XBs on force-bearing XBs and augments the magnitude of muscle length-mediated recruitment of new force-bearing XBs. Our findings suggest that the TnT F88L -mediated effects on cardiac thin filaments may lead to a negative impact on the Frank-Starling mechanism. © 2018 Reda and Chandra.

Effects of irradiation of feed ingredients added to meal or pelleted diets on growth performance of weanling pigs.

PubMed

Groesbeck, C N; Derouchey, J M; Tokach, M D; Goodband, R D; Dritz, S S; Nelssen, J L

2009-12-01

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of irradiated ingredients in meal and pelleted diets on nursery pig performance. In Exp. 1, a total of 192 pigs (initial BW, 6.0 kg) were used in a 25-d experiment. Pigs were blocked by BW and randomly allotted in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with main effects of diet form (meal or pellet) and either irradiated (11.92 kGy) or nonirradiated spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP). Irradiated SDAP had less total bacterial amounts than nonirradiated SDAP, and pelleted diets also had less bacterial amounts than diets in meal form. However, the complete diets with and without irradiated SDAP had similar bacterial concentrations. There was a diet form x SDAP irradiation interaction (P < 0.05) for ADG from d 0 to 11 and d 0 to 25. Pigs fed irradiated SDAP in meal form had increased ADG compared with pigs fed the nonirradiated meal diet, with no change in ADG of pigs fed pelleted diets. In addition, from d 0 to 11, pigs fed irradiated SDAP or pelleted diets had greater G:F (P < 0.01) compared with pigs fed regular SDAP and meal diets, respectively. In Exp. 2, a total of 350 pigs (initial BW, 4.9 kg) were used in a 22-d experiment to determine the effects of feeding irradiated protein sources (SDAP, soybean meal, fish meal, or all 3) in meal and pellet diets on pig performance. Pigs were blocked by BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 10 treatments consisting of a single diet formulation fed in either meal or pellet form containing either no irradiated protein sources or irradiated SDAP, soybean meal, fish meal, or all 3 irradiated protein sources (10.20 kGy). Irradiated SDAP, soybean meal, and fish meal tended to have reduced total bacterial concentrations compared with nonirradiated plasma, and pelleted diets had reduced bacterial concentrations compared with diets in meal form. No irradiation x diet form interactions (P > 0.16) were observed. From d 0 to 11, pigs fed diets containing irradiated protein sources

Possible introgression of the VRTN mutation increasing vertebral number, carcass length and teat number from Chinese pigs into European pigs

PubMed Central

Yang, Jie; Huang, Lusheng; Yang, Ming; Fan, Yin; Li, Lin; Fang, Shaoming; Deng, Wenjiang; Cui, Leilei; Zhang, Zhen; Ai, Huashui; Wu, Zhenfang; Gao, Jun; Ren, Jun

2016-01-01

Vertnin (VRTN) variants have been associated with the number of thoracic vertebrae in European pigs, but the association has not been evidenced in Chinese indigenous pigs. In this study, we first performed a genome-wide association study in Chinese Erhualian pigs using one VRTN candidate causative mutation and the Illumina Porcine 60K SNP Beadchips. The VRTN mutation is significantly associated with thoracic vertebral number in this population. We further show that the VRTN mutation has pleiotropic and desirable effects on teat number and carcass (body) length across four diverse populations, including Erhualian, White Duroc × Erhualian F2 population, Duroc and Landrace pigs. No association was observed between VRTN genotype and growth and fatness traits in these populations. Therefore, testing for the VRTN mutation in pig breeding schemes would not only increase the number of vertebrae and nipples, but also enlarge body size without undesirable effects on growth and fatness traits, consequently improving pork production. Further, by using whole-genome sequence data, we show that the VRTN mutation was possibly introgressed from Chinese pigs into European pigs. Our results provide another example showing that introgressed Chinese genes greatly contributed to the development and production of modern European pig breeds. PMID:26781738

Plasma concentrations of 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGF-2 alpha, oestrone sulphate, oestradiol-17 beta and progesterone in pregnant guinea-pigs treated with polychlorinated biphenyls.

PubMed

Lundkvist, U; Kindahl, H

1989-09-01

Guinea-pigs treated by gavage with a total dose of 100 mg polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB: Clophen A50) during Days 17-61 of gestation had higher plasma concentrations of 15-keto-13,14-dihydroprostaglandin F-2 alpha, oestrone sulphate and oestradiol-17 beta during the later stages of gestation than did vehicle-treated guinea-pigs. No changes were observed in plasma progesterone concentrations. Our results provide no support for the hypothesis that an enzyme-induced decrease in progesterone concentrations is the main cause of the fetal death observed in PCB-treated guinea-pigs.

Use of pure glycerol in fattening heavy pigs.

PubMed

Della Casa, G; Bochicchio, D; Faeti, V; Marchetto, G; Poletti, E; Rossi, A; Garavaldi, A; Panciroli, A; Brogna, N

2009-01-01

Eighty Italian Duroc×Italian Large White pigs (BW 42.6±3.37kg) were used to determine the effects of pure glycerol on growth performance and meat quality of heavy pigs. Pigs were divided into five groups receiving 0% (control), 5% or 10% during the growing and finishing phases (42.6-160kg BW) (G+F5,G+F10) or 5% or 10% during the finishing period (100-160kg BW) (FIN5,FIN10) of pure glycerol in substitution for maize meal (on a dry matter basis). The pigs were slaughtered at approximately 160kg BW. The growth performance of pigs fed 5% glycerol did not differ from controls regardless of feeding duration, whereas those fed 10% glycerol showed reduced growth and poorer feed:gain ratio. Fat quality and meat suitability for raw ham curing were not affected by dietary treatment. Differences were not consistent enough to draw any conclusion about the effects of feeding glycerol on sensory characteristics.

Physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes of meat from heavy-weight Iberian and F1 Large White x Landrace pigs finished intensively or in free-range conditions.

PubMed

Almeida, J; Bressan, M C; Santos-Silva, J; Moreira, O; Bettencourt, C; Gama, L T

2018-05-15

Iberian (IB, n=60) and crossbred Large White*Landrace (F1, n=58) pigs were slaughtered at 160 kg, after finishing under intensive conditions or on pasture and acorns. The study was carried out as a factorial arrangement of treatments, and physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of meat were assessed in L. thoracis samples. Physical characteristics included the assessment of drip loss, cooking loss, shear force and color coordinates in meat samples processed at 2 d and 9 d post mortem. The interactions of genetic group and finishing system were significant (P<0.05) for cooking loss in meat aged for 9 d and for sensorial tenderness and global acceptability of meat, but none of the other physicochemical, color coordinates and sensory variables analyzed showed a significant interaction. Genetic group was the main factor influencing the variables analyzed, with a major (P<0.01) influence on all meat physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes. Relative to F1 pigs, the IB produced meat with higher IMF content and marbling score, more appealing color coordinates, lower shear force and higher sensorial tenderness. The finishing systems affected (P<0.05) most physical characteristics, but not chemical composition of meat and their impact on sensory properties was small. The tenderness, juiciness and global acceptability of meat were much higher in IB, and flavor was also more desirable, but the difference was smaller. The differences in sensory properties between meats originating from the 2 genetic groups were largely explained by the higher fat deposition in IB pigs, such that a higher level of marbling was positively associated with all the sensory attributes evaluated. Ageing meat for up to 9 d post mortem benefited pork quality, improving meat tenderness and color, particularly in crossbred pigs and those finished intensively.

Neurokinin-3 Receptor Binding in Guinea Pig, Monkey, and Human Brain: In Vitro and in Vivo Imaging Using the Novel Radioligand, [18F]Lu AF10628.

PubMed

Varnäs, Katarina; Finnema, Sjoerd J; Stepanov, Vladimir; Takano, Akihiro; Tóth, Miklós; Svedberg, Marie; Møller Nielsen, Søren; Khanzhin, Nikolay A; Juhl, Karsten; Bang-Andersen, Benny; Halldin, Christer; Farde, Lars

2016-08-01

Previous autoradiography studies have suggested a marked interspecies variation in the neuroanatomical localization and expression levels of the neurokinin 3 receptor, with high density in the brain of rat, gerbil, and guinea pig, but at the time offered no conclusive evidence for its presence in the human brain. Hitherto available radioligands have displayed low affinity for the human neurokinin 3 receptor relative to the rodent homologue and may thus not be optimal for cross-species analyses of the expression of this protein. A novel neurokinin 3 receptor radioligand, [(18)F]Lu AF10628 ((S)-N-(cyclobutyl(3-fluorophenyl)methyl)-8-fluoro-2-((3-[(18)F]-fluoropropyl)amino)-3-methyl-1-oxo-1,2-dihydroisoquinoline-4-carboxamide), was synthesized and used for autoradiography studies in cryosections from guinea pig, monkey, and human brain as well as for positron emission tomography studies in guinea pig and monkey. The results confirmed previous observations of interspecies variation in the neurokinin 3 receptor brain localization with more extensive distribution in guinea pig than in primate brain. In the human brain, specific binding to the neurokinin 3 receptor was highest in the amygdala and in the hypothalamus and very low in other regions examined. Positron emission tomography imaging showed a pattern consistent with that observed using autoradiography. The radioactivity was, however, found to accumulate in skull bone, which limits the use of this radioligand for in vivo quantification of neurokinin 3 receptor binding. Species differences in the brain distribution of neurokinin 3 receptors should be considered when using animal models for predicting human neurokinin 3 receptor pharmacology. For positron emission tomography imaging of brain neurokinin 3 receptors, additional work is required to develop a radioligand with more favorable in vivo properties. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Effects of pelleting conditioner retention time on nursery pig growth performance.

PubMed

Lewis, L L; Stark, C R; Fahrenholz, A C; Goncalves, M A D; DeRouchey, J M; Jones, C K

2015-03-01

A total of 180 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 12.6 kg) were used in an 18-d study to determine the effects of pellet mill conditioning parameters and feed form on pig performance. All diets were similar, and different feed processing parameters were used to create experimental treatments. Factors considered were conditioning time (15, 30, or 60 s) and feed form (mash or pelleted). To remove the confounding factor of feed form, pelleted samples were reground to a similar particle size as the mash diet. Treatments included: 1) mash diet without thermal processing (negative control), 2) pelleted diet conditioned for 30 s (positive control), 3) pelleted diet conditioned for 15 s and reground, 4) pelleted diet conditioned for 30 s and reground, and 5) pelleted diet conditioned for 60 s and reground. Pigs were weaned and fed a common acclimation diet for 21 d before the start of the experiment. Growth and feed disappearance were then measured for 18 d. All diets had similar levels of percentage total starch, but thermally processed diets had a 1.67 to 1.87-fold increase in percentage gelatinized starch compared to the mash diet. Average daily gain and G:F did not differ between treatments overall, but pigs fed the positive control pelleted diet had decreased ADFI ( < 0.05) compared to pigs fed all other diets. Preplanned contrasts revealed that pigs fed mash diets tended to have greater ADG ( < 0.10) compared to those fed pelleted and reground diets. This suggests that processing may have had a negative influence on feed utilization, which is further supported by the finding that pigs fed mash diets tended to have greater ADG ( < 0.10) compared to those fed diets that were thermally processed, regardless of regrinding. Considering these results, it was not surprising that pigs fed mash diets had greater ADG and ADFI ( < 0.05) than those fed pelleted diets. When directly comparing diets conditioned at 60 rpm, fed either as whole pellets or reground to mash

Effects of space allocations and energy levels on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in growing and finishing pigs.

PubMed

Lei, X J; Yan, L; Kim, Y M; Kim, I H

2018-02-01

Two experiments were conducted to investigate effects of different space allocations and different dietary metabolizable energy (ME) levels on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in growing and finishing pigs. In experiment 1, a total of 84 growing pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc] with an initial body weight (BW) of 27.10 ± 1.60 kg were used in a 5-week trial. Pigs were blocked based on initial BW into a 2 × 2 factorial design with the following factors: (i) 0.60 or 0.80 m 2 /pig space allocations; and (ii) 3,400 or 3,550 kcal/kg ME of diets. In experiment 2, a total of 84 finishing pigs with an initial BW of 67.43 ± 1.97 kg were used in a 10-week trial. Pigs were allotted based on initial BW into a 2 × 2 factorial design with the following factors: (i) 0.81 or 1.08 m 2 /pig space allocations; and (ii) 3,300 or 3,450 kcal/kg ME of diet. In experiment 1, high ME diet improved gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) in pigs with low space allocation but not in pigs in high space allocation (p < .05). Additionally, high ME diet increased apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nitrogen in low space allocation but decreased ATTD of nitrogen in high space allocation (p < .05). In experiment 2, high ME diet improved average daily gain (ADG) and G:F in early-finishing pigs with low space allocation but not in pigs with high space allocation (p < .05). In conclusion, the provision of high ME diets was not enough to overcome the reduction in growth performance due to low space allocation but can improve feed efficiency in growing pigs and daily gain and feed efficiency early-finishing pigs. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Distribution of ORF2 and ORF3 genotypes of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) in wild boars and domestic pigs in Germany.

PubMed

Reiner, Gerald; Bronnert, Bastian; Hohloch, Corinna; Reinacher, Manfred; Willems, Hermann

2011-03-24

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2), the essential infectious agent in PCVD (porcine circovirus diseases) circulates at high rates among domestic pig and wild boar populations. Wild boars may be viremic and shed the virus with excretions and secretions, and thus serve as a reservoir for domestic pig PCV-2 infection. We hypothesize that PCV-2 strains circulating in wild boars and in domestic pigs are significantly different and thus, partially independent. To prove this hypothesis, the present study investigated by sequence analysis the distribution of ORF2 and ORF3 genotypes of the PCV-2 genome within wild boars (n=40) and domestic pigs (n=60) from overlapping greater areas of Germany. The genotypes were compared with PCV-2 sequences from the Genbank database. The dominating genotype in domestic pigs was PCV-2b (98.4% of infected pigs), while only 4.8% of them were infected with PCV-2a. The corresponding prevalences of PCV-2a and -2b genotypes in wild boars were 58% and 70%, respectively. When also ORF3 genotypes were taken into account, more than 50% of wild boar PCV-2 genotypes were rare among German and European domestic pigs. In conclusion, these data provide evidence for a certain independence of PCV-2 infections in both species and a low chance for domestic pigs to be infected with PCV-2 of wild boar origin. On the other hand, PCV-2 genotypes specific for domestic pigs are also common in wild boars, although at lower frequencies, suggesting the spread of domestic pig PCV-2 to the wild boar population. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Infectivity and Transmissibility of Avian H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Pigs

PubMed Central

Wang, Jia; Wu, Maocai; Hong, Wenshan; Fan, Xiaohui; Chen, Rirong; Zheng, Zuoyi; Zeng, Yu; Huang, Ren; Zhang, Yu; Lam, Tommy Tsan-Yuk; Smith, David K.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The H9N2 influenza viruses that are enzootic in terrestrial poultry in China pose a persistent pandemic threat to humans. To investigate whether the continuous circulation and adaptation of these viruses in terrestrial poultry increased their infectivity to pigs, we conducted a serological survey in pig herds with H9N2 viruses selected from the aquatic avian gene pool (Y439 lineage) and the enzootic terrestrial poultry viruses (G1 and Y280 lineages). We also compared the infectivity and transmissibility of these viruses in pigs. It was found that more than 15% of the pigs sampled from 2010 to 2012 in southern China were seropositive to either G1 or Y280 lineage viruses, but none of the sera were positive to the H9 viruses from the Y439 lineage. Viruses of the G1 and Y280 lineages were able to infect experimental pigs, with detectable nasal shedding of the viruses and seroconversion, whereas viruses of the Y439 lineage did not cause a productive infection in pigs. Thus, adaptation and prevalence in terrestrial poultry could lead to interspecies transmission of H9N2 viruses from birds to pigs. Although H9N2 viruses do not appear to be continuously transmissible among pigs, repeated introductions of H9 viruses to pigs naturally increase the risk of generating mammalian-adapted or reassorted variants that are potentially infectious to humans. This study highlights the importance of monitoring the activity of H9N2 viruses in terrestrial poultry and pigs. IMPORTANCE H9N2 subtype of influenza viruses has repeatedly been introduced into mammalian hosts, including humans and pigs, so awareness of their activity and evolution is important for influenza pandemic preparedness. However, since H9N2 viruses usually cause mild or even asymptomatic infections in mammalian hosts, they may be overlooked in influenza surveillance. Here, we found that the H9N2 viruses established in terrestrial poultry had higher infectivity in pigs than those from aquatic birds, which

Infectivity and Transmissibility of Avian H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Pigs.

PubMed

Wang, Jia; Wu, Maocai; Hong, Wenshan; Fan, Xiaohui; Chen, Rirong; Zheng, Zuoyi; Zeng, Yu; Huang, Ren; Zhang, Yu; Lam, Tommy Tsan-Yuk; Smith, David K; Zhu, Huachen; Guan, Yi

2016-01-13

The H9N2 influenza viruses that are enzootic in terrestrial poultry in China pose a persistent pandemic threat to humans. To investigate whether the continuous circulation and adaptation of these viruses in terrestrial poultry increased their infectivity to pigs, we conducted a serological survey in pig herds with H9N2 viruses selected from the aquatic avian gene pool (Y439 lineage) and the enzootic terrestrial poultry viruses (G1 and Y280 lineages). We also compared the infectivity and transmissibility of these viruses in pigs. It was found that more than 15% of the pigs sampled from 2010 to 2012 in southern China were seropositive to either G1 or Y280 lineage viruses, but none of the sera were positive to the H9 viruses from the Y439 lineage. Viruses of the G1 and Y280 lineages were able to infect experimental pigs, with detectable nasal shedding of the viruses and seroconversion, whereas viruses of the Y439 lineage did not cause a productive infection in pigs. Thus, adaptation and prevalence in terrestrial poultry could lead to interspecies transmission of H9N2 viruses from birds to pigs. Although H9N2 viruses do not appear to be continuously transmissible among pigs, repeated introductions of H9 viruses to pigs naturally increase the risk of generating mammalian-adapted or reassorted variants that are potentially infectious to humans. This study highlights the importance of monitoring the activity of H9N2 viruses in terrestrial poultry and pigs. H9N2 subtype of influenza viruses has repeatedly been introduced into mammalian hosts, including humans and pigs, so awareness of their activity and evolution is important for influenza pandemic preparedness. However, since H9N2 viruses usually cause mild or even asymptomatic infections in mammalian hosts, they may be overlooked in influenza surveillance. Here, we found that the H9N2 viruses established in terrestrial poultry had higher infectivity in pigs than those from aquatic birds, which suggests that adaptation of

Development of equations to predict the influence of floor space on average daily gain, average daily feed intake and gain : feed ratio of finishing pigs.

PubMed

Flohr, J R; Dritz, S S; Tokach, M D; Woodworth, J C; DeRouchey, J M; Goodband, R D

2018-05-01

Floor space allowance for pigs has substantial effects on pig growth and welfare. Data from 30 papers examining the influence of floor space allowance on the growth of finishing pigs was used in a meta-analysis to develop alternative prediction equations for average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain : feed ratio (G : F). Treatment means were compiled in a database that contained 30 papers for ADG and 28 papers for ADFI and G : F. The predictor variables evaluated were floor space (m2/pig), k (floor space/final BW0.67), Initial BW, Final BW, feed space (pigs per feeder hole), water space (pigs per waterer), group size (pigs per pen), gender, floor type and study length (d). Multivariable general linear mixed model regression equations were used. Floor space treatments within each experiment were the observational and experimental unit. The optimum equations to predict ADG, ADFI and G : F were: ADG, g=337.57+(16 468×k)-(237 350×k 2)-(3.1209×initial BW (kg))+(2.569×final BW (kg))+(71.6918×k×initial BW (kg)); ADFI, g=833.41+(24 785×k)-(388 998×k 2)-(3.0027×initial BW (kg))+(11.246×final BW (kg))+(187.61×k×initial BW (kg)); G : F=predicted ADG/predicted ADFI. Overall, the meta-analysis indicates that BW is an important predictor of ADG and ADFI even after computing the constant coefficient k, which utilizes final BW in its calculation. This suggests including initial and final BW improves the prediction over using k as a predictor alone. In addition, the analysis also indicated that G : F of finishing pigs is influenced by floor space allowance, whereas individual studies have concluded variable results.

Novel transgenic pigs with enhanced growth and reduced environmental impact

PubMed Central

Yang, Huaqiang; Liu, Dewu; Cai, Gengyuan; Li, Guoling; Mo, Jianxin; Wang, Dehua; Zhong, Cuili; Wang, Haoqiang; Sun, Yue; Shi, Junsong; Zheng, Enqin; Meng, Fanming; Zhang, Mao; He, Xiaoyan; Zhou, Rong; Zhang, Jian; Huang, Miaorong; Zhang, Ran; Li, Ning; Fan, Mingzhe; Yang, Jinzeng

2018-01-01

In pig production, inefficient feed digestion causes excessive nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen to be released to the environment. To address the issue of environmental emissions, we established transgenic pigs harboring a single-copy quad-cistronic transgene and simultaneously expressing three microbial enzymes, β-glucanase, xylanase, and phytase in the salivary glands. All the transgenic enzymes were successfully expressed, and the digestion of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) and phytate in the feedstuff was enhanced. Fecal nitrogen and phosphorus outputs in the transgenic pigs were reduced by 23.2–45.8%, and growth rate improved by 23.0% (gilts) and 24.4% (boars) compared with that of age-matched wild-type littermates under the same dietary treatment. The transgenic pigs showed an 11.5–14.5% improvement in feed conversion rate compared with the wild-type pigs. These findings indicate that the transgenic pigs are promising resources for improving feed efficiency and reducing environmental impact. PMID:29784082

Activities of tigecycline (GAR-936) against Legionella pneumophila in vitro and in guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia.

PubMed

Edelstein, Paul H; Weiss, William J; Edelstein, Martha A C

2003-02-01

The activities of tigecycline (Wyeth Research) against extracellular and intracellular Legionella pneumophila and for the treatment of guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia were studied. The tigecycline MIC at which 50% of strains are inhibited for 101 different Legionella sp. strains was 4 micro g/ml versus 0.125 and 0.25 micro g/ml for azithromycin and erythromycin, respectively. Tigecycline was about as active as erythromycin (tested at 1 micro g/ml) against the F889 strain of L. pneumophila grown in guinea pig alveolar macrophages and more active than erythromycin against the F2111 strain. Azithromycin (0.25 micro g/ml) was more active than (F889) or as active as (F2111) tigecycline (1 micro g/ml) in the macrophage model. When tigecycline was given (7.5 mg/kg of body weight subcutaneously once) to guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia, the mean peak serum and lung levels were 2.3 and 1.8 micro g/ml (1.2 and 1.5 micro g/g) at 1 and 2 h postinjection, respectively. The serum and lung areas under the concentration time curve from 0 to 24 h were 13.7 and 15.8 micro g. h/ml, respectively. Thirteen of 16 guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia treated with tigecycline (7.5 mg/kg subcutaneously once daily for 5 days) survived for 7 days post-antimicrobial therapy, as did 11 of 12 guinea pigs treated with azithromycin (15 mg/kg intraperitoneally once daily for 2 days). None of 12 guinea pigs treated with saline survived. Tigecycline-treated guinea pigs had average end of therapy lung counts of 1 x 10(6) CFU/g (range, 2.5 x 10(4) to 3.2 x 10(6) CFU/g) versus <1 x 10(2) CFU/g for azithromycin (range, undetectable to 100 CFU/g). A second guinea pig study examined the ability of tigecycline to clear L. pneumophila from the lung after 5 to 9 days of therapy; bacterial concentrations 1 day posttherapy ranged from log(10) 4.2 to log(10) 5.5 CFU/g for four different dosing regimens. Tigecycline is about as effective as erythromycin against intracellular L

Generation of GHR-modified pigs as Laron syndrome models via a dual-sgRNAs/Cas9 system and somatic cell nuclear transfer.

PubMed

Yu, Honghao; Long, Weihu; Zhang, Xuezeng; Xu, Kaixiang; Guo, Jianxiong; Zhao, Heng; Li, Honghui; Qing, Yubo; Pan, Weirong; Jia, Baoyu; Zhao, Hong-Ye; Huang, Xingxu; Wei, Hong-Jiang

2018-02-27

Laron syndrome is an autosomal disease resulting from mutations in the growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene. The only therapeutic treatment for Laron syndrome is recombinant insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), which has been shown to have various side effects. The improved Laron syndrome models are important for better understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and developing corresponding therapeutics. Pigs have become attractive biomedical models for human condition due to similarities in anatomy, physiology, and metabolism relative to humans, which could serve as an appropriate model for Laron syndrome. To further improve the GHR knockout (GHRKO) efficiency and explore the feasibility of precise DNA deletion at targeted sites, the dual-sgRNAs/Cas9 system was designed to target GHR exon 3 in pig fetal fibroblasts (PFFs). The vectors encoding sgRNAs and Cas9 were co-transfected into PFFs by electroporation and GHRKO cell lines were established by single cell cloning culture. Two biallelic knockout cell lines were selected as the donor cell line for somatic cell nuclear transfer for the generation of GHRKO pigs. The genotype of colonies, cloned fetuses and piglets were identified by T7 endonuclease I (T7ENI) assay and sequencing. The GHR expression in the fibroblasts and piglets was analyzed by confocal microscopy, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR), western blotting (WB) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The phenotype of GHRKO pigs was recapitulated through level detection of IGF-I and glucose, and measurement of body weight and body size. GHRKO F1 generation were generated by crossing with wild-type pigs, and their genotype was detected by T7ENI assay and sequencing. GHRKO F2 generation was obtained via self-cross of GHRKO F1 pigs. Their genotypes of GHRKO F2 generation was also detected by Sanger sequencing. In total, 19 of 20 single-cell colonies exhibited biallelic modified GHR (95%), and the efficiency of DNA deletion mediated by dual

Differential growth of allogeneic bone marrow and leukemia cells in irradiated guinea pigs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhan, A,K.; Kumar, V.; Bennett, M.

1979-11-01

Growth of normal bone marrow and L/sub 2/C leukemia cell grafts was studied in lethally irradiated strain 2 and strain 13 guinea pigs. Allogeneic bone marrow cells proliferated as well as syngeneic cells in both strain 2 and 13 animals. This observation indicates that Ia disparities are not relevant to marrow graft rejection in the guinea pig. Both Ia positive and Ia negative L/sub 2/C leukemia cells of strain 2 origin grew well in the spleen of irradiated strain 2 animals. However, irradiated strain 13 animals showed resistance to the growth of both leukemia cell lines. F/sub 1/ hybrids (2more » x 13) also showed resistance to the growth of the leukemia cells. These observations suggest the existence of an effector system capable of mediating natural resistance to L/sub 2/C cells in unimmunized strain 13 and F/sub 1/ guinea pigs. The nature of antigens recognized by these radiation resistant effector cells are not entirely clear. However, Ia antigens, or tumor-associated antigens dependent upon Ia antigens for immunogenicity, do not seem to be the primary targets in this phenomenon.« less

The predictive power of the elimination of dioxin-like pollutants from pigs: an in vivo study.

PubMed

Shen, Heqing; Henkelmann, Bernhard; Rambeck, Walter Albert; Mayer, Richard; Wehr, Ulrich; Schramm, Karl-Werner

2012-01-01

Pigs accidentally given feed contaminated by dioxin-like pollutants are a serious public health issue. We have examined whether pigs with limited exposure during early periods of fattening would be categorized as non-compliant with the EU limit at slaughtering when growth-dilution, excretion and metabolism effects are considered. Sixteen female and sixteen castrated male weaned pigs were divided into four groups (e.g. DG0, DG1, DG2 and DG3) in week 2 after birth. From weeks 3 to 13, groups DG1, DG2, and DG3 pigs were fed with a polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture at dosages of 1, 10 and 100ng-toxic equivalent (TEQ) per kg dry mass feed in capsules, respectively. From weeks 13 to 23, the animals were nourished with clear feed. Control group DG0 was always fed with clear feed. Subcutaneous fat samples were collected at weeks 13, 18 and 23 by biopsies. The pollutant residues were analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry and quantified by a (13)C-isotope dilution method. The results showed the following: (1) when slaughtered at week 23, the TEQ for DG1 pigs (0.66±0.21pg/g fat) was under the EU limit of 1pg PCDD/F-TEQ/g fat; (2) PCDD/F congener-specific first-order elimination rates were linearly correlated with their toxicity equivalency factors (TEFs), and the rates were significantly dose-dependent for the more toxic congeners (TEF≥0.1). Therefore, the pigs' exposure above the EU limit during the early fattening stage did not necessarily lead to their categorization as non-compliant pork; and the residual TEQ for pork can be predicted from early exposure concentrations based on the models established here. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Activities of Tigecycline (GAR-936) against Legionella pneumophila In Vitro and in Guinea Pigs with L. pneumophila Pneumonia

PubMed Central

Edelstein, Paul H.; Weiss, William J.; Edelstein, Martha A. C.

2003-01-01

The activities of tigecycline (Wyeth Research) against extracellular and intracellular Legionella pneumophila and for the treatment of guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia were studied. The tigecycline MIC at which 50% of strains are inhibited for 101 different Legionella sp. strains was 4 μg/ml versus 0.125 and 0.25 μg/ml for azithromycin and erythromycin, respectively. Tigecycline was about as active as erythromycin (tested at 1 μg/ml) against the F889 strain of L. pneumophila grown in guinea pig alveolar macrophages and more active than erythromycin against the F2111 strain. Azithromycin (0.25 μg/ml) was more active than (F889) or as active as (F2111) tigecycline (1 μg/ml) in the macrophage model. When tigecycline was given (7.5 mg/kg of body weight subcutaneously once) to guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia, the mean peak serum and lung levels were 2.3 and 1.8 μg/ml (1.2 and 1.5 μg/g) at 1 and 2 h postinjection, respectively. The serum and lung areas under the concentration time curve from 0 to 24 h were 13.7 and 15.8 μg · h/ml, respectively. Thirteen of 16 guinea pigs with L. pneumophila pneumonia treated with tigecycline (7.5 mg/kg subcutaneously once daily for 5 days) survived for 7 days post-antimicrobial therapy, as did 11 of 12 guinea pigs treated with azithromycin (15 mg/kg intraperitoneally once daily for 2 days). None of 12 guinea pigs treated with saline survived. Tigecycline-treated guinea pigs had average end of therapy lung counts of 1 × 106 CFU/g (range, 2.5 × 104 to 3.2 × 106 CFU/g) versus <1 × 102 CFU/g for azithromycin (range, undetectable to 100 CFU/g). A second guinea pig study examined the ability of tigecycline to clear L. pneumophila from the lung after 5 to 9 days of therapy; bacterial concentrations 1 day posttherapy ranged from log10 4.2 to log10 5.5 CFU/g for four different dosing regimens. Tigecycline is about as effective as erythromycin against intracellular L. pneumophila, but tigecycline inactivation by

The effects of sodium sulfate in the water of nursery pigs and the efficacy of nonnutritive feed additives to mitigate those effects.

PubMed

Flohr, J R; Tokach, M D; Dritz, S S; DeRouchey, J M; Goodband, R D; Nelssen, J L

2014-08-01

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of sodium sulfate water and the efficacy of nonnutritive feed additives in nursery pig diets. In Exp. 1, 320 barrows (5.4 ± 0.1 kg BW and 21 d of age) were allotted to 1 of 8 treatments for 24 d in a 2 × 4 factorial with 2 levels of sodium sulfate water (control or 3,000 mg sodium sulfate/L added), and 4 dietary zeolite (clinoptilolite) levels (0, 0.25, 0.50, or 1%). Fecal samples were collected on d 5, 9, 16, and 23; visually scored for consistency (1 = firm and 5 = watery); and analyzed for DM. No interactions of sodium sulfate × zeolite were observed for any response criteria. Overall (d 0 to 24), pigs drinking sodium sulfate water had decreased (P < 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and G:F compared with pigs drinking control water. Pigs drinking sodium sulfate water also had increased (P < 0.01) fecal scores and lower (P < 0.04) fecal DM on d 5, 9, and 16 compared with pigs drinking control water. Increasing dietary zeolite increased (linear; P < 0.05) ADG and ADFI but had no effect on G:F. In Exp. 2, 350 barrows (5.7 ± 0.1 kg BW and 21 d of age) were allotted to 1 of 10 treatments in a 2 × 5 factorial for 21 d with 2 levels of sodium sulfate water (control or 2,000 mg sodium sulfate/L added) and 5 dietary treatments (control, 1 or 2% zeolite, 1% humic acid substance [HA], and 1% humic and fulvic acid substance [HFB]). Fecal samples were collected on d 5, 8, 15, and 21; visually scored for consistency (1 = firm and 5 = watery); and analyzed for DM. Overall (d 0 to 21), a water source × diet interaction was observed for ADG and G:F because pigs fed the 1% HA had decreased (P < 0.01) ADG and G:F when drinking sodium sulfate water compared with other treatments but increased ADG and G:F when drinking control water. Pigs drinking sodium sulfate water had decreased (P < 0.01) ADG and G:F and tended (P < 0.08) to have decreased ADFI compared with pigs drinking control water. Pigs drinking sodium sulfate water had

RNA-Seq Analysis Reveals Genes Underlying Different Disease Responses to Porcine Circovirus Type 2 in Pigs

PubMed Central

Wang, Pengfei; Wang, Liyuan; Sun, Yi; Liu, Gen; Zhang, Ping; Kang, Li; Jiang, Shijin; Jiang, Yunliang

2016-01-01

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), an economically important pathogen, causes postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and other syndrome diseases collectively known as porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD). Previous studies revealed breed-dependent differences in porcine susceptibility to PCV2; however, the genetic mechanism underlying different resistance to PCV2 infection remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that Yorkshire × Landrace (YL) pigs exhibited serious clinical features typifying PCV2 disease, while the Laiwu (a Chinese indigenous pig breed, LW) pigs showed little clinical symptoms of the disease during PCV2 infection. At 35 days post infection (dpi), the PCV2 DNA copy in YL pigs was significantly higher than that in LW pigs (P < 0.05). The serum level of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 and TGF-β1 in LW pigs and TNF-α in YL pigs increased significantly at the early infected stages, respectively; while that of IL-10 and IFN-γ in YL pigs was greatly increased at 35 dpi. RNA-seq analysis revealed that, at 35 dpi, 83 genes were up-regulated and 86 genes were down-regulated in the lung tissues of LW pigs, while in YL pigs, the numbers were 187 and 18, respectively. In LW pigs, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in complement and coagulation cascades, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, RIG-I-like receptor signaling and B cell receptor signaling pathways. Four up-regulated genes (TFPI, SERPNC1, SERPNA1, and SERPNA5) that are enriched in complement and coagulation cascades pathway were identified in the PCV2-infected LW pigs, among which the mRNA expression of SERPNA1, as well as three genes including TGF-β1, TGF-β2 and VEGF that are regulated by SERPNA1 was significantly increased (P < 0.05). We speculate that higher expression of SERPNA1 may effectively suppress excessive inflammation reaction and reduce the pathological degree of lung tissue in PCV2-infected pigs. Collectively, our findings

Antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli in southeastern Australian pig herds and implications for surveillance.

PubMed

van Breda, L K; Dhungyel, O P; Ward, M P

2018-02-01

To investigate public health implications of antibiotics to control post-weaning scours, we surveyed 22 commercial pig herds in southeastern Australia. Fifty faecal samples per herd were collected from pre- and post-weaned piglets. Presumptive Escherichia coli isolates were confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS. Isolates (n = 325) were screened for susceptibility to 19 veterinary antibiotics using MIC broth microdilution. All 325 E. coli isolates underwent further testing against 27 antibiotics used in human medicine and were screened for ETEC adhesin and enterotoxin genes (F4 (K88), F5 (K99), F6 (987P), F18, F41, STa, STb, Stx2e and LT) by multiplex PCR. Isolates identified as phenotypically resistant to third-generation cephalosporin (3GC) and aminoglycoside antibiotics were screened by multiplex PCR/reverse line blot to detect common β-lactam and aminoglycosides resistance genes, confirmed by sequencing. Twenty (6.1%) of the E. coli isolates were resistant to 3GC antibiotics and 24 (7.4%) to the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin. Genetic analysis revealed six different extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes (blaCTX-M-1, -14, -15, -27, blaSHV-12 and blaCMY-2-like genes), four of which have not been previously reported in Australian pigs. Critically, the prevalence of 3GC resistance was higher in non-pathogenic (non-ETEC) isolates and those from clinically normal (non-diarrhoeal) samples. This highlights the importance of non-ETECE. coli as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes in piglet pens. Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in pig production focused on diagnostic specimens from clinically-affected animals might be potentially misleading. We recommend that surveillance for emerging antimicrobial resistance such as to 3GC antibiotics should include clinically healthy pigs. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Non-avian animal reservoirs present a source of influenza A PB1-F2 proteins with novel virulence-enhancing markers.

PubMed

Alymova, Irina V; York, Ian A; McCullers, Jonathan A

2014-01-01

PB1-F2 protein, expressed from an alternative reading frame of most influenza A virus (IAV) PB1 segments, may possess specific residues associated with enhanced inflammation (L62, R75, R79, and L82) and cytotoxicity (I68, L69, and V70). These residues were shown to increase the pathogenicity of primary viral and secondary bacterial infections in a mouse model. In contrast to human seasonal influenza strains, virulence-associated residues are present in PB1-F2 proteins from pandemic H1N1 1918, H2N2 1957, and H3N2 1968, and highly pathogenic H5N1 strains, suggesting their contribution to viruses' pathogenic phenotypes. Non-human influenza strains may act as donors of virulent PB1-F2 proteins. Previously, avian influenza strains were identified as a potential source of inflammatory, but not cytotoxic, PB1-F2 residues. Here, we analyze the frequency of virulence-associated residues in PB1-F2 sequences from IAVs circulating in mammalian species in close contact with humans: pigs, horses, and dogs. All four inflammatory residues were found in PB1-F2 proteins from these viruses. Among cytotoxic residues, I68 was the most common and was especially prevalent in equine and canine IAVs. Historically, PB1-F2 from equine (about 75%) and canine (about 20%) IAVs were most likely to have combinations of the highest numbers of residues associated with inflammation and cytotoxicity, compared to about 7% of swine IAVs. Our analyses show that, in addition to birds, pigs, horses, and dogs are potentially important sources of pathogenic PB1-F2 variants. There is a need for surveillance of IAVs with genetic markers of virulence that may be emerging from these reservoirs in order to improve pandemic preparedness and response.

The genetic control of contact sensitization to inorganic metal compounds in guinea-pigs

PubMed Central

Polák, L.; Barnes, J. M.; Turk, J. L.

1968-01-01

Only a proportion of outbred guinea-pigs can be sensitized to K2Cr2O7, BeF2 and HgCl2. Inbred Strain II can be sensitized to K2Cr2O7 and BeF2, but not to HgCl2. Inbred strain XIII can be sensitized to HgCl2 but not to K2Cr2O7 or BeF2. The ability to become sensitized appears to be transmitted as a dominant characteristic which is not sex linked. PMID:5656877

A splice mutation in the PHKG1 gene causes high glycogen content and low meat quality in pig skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Ma, Junwu; Yang, Jie; Zhou, Lisheng; Ren, Jun; Liu, Xianxian; Zhang, Hui; Yang, Bin; Zhang, Zhiyan; Ma, Huanban; Xie, Xianhua; Xing, Yuyun; Guo, Yuanmei; Huang, Lusheng

2014-10-01

Glycolytic potential (GP) in skeletal muscle is economically important in the pig industry because of its effect on pork processing yield. We have previously mapped a major quantitative trait loci (QTL) for GP on chromosome 3 in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 intercross. We herein performed a systems genetic analysis to identify the causal variant underlying the phenotype QTL (pQTL). We first conducted genome-wide association analyses in the F2 intercross and an F19 Sutai pig population. The QTL was then refined to an 180-kb interval based on the 2-LOD drop method. We then performed expression QTL (eQTL) mapping using muscle transcriptome data from 497 F2 animals. Within the QTL interval, only one gene (PHKG1) has a cis-eQTL that was colocolizated with pQTL peaked at the same SNP. The PHKG1 gene encodes a catalytic subunit of the phosphorylase kinase (PhK), which functions in the cascade activation of glycogen breakdown. Deep sequencing of PHKG1 revealed a point mutation (C>A) in a splice acceptor site of intron 9, resulting in a 32-bp deletion in the open reading frame and generating a premature stop codon. The aberrant transcript induces nonsense-mediated decay, leading to lower protein level and weaker enzymatic activity in affected animals. The mutation causes an increase of 43% in GP and a decrease of>20% in water-holding capacity of pork. These effects were consistent across the F2 and Sutai populations, as well as Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) hybrid pigs. The unfavorable allele exists predominantly in Duroc-derived pigs. The findings provide new insights into understanding risk factors affecting glucose metabolism, and would greatly contribute to the genetic improvement of meat quality in Duroc related pigs.

The Osmium(VIII) Oxofluoro Cations OsO(2)F(3)(+) and F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+): Syntheses, Characterization by (19)F NMR Spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Crystal Structure of F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+)Sb(2)F(11)(-), and Density Functional Theory Calculations of OsO(2)F(3)(+), ReO(2)F(3), and F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+).

PubMed

Casteel, William J.; Dixon, David A.; Mercier, Hélène P. A.; Schrobilgen, Gary J.

1996-07-17

Osmium dioxide tetrafluoride, cis-OsO(2)F(4), reacts with the strong fluoride ion acceptors AsF(5) and SbF(5) in anhydrous HF and SbF(5) solutions to form orange salts. Raman spectra are consistent with the formation of the fluorine-bridged diosmium cation F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+), as the AsF(6)(-) and Sb(2)F(11)(-) salts, respectively. The (19)F NMR spectra of the salts in HF solution are exchange-averaged singlets occurring at higher frequency than those of the fluorine environments of cis-OsO(2)F(4). The F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+)Sb(2)F(11)(-) salt crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Imma. At -107 degrees C, a = 12.838(3) Å, b = 10.667(2) Å, c = 11.323(2) Å, V = 1550.7(8) Å(3), and Z = 4. Refinement converged with R = 0.0469 [R(w) = 0.0500]. The crystal structure consists of discrete fluorine-bridged F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+) and Sb(2)F(11)(-) ions in which the fluorine bridge of the F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+) cation is trans to an oxygen atom (Os-O 1.676 Å) of each OsO(2)F(3) group. The angle at the bridge is 155.2(8) degrees with a bridging Os---F(b) distance of 2.086(3) Å. Two terminal fluorine atoms (Os-F 1.821 Å) are cis to the two oxygen atoms (Os-O 1.750 Å), and two terminal fluorine atoms of the OsO(2)F(3) group are trans to one another (1.813 Å). The OsO(2)F(3)(+) cation was characterized by (19)F NMR and by Raman spectroscopy in neat SbF(5) solution but was not isolable in the solid state. The NMR and Raman spectroscopic findings are consistent with a trigonal bipyramidal cation in which the oxygen atoms and a fluorine atom occupy the equatorial plane and two fluorine atoms are in axial positions. Density functional theory calculations show that the crystallographic structure of F(cis-OsO(2)F(3))(2)(+) is the energy-minimized structure and the energy-minimized structures of the OsO(2)F(3)(+) cation and ReO(2)F(3) are trigonal bipyramidal having C(2)(v)() point symmetry. Attempts to prepare the OsOF(5)(+) cation by oxidative fluorination of cis

Acute Inhalation Toxicity of T-2 Mycotoxin in the Rat and Guinea Pig

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

2/kg body weight for the guinea pig . These data show that inhaled T-2 toxin is approximately 20 times more toxic to the rat (0.05 mg T-2/kg body wt...inhaled vs 1.0 mg T-2/kg body wt ip) and at least twice as toxic to the guinea pig (0.4 mg T-2/kg body wt inhaled vs 1-2 mg T-2/kg body wt ip) than ip...administered T-2 toxin. Histopathologic examination of major organs in both the rat and guinea pig after respiratory exposure to T-2 toxin indicated

Expressed sequence tag analysis of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) eye tissues for NEIBank

PubMed Central

Simpanya, Mukoma F.; Wistow, Graeme; Gao, James; David, Larry L.; Giblin, Frank J.

2008-01-01

Purpose To characterize gene expression patterns in guinea pig ocular tissues and identify orthologs of human genes from NEIBank expressed sequence tags. Methods RNA was extracted from dissected eye tissues of 2.5-month-old guinea pigs to make three unamplified and unnormalized cDNA libraries in the pCMVSport-6 vector for the lens, retina, and eye minus lens and retina. Over 4,000 clones were sequenced from each library and were analyzed using GRIST for clustering and gene identification. Lens crystallin EST data were validated using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), matrix assisted laser desorption (MALDI), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS). Results Combined data from the three libraries generated a total of 6,694 distinctive gene clusters, with each library having between 1,000 and 3,000 clusters. Approximately 60% of the total gene clusters were novel cDNA sequences and had significant homologies to other mammalian sequences in GenBank. Complete cDNA sequences were obtained for many guinea pig lens proteins, including αA/αAinsert-, γN-, and γS-crystallins, lengsin and GRIFIN. The ratio of αA- to αB-crystallin on 2-DE gels was 8: 1 in the lens nucleus and 6.5: 1 in the cortex. Analysis of ESTs, genome sequence, and proteins (by MALDI), did not reveal any evidence for the presence of γD-, γE-, and γF-crystallin in the guinea pig. Predicted masses of many guinea pig lens crystallins were confirmed by ESIMS analysis. For the retina, orthologs of human phototransduction genes were found, such as Rhodopsin, S-antigen (Sag, Arrestin), and Transducin. The guinea-pig ortholog of NRL, a key rod photoreceptor-specific transcription factor, was also represented in EST data. In the ‘rest-of-eye’ library, the most abundant transcripts included decorin and keratin 12, representative of the cornea. Conclusions Genomic analysis of guinea pig eye tissues provides sequence-verified clones for future studies. Guinea pig orthologs of many human

Natural Pig Plasma Immunoglobulins Have Anti-Bacterial Effects: Potential for Use as Feed Supplement for Treatment of Intestinal Infections in Pigs

PubMed Central

Hedegaard, Chris J.; Strube, Mikael L.; Hansen, Marie B.; Lindved, Bodil K.; Lihme, Allan; Boye, Mette; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

2016-01-01

There is an increasing demand for non-antibiotics solutions to control infectious disease in intensive pig production. Here, one such alternative, namely pig antibodies purified from slaughterhouse blood was investigated in order to elucidate its potential usability to control post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), which is one of the top indications for antibiotics usage in the pig production. A very cost-efficient and rapid one-step expanded bed adsorption (EBA) chromatography procedure was used to purify pig immunoglobulin G from slaughterhouse pig plasma (more than 100 litres), resulting in >85% pure pig IgG (ppIgG). The ppIgG thus comprised natural pig immunoglobulins and was subsequently shown to contain activity towards four pig-relevant bacterial strains (three different types of Escherichia coli and one type of Salmonella enterica) but not towards a fish pathogen (Yersinia ruckeri), and was demonstrated to inhibit the binding of the four pig relevant bacteria to a pig intestinal cell line (IPEC-J2). Finally it was demonstrated in an in vivo weaning piglet model for intestinal colonization with an E. coli F4+ challenge strain that ppIgG given in the feed significantly reduced shedding of the challenge strain, reduced the proportion of the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae, increased the proportion of families Enterococcoceae and Streptococcaceae and generally increased ileal microbiota diversity. Conclusively, our data support the idea that natural IgG directly purified from pig plasma and given as a feed supplement can be used in modern swine production as an efficient and cost-effective means for reducing both occurrence of PWD and antibiotics usage and with a potential for the prevention and treatment of other intestinal infectious diseases even if the causative agent might not be known. PMID:26824607

Natural Pig Plasma Immunoglobulins Have Anti-Bacterial Effects: Potential for Use as Feed Supplement for Treatment of Intestinal Infections in Pigs.

PubMed

Hedegaard, Chris J; Strube, Mikael L; Hansen, Marie B; Lindved, Bodil K; Lihme, Allan; Boye, Mette; Heegaard, Peter M H

2016-01-01

There is an increasing demand for non-antibiotics solutions to control infectious disease in intensive pig production. Here, one such alternative, namely pig antibodies purified from slaughterhouse blood was investigated in order to elucidate its potential usability to control post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), which is one of the top indications for antibiotics usage in the pig production. A very cost-efficient and rapid one-step expanded bed adsorption (EBA) chromatography procedure was used to purify pig immunoglobulin G from slaughterhouse pig plasma (more than 100 litres), resulting in >85% pure pig IgG (ppIgG). The ppIgG thus comprised natural pig immunoglobulins and was subsequently shown to contain activity towards four pig-relevant bacterial strains (three different types of Escherichia coli and one type of Salmonella enterica) but not towards a fish pathogen (Yersinia ruckeri), and was demonstrated to inhibit the binding of the four pig relevant bacteria to a pig intestinal cell line (IPEC-J2). Finally it was demonstrated in an in vivo weaning piglet model for intestinal colonization with an E. coli F4+ challenge strain that ppIgG given in the feed significantly reduced shedding of the challenge strain, reduced the proportion of the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae, increased the proportion of families Enterococcoceae and Streptococcaceae and generally increased ileal microbiota diversity. Conclusively, our data support the idea that natural IgG directly purified from pig plasma and given as a feed supplement can be used in modern swine production as an efficient and cost-effective means for reducing both occurrence of PWD and antibiotics usage and with a potential for the prevention and treatment of other intestinal infectious diseases even if the causative agent might not be known.

Qualitative and quantitative distribution of PCV2 in wild boars and domestic pigs in Germany.

PubMed

Reiner, Gerald; Bronnert, Bastian; Hohloch, Corinna; Fresen, Christina; Haack, Ingo; Willems, Hermann; Reinacher, Manfred

2010-09-28

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2), the causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), has been detected in North American and European wild boars at prevalences arguing for high circulation rates among populations. Systematic data on the qualitative distribution of PCV2 infections and on PCVD (PCV2 diseases) in wild boars are rare, however, and quantitative data about viral loads are missing. To be able to judge the PCV2/PCVD situation in wild boars, evaluation of the nationwide qualitative and quantitative distribution of PCV2 and PCVD in Germany was the objective of the present study. Wild boar samples were compared with domestic pig samples of the same greater areas, including tonsils, lungs, spleen, Lnn. bronchiales and Lnn. mesenterici of 349 wild boars and 348 domestic pigs. All of the wild boars and 308 of the domestic pigs have been apparently free of PCVD, 40 of the domestic pigs had been rejected from slaughter due to health problems (i.e. wasting). Tissues were examined by pathohistology, immunohistology (IHC), nested PCR (nPCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR). One wild boar (0.3%) and 8.7% of the domestic pigs were classified as PCVD-affected, based on pathohistology and IHC. PCV2 DNA was detected in 63.1% and 45.4% of the wild boars by nPCR and qPCR, respectively, and in 100% and 98.8% of the domestic pigs. PCV2 loads differed significantly between wild boars (average: 10(2.8) PCV2 genomes/microg extracted sample DNA) and domestic pigs (average: 10(4.2) PCV2 genomes/microg of sample DNA). The qualitative detection of PCV2 DNA in tissues of wild boars and domestic pigs was abundant and not of any pathological relevance. The overall load of PCV2 in domestic pigs was relatively high and borderline with respect to PCVD, and there was no difference between apparently healthy pigs and pigs rejected from slaughter in this respect. Most of the wild boars were infected with PCV2 at loads less relevant for PCVD. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights

Population structure of pigs determined by single nucleotide polymorphisms observed in assembled expressed sequence tags.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Toshimi; Okumura, Naohiko; Uenishi, Hirohide; Hayashi, Takeshi; Hamasima, Noriyuki; Awata, Takashi

2012-01-01

We have collected more than 190000 porcine expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries and identified more than 2800 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this study, we tentatively chose 222 SNPs observed in assembled ESTs to study pigs of different breeds; 104 were selected by comparing the cDNA sequences of a Meishan pig and samples of three-way cross pigs (Landrace, Large White, and Duroc: LWD), and 118 were selected from LWD samples. To evaluate the genetic variation between the chosen SNPs from pig breeds, we determined the genotypes for 192 pig samples (11 pig groups) from our DNA reference panel with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Of the 222 reference SNPs, 186 were successfully genotyped. A neighbor-joining tree showed that the pig groups were classified into two large clusters, namely, Euro-American and East Asian pig populations. F-statistics and the analysis of molecular variance of Euro-American pig groups revealed that approximately 25% of the genetic variations occurred because of intergroup differences. As the F(IS) values were less than the F(ST) values(,) the clustering, based on the Bayesian inference, implied that there was strong genetic differentiation among pig groups and less divergence within the groups in our samples. © 2011 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2011 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Generation and Characterization of Inhibitory Antibodies Specific to Guinea Pig CXCR1 and CXCR2.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kento; Yoshimura, Chigusa; Shiina, Tetsuo; Terauchi, Tomoko; Yoshitomi, Tomomi; Hirahara, Kazuki

2017-04-01

CXCR1 and CXCR2 are chemokine receptors that have different selectivity of chemokine ligands, but the distinct role of each receptor is not clearly understood. This is due to the absence of specific inhibitors in guinea pigs, which are the appropriate species for investigation of CXCR1 and CXCR2 because of their functional similarity to humans. In this study, we generated and evaluated monoclonal antibodies that specifically bound to guinea pig CXCR1 (gpCXCR1) and guinea pig CXCR2 (gpCXCR2) for acquisition of specific inhibitors. To assess the activity of antibodies, we established CHO-K1 cells stably expressing either gpCXCR1 or gpCXCR2 (CHO/gpCXCR1 or CHO/gpCXCR2). CHO/gpCXCR1 showed migration in response to guinea pig interleukin (IL)-8, and CHO/gpCXCR2 showed migration in response to both guinea pig IL-8 and guinea pig growth-regulated oncogene α. The receptor selectivities of the chemokines of guinea pigs were the same as the human orthologs. The inhibitory activities of the anti-gpCXCR1 and anti-gpCXCR2 monoclonal antibodies on cell migration were observed in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, we successfully obtained inhibitory antibodies specific to gpCXCR1 and gpCXCR2. These inhibitory antibodies will be useful to clarify the physiological roles of CXCR1 and CXCR2 in guinea pigs.

Genetic characterization of local Criollo pig breeds from the Americas using microsatellite markers.

PubMed

Revidatti, M A; Delgado Bermejo, J V; Gama, L T; Landi Periati, V; Ginja, C; Alvarez, L A; Vega-Pla, J L; Martínez, A M

2014-11-01

Little is known about local Criollo pig genetic resources and relationships among the various populations. In this paper, genetic diversity and relationships among 17 Criollo pig populations from 11 American countries were assessed with 24 microsatellite markers. Heterozygosities, F-statistics, and genetic distances were estimated, and multivariate, genetic structure and admixture analyses were performed. The overall means for genetic variability parameters based on the 24 microsatellite markers were the following: mean number of alleles per locus of 6.25 ± 2.3; effective number of alleles per locus of 3.33 ± 1.56; allelic richness per locus of 4.61 ± 1.37; expected and observed heterozygosity of 0.62 ± 0.04 and 0.57 ± 0.02, respectively; within-population inbreeding coefficient of 0.089; and proportion of genetic variability accounted for by differences among breeds of 0.11 ± 0.01. Genetic differences were not significantly associated with the geographical location to which breeds were assigned or their country of origin. Still, the NeighborNet dendrogram depicted the clustering by geographic origin of several South American breeds (Criollo Boliviano, Criollo of northeastern Argentina wet, and Criollo of northeastern Argentina dry), but some unexpected results were also observed, such as the grouping of breeds from countries as distant as El Salvador, Mexico, Ecuador, and Cuba. The results of genetic structure and admixture analyses indicated that the most likely number of ancestral populations was 11, and most breeds clustered separately when this was the number of predefined populations, with the exception of some closely related breeds that shared the same cluster and others that were admixed. These results indicate that Criollo pigs represent important reservoirs of pig genetic diversity useful for local development as well as for the pig industry.

Evaluation of conjugated linoleic acid and dietary antibiotics as growth promotants in weanling pigs.

PubMed

Weber, T E; Schinckel, A P; Houseknecht, K L; Richert, B T

2001-10-01

An experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as a growth promotant in weanling swine. Weanling pigs (n = 192; 7.6 kg and 29 d of age) were randomly assigned to four treatments that were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial. Concentrations of dietary CLA (0 or 0.6%) and antibiotics (+/-) constituted the main effect variables. Dietary CLA treatments consisted of a 1% addition of an oil containing 60% CLA isomers or 1% soybean oil, and dietary antibiotic treatments were antibiotics or no antibiotics. The experimental diets were fed for 9 wk in four phases (1, wk 1; 2, wk 2 and 3; 3, wk 4 through 6; and 4, wk 7 through 9), after which all pigs were fed identical medicated diets for the duration of the finishing phase. Live weights were recorded at wk 17 postweaning and at marketing to determine any residual effects of dietary treatments on finisher ADG and days to market. Medicated diets fed during phases 1 and 2 contained 55 mg carbadox/kg; during phase 3 contained 299 mg tilmicosin/kg; and during phase 4 contained 110 mg tylosin and 110 mg sulfamethazine/kg. Pigs fed medicated diets had higher overall ADG than pigs fed unmedicated diets for wk 0 through 9 (P < 0.03). Gain:feed (G:F) was greater for pigs fed medicated diets than for pigs fed unmedicated diets during phase 1 (P < 0.03) and for the duration of the nursery phase (P < 0.03). There were no effects of CLA on ADG, ADFI, or G:F. There were no residual effects of nursery CLA or antibiotics on finisher ADG and days to market. Blood samples collected from a subset of pigs (n = 72) at the completion of phases 2, 3, and 4 were assayed for serum IGF-I and antibody concentrations to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. There was a tendency for pigs fed medicated diets to have greater IGF-I concentrations than pigs fed unmedicated diets at the completion of phase 4 (P < 0.06). Pigs fed CLA had greater antibody titers (P

Generation of a miniature pig disease model for human Laron syndrome.

PubMed

Cui, Dan; Li, Fang; Li, Qiuyan; Li, Jia; Zhao, Yaofeng; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Zhang, Ran; Li, Ning

2015-10-29

Laron syndrome is a rare disease caused by mutations of the growth hormone receptor (GHR), inheriting in an autosomal manner. To better understand the pathogenesis and to develop therapeutics, we generated a miniature pig model for this disease by employing ZFNs to knock out GHR gene. Three types of F0 heterozygous pigs (GHR(+/4bp), GHR(+/2bp), GHR(+/3bp)) were obtained and in which no significant phenotypes of Laron syndrome were observed. Prior to breed heterozygous pigs to homozygosity (GHR(4bp/4bp)), pig GHR transcript with the 4 bp insert was evaluated in vitro and was found to localize to the cytoplasm rather than the membrane. Moreover, this mutated transcript lost most of its signal transduction capability, although it could bind bGH. GHR(4bp/4bp) pigs showed a small body size and reduced body weight. Biochemically, these pigs exhibited significantly elevated levels of GH and decreased levels of IGF-I. These results resemble the phenotype observed in Laron patients, suggesting that these pigs could serve as an ideal model for Laron syndrome to bridge the gaps between mouse model and human.

Generation of a miniature pig disease model for human Laron syndrome

PubMed Central

Cui, Dan; Li, Fang; Li, Qiuyan; Li, Jia; Zhao, Yaofeng; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Zhang, Ran; Li, Ning

2015-01-01

Laron syndrome is a rare disease caused by mutations of the growth hormone receptor (GHR), inheriting in an autosomal manner. To better understand the pathogenesis and to develop therapeutics, we generated a miniature pig model for this disease by employing ZFNs to knock out GHR gene. Three types of F0 heterozygous pigs (GHR+/4bp, GHR+/2bp, GHR+/3bp) were obtained and in which no significant phenotypes of Laron syndrome were observed. Prior to breed heterozygous pigs to homozygosity (GHR4bp/4bp), pig GHR transcript with the 4 bp insert was evaluated in vitro and was found to localize to the cytoplasm rather than the membrane. Moreover, this mutated transcript lost most of its signal transduction capability, although it could bind bGH. GHR4bp/4bp pigs showed a small body size and reduced body weight. Biochemically, these pigs exhibited significantly elevated levels of GH and decreased levels of IGF-I. These results resemble the phenotype observed in Laron patients, suggesting that these pigs could serve as an ideal model for Laron syndrome to bridge the gaps between mouse model and human. PMID:26511035

Detection of Hearing Loss Using 2f2-f1 and 2f1-f2 Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emissions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, Tracy S.; Prieve, Beth A.

2005-01-01

Although many distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) may be measured in the ear canal in response to 2 pure tone stimuli, the majority of clinical studies have focused exclusively on the DPOAE at the frequency 2f1-f2. This study investigated another DPOAE, 2f2-f1, in an attempt to determine the following: (a) the optimal stimulus…

The Effect Of Local Coal And Smelting Sponge Iron On Iron Content Of Pig Iron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oediyani, Soesaptri; Juwita Sari, Pramita; Hadi P, Djoko

2018-03-01

The new regulation on mineral resources was announced by Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources (ESDM) of Indonesia at 2014 which it called Permen ESDM No 1/2014. Therefore, this research was conducted to add the value of local iron ores by using smelting technology. The objective of the research is to produce pig iron that meet the requirement of the new regulation of mineral resources such as 90% Fe. First, iron ores and coal mixed together with lime as a flux, then smelted in a Electric Arc Furnace at 1800°C. The process variables are (1; 1.25; 1.5; 1.75; 2.0) and the composition of coal (0.8%, 1.6%, 3.0%). The type of coal that used in this research was bituminous coal from Kalimantan and also the iron ores from Kalimantan. The products of the smelting technology are Pig iron and slag. Both pig iron and slag then analyzed by SEM-EDS to measure the iron content. The result shows that the maximum iron content on pig iron is about 95.04% meanwhile the minimum iron content on slag is about 3.66%. This result achieved at 1.6% coal and 2.0.

Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in pigs and jaundice among pig handlers in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Haider, N; Khan, M S U; Hossain, M B; Sazzad, H M S; Rahman, M Z; Ahmed, F; Zeidner, N S

2017-11-01

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of viral hepatitis in humans. Pigs may act as a reservoir of HEV, and pig handlers were frequently identified with a higher prevalence of antibodies to HEV. The objectives of this study were to identify evidence of HEV infection in pigs and compare the history of jaundice between pig handlers and people not exposed to pigs and pork. Blood and faecal samples were collected from 100 pigs derived from three slaughterhouses in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh from January to June, 2011. We also interviewed 200 pig handlers and 250 non-exposed people who did not eat pork or handled pigs in the past 2 years. We tested the pig sera for HEV-specific antibodies using a competitive ELISA and pig faecal samples for HEV RNA using real-time RT-PCR. Of 100 pig sera, 82% (n = 82) had detectable antibody against HEV. Of the 200 pig handlers, 28% (56/200) demonstrated jaundice within the past 2 years, whereas only 17% (43/250) of controls had a history of jaundice (p < .05). Compared to non-exposed people, those who slaughtered pigs (31% versus 15%, p < .001), reared pigs (37% versus 20%, p < .001), butchered pigs (35% versus 19%, p < .001) or involved in pork transportation (28% versus 13%, p < .001) were more likely to be affected with jaundice in the preceding 2 years. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, exposure to pigs (odds ratio [OR]: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2-3.9) and age (OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95-0.99) was significantly associated with jaundice in the past 2 years. Pigs in Bangladesh demonstrated evidence of HEV infection, and a history of jaundice was significantly more frequent in pig handlers. Identifying and genotyping HEV in pigs and pig handlers may provide further evidence of the pig's role in zoonotic HEV transmission in Bangladesh. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Evaluation of M307 of FUT1 gene as a genetic marker for disease resistance breeding of Sutai pigs.

PubMed

Bao, Wen-Bin; Ye, Lan; Zhu, Jing; Pan, Zhang-Yuan; Zhu, Guo-Qiang; Huang, Xue-Gen; Wu, Sheng-Long

2012-04-01

Alpha (1,2) fucosyltransferase (FUT1) gene has been identified as a candidate gene for controlling the expression of the receptor for ETEC F18. The genetic variations in the position of M307 nucleotide in open reading frame of FUT1 have been proposed as a marker for selecting ETEC F18 resistant pigs. The polymorphisms of M307 in FUT1 of breeding base group for ETEC F18 resistance of Sutai pigs (Duroc × Meishan) was detected and their correlations to some immune indexes, growth and development ability, carcass traits and meat quality were also analyzed, which aimed to investigate feasibility of further breeding for diseases resistance based on M307 of FUT1 for Sutai pigs. After digested by Hin6 I, M307 of FUT1 gene could be divided into three kinds of genotypes, AA, AG, and GG. The frequencies were 0.235, 0.609, and 0.156, respectively. The results indicated that Sutai pigs with the AA genotype in M307 of FUT1 gene not only have relatively strong general disease resistance ability in piglets, but also have higher growth and development ability and stable carcass traits and meat quality. It is entirely feasible to raise the new strains of Sutai pigs resistant to Escherichia coli F18 based on genetic marker of the M307 position in FUT1gene.

Fluorine Kα X-Ray Emission Spectra of MgF2, CaF2, SrF2 and BaF2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiura, Chikara; Konishi, Wataru; Shoji, Shizuko; Kojima, Shinjiro

1990-11-01

The fluorine Kα emission spectra in fluorescence from a series of alkaline-earth fluorides MF2 (M=Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba) are measured with a high-resolution two-crystal vacuum spectrometer. An anomalously low intensity of the K1L1 satellite peak arising from 1s-1(2s2p)-1 initial states is observed for SrF2. The measured emission spectra are presented along with the UPS spectra of the F- 2p valence bands obtained by Poole et al. and the fluorine K absorption-edge spectra by Oizumi et al. By using these spectra, the first peak or shoulder in the fluorine K absorption-edge spectra is identified as being due to a core exciton which is formed below the bottom of the conduction band. The binding energy of the exciton is estimated to be 1.3(± 0.3), 1.1(± 0.2), 1.0(± 0.2) and 1.7(± 0.2) eV for MgF2, CaF2, SrF2 and BaF2, respectively.

Evaluation of respiratory effects of thermal decomposition products following single and repeated exposures of guinea pigs.

PubMed

Detwiler-Okabayashi, K; Schaper, M

1995-01-01

Groups of guinea pigs were exposed to the thermal decomposition products (TDP) released from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer (CP), polypropylene homopolymer (HP), or plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In single 50-min exposures to the TDP, guinea pigs exhibited sensory irritation, coughing, and airways constriction. Significant decreases in respiratory frequency (f) occurred during TDP exposure which were magnified during CO2 challenge conducted immediately post-exposure. For each resin, it was possible to demonstrate a linear relationship between the logarithm of heated mass and the percent decrease in f during CO2 challenge. From these relationships, the mass of each resin producing a 50% decrease in f during CO2 challenge (RD50 mass) was obtained. RD50 masses of 2744, 25.2, 16.0, and 6.7 g were obtained for ABS, CP, HP, and PVC, respectively. Thus, the relative potency of their TDP was PVC > CP approximately HP > ABS. Using the RD50 mass of each resin, guinea pigs were exposed to TDP for 50 min/day on 5 consecutive days. These repeated exposures also resulted in sensory irritation, coughing, and airways constriction. However, deaths occurred during exposures, and there was evidence of cumulative respiratory effects, and slower recoveries among survivors. Data obtained in guinea pigs were compared to a previous study with mice exposed to the TDP of the same four resins (Schaper et al. 1994). On the basis of heated mass, mice were 20-500 times more sensitive to the acute respiratory effects of TDP than guinea pigs. Thus, the exposure limits of 0.63, 0.11, 0.08, and 0.35 mg/m3 proposed by Schaper et al. (1994) on the basis of particulates released from ABS, CP, HP and PVC should prevent not only irritation, but also possible coughing, and airways constriction in workers.

The Anticomplementary Activity of ’Fusobacterium polymorphum’ in Normal and C-4 Deficient Sources of Guinea Pig Complement.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-01-12

A complement consumption assay was used to show that the anticomplementary activity of a cell wall preparation from F. polymorphum in guinea pig complement...tests with C𔃾-deficient guinea pig sera confirmed that F. polymorphum cell walls were capable of generating alternate complement pathway activity in guinea pig sera.

Evaluation of corn grain with the genetically modified input trait DAS-59122-7 fed to growing-finishing pigs.

PubMed

Stein, H H; Rice, D W; Smith, B L; Hinds, M A; Sauber, T E; Pedersen, C; Wulf, D M; Peters, D N

2009-04-01

A growth performance experiment was conducted to assess the feeding value of a double-stacked transgenic corn grain for growing-finishing pigs. The genetically modified corn grain contained event DAS-59122-7, which expresses the Cry34/35Ab1 binary insecticidal protein for the control of corn rootworm. This modified transgenic grain is resistant to western corn rootworm and is also tolerant to herbicides containing the active ingredient glufosinate-ammonium. The modified grain (59122), a nontransgenic near-isoline grain (control corn), and a commercial corn (Pioneer brand hybrid 35P12) were grown in a 2005 production trial in individually isolated plots that were located 201 m apart. A total of 108 pigs were allotted to corn-soybean meal diets containing 1 of the 3 grains as the sole source of corn. There were 3 pigs per pen and 12 replicate pens per treatment. Pigs were fed grower diets from 37 to 60 kg, early finisher diets from 60 to 90 kg, and late finisher diets from 90 to 127 kg. Within each phase, data for ADG, ADFI, and G:F were calculated. At the conclusion of the experiment, pigs were slaughtered and data for carcass quality were collected. Differences between 59122 and the control corn were evaluated, with statistical significance at P<0.05. No differences in ADG, ADFI, or G:F between pigs fed the control corn and pigs fed the modified corn were observed during the grower, early finisher, or late finisher phases. For the entire experimental period, no difference between pigs fed the control and the 59122 corn were observed for final BW (128.9 vs. 127.1 kg), ADG (1.02 vs. 1.00 kg), ADFI (2.88 vs. 2.80 kg), or G:F (0.356 vs. 0.345 kg/kg). Likewise, no differences in dressing percentage (76.48 vs. 76.30%), LM area (49.8 vs. 50.4 cm(2)), 10th-rib back fat (2.20 vs. 2.12 cm), and carcass lean content (52.9 vs. 53.4%) were observed between pigs fed the control and the 59122 corn grain. It was concluded that the nutritional value of the modified transgenic corn

Characterization of two strains of selectively bred guinea-pigs. 2. Differences in immune response to synthetic polypeptides.

PubMed

Lundberg, L; Koch, C; Magnusson, M; Bertelsen, C

1983-06-01

Two strains of guinea-pigs selectively bred for either high (IMM/S) or low (IMM/R) responsiveness to ovalbumin-induced respiratory anaphylaxis were examined for their immune response to a copolymer of L-glutamic acid and L-alanine (GA), a copolymer of L-glutamic acid and L-tyrosine (GT), and to a dinitro-phenyl derivative of a homopolymer of L-lysine (DNP-PLL). Considerable differences between the strains in development of cellular hypersensitivity and in the production of antibodies were observed. Guinea-pigs from IMM/S were all responders to GA and DNP-PLL and non-responders to GT, while guinea-pigs from two of three lines from IMM/R were responders to GT and non-responders to GA and DNP-PLL. The third IMM/R line showed an immune response pattern similar to guinea-pigs of strain IMM/S. Preliminary breeding studies confirmed that the immune response to these three antigens is under the control of dominant autosomal genes, since (IMM/S x IMM/R) F1 animals responded to all three antigens. It is concluded that these three antigens may serve as immune response markers in genetic studies of the differences between guinea-pigs from IMM/S and IMM/R in their ability to develop respiratory anaphylaxis.

Pigs taking wing with transposons and recombinases

PubMed Central

Clark, Karl J; Carlson, Daniel F; Fahrenkrug, Scott C

2007-01-01

Swine production has been an important part of our lives since the late Mesolithic or early Neolithic periods, and ranks number one in world meat production. Pig production also contributes to high-value-added medical markets in the form of pharmaceuticals, heart valves, and surgical materials. Genetic engineering, including the addition of exogenous genetic material or manipulation of the endogenous genome, holds great promise for changing pig phenotypes for agricultural and medical applications. Although the first transgenic pigs were described in 1985, poor survival of manipulated embryos; inefficiencies in the integration, transmission, and expression of transgenes; and expensive husbandry costs have impeded the widespread application of pig genetic engineering. Sequencing of the pig genome and advances in reproductive technologies have rejuvenated efforts to apply transgenesis to swine. Pigs provide a compelling new resource for the directed production of pharmaceutical proteins and the provision of cells, vascular grafts, and organs for xenotransplantation. Additionally, given remarkable similarities in the physiology and size of people and pigs, swine will increasingly provide large animal models of human disease where rodent models are insufficient. We review the challenges facing pig transgenesis and discuss the utility of transposases and recombinases for enhancing the success and sophistication of pig genetic engineering. 'The paradise of my fancy is one where pigs have wings.' (GK Chesterton). PMID:18047690

Validation of QTL in commercial-type pigs at USMARC

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The US Meat Animal Research Center’s commercial swine resource population was a closed population maintained for 10 generations and produced over 40,000 pigs with basic phenotypic measurements. Approximately 3,000 of the most heavily phenotyped pigs as well as all boars used were genotyped with the ...

Effects of multistrain probiotics on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles, faecal microbial shedding, faecal score and noxious gas emission in weaning pigs.

PubMed

Lan, R X; Lee, S I; Kim, I H

2016-12-01

This experiment was conducted to investigate the efficacy of multistrain probiotics in weaning pigs. A total of 125 28-day-old weaning pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] with an initial average body weight (BW) of 7.26 ± 0.76 kg were randomly allotted into 5 treatments, 5 replicate pens/treatment with 5 pigs/pen for 42-day experiment. Dietary treatments were as follows: CON, basal diet; PC1, CON + 0.01% multistrain probiotics; PC2, CON + 0.03% multistrain probiotics; PC3, CON + 0.06% multistrain probiotics; PC4, CON + 0.1% multistrain probiotics. On day 14, pigs fed the PC4 diet had higher BW gain than pigs fed the CON diet. On day 42, pigs fed multistrain probiotics supplementation diets had higher BW gain than pigs fed the CON diet. From days 1 to 14, pigs fed the PC2, PC3 and PC4 diets had higher (p < 0.05) ADG than pigs fed the CON diet. From day 15 to 42, pigs fed the multistrain probiotics supplementation diets had higher (p < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and gain: feed ratio (G:F) than pigs fed the CON diet. In the overall period, pigs fed the multistrain probiotics supplementation diets had higher (p < 0.05) ADG and pigs fed the PC2 and PC4 diets had higher (p < 0.05) G:F than pigs fed the CON diet. On day 42, pigs fed the PC4 diet had higher (p < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N) and gross energy (GE), faecal Lactobacillus counts and lower (p < 0.05) E. coli counts and NH 3 emission than pigs fed the CON diet. Pigs fed the multistrain probiotics supplementation diets had lower (p < 0.05) H 2 S and total mercaptans emissions than pigs fed the CON diet. Conclusions, dietary supplementation with 0.1% probiotics improved growth performance, nutrition digestibility and intestinal microflora balance and decreased faecal noxious gas emissions in weaning pigs. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Commercial PCV2a-based vaccines are effective in protecting naturally PCV2b-infected finisher pigs against experimental challenge with a 2012 mutant PCV2.

PubMed

Opriessnig, Tanja; Gerber, Priscilla F; Xiao, Chao-Ting; Halbur, Patrick G; Matzinger, Shannon R; Meng, Xiang-Jin

2014-07-23

Current commercial PCV2 vaccines are all based on PCV2a and have been shown to be effective in reducing PCV2a and PCV2b viremia and PCV2-associated lesions and disease. The recent emergence of novel mutant PCV2 (mPCV2) strains and linkage of mPCV2 with cases of porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD) in vaccinated herds have raised concerns over emergence of vaccine-escape mutants and reduced efficacy of PCV2a-based vaccines. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of three commercial PCV2a-based vaccines administered in the presence of an ongoing PCV2b infection and passively-acquired anti-PCV2 antibodies to protect conventional pigs against experimental challenge with mPCV2 at 11 weeks of age. Fifty naturally PCV2b-infected 2-week-old pigs were divided into five treatment groups with 10 pigs each. Pigs were unvaccinated (positive and negative controls) or vaccinated at 3 (VAC-A, VAC-B, VAC-C) and at 5 weeks of age (VAC-C). At 11 weeks of age, all pigs except the negative controls were challenged with a 2012 U.S. strain of mPCV2. The experiment was terminated 21 days after challenge. Under the conditions of this study, vaccinated pigs were protected against PCV2 viremia and lesions whereas non-vaccinated pigs were not. Moreover, concurrent PCV2b and mPCV2 infection was demonstrated in all positive controls and 3/10 had microscopic lesions consistent with PCVAD while negative controls infected with PCV2b alone did not develop PCVAD. The results indicate that concurrent PCV2b/mPCV2 infection can trigger PCVAD development and that commercial vaccines are effective in protecting conventional pigs against emerging mPCV2 strains. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation research on natural resource supply index of the pig breeding scale in the six provinces of central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leng, Bi-Bin; Ji, Xue-Qiang; Huang, Li-Hua

2017-08-01

Promoting the development of the central region has become a basic national policy of China. Based on the data in 2015, this article has used factor analytic method to compare and evaluate the natural resources supply indexes of the pig breeding scale of the six provinces in central China. The results show that Jiangxi province has the highest index, followed by Hunan, Anhui, Henan, Hubei. However, Shanxi province has the lowest index.

Effects of reduced nocturnal temperature on pig performance and energy consumption in swine nursery rooms.

PubMed

Johnston, L J; Brumm, M C; Moeller, S J; Pohl, S; Shannon, M C; Thaler, R C

2013-07-01

The objective of this investigation was to determine the effect of a reduced nocturnal temperature (RNT) regimen on performance of weaned pigs and energy consumption during the nursery phase of production. The age of weaned pigs assigned to experiments ranged from 16 to 22 d. In Exp. 1, 3 stations conducted 2 trials under a common protocol that provided data from 6 control rooms (CON; 820 pigs) and 6 RNT rooms (818 pigs). Two mirror-image nursery rooms were used at each station. Temperature in the CON room was set to 30°C for the first 7 d, then reduced by 2°C per week through the remainder of the experiment. Room temperature settings were held constant throughout the day and night. The temperature setting in the RNT room was the same as CON during the first 7 d, but beginning on the night of d 7, the room temperature setting was reduced 6°C from the daytime temperature from 1900 to 0700 h. The use of heating fuel and electricity were measured weekly in each room. Overall, ADG (0.43 kg), ADFI (0.62 kg), and G:F (0.69) were identical for CON and RNT rooms. Consumption of heating fuel [9,658 vs. 7,958 British thermal units (Btu)·pig(-1)·d(-1)] and electricity (0.138 vs. 0.125 kilowatt-hour (kWh)·pig(-1)·d(-1)] were not statistically different for CON and RNT rooms, respectively. In Exp. 2, 4 stations conducted at least 2 trials that provided data from 9 CON rooms (2,122 pigs) and 10 RNT rooms (2,176 pigs). Experimental treatments and protocols were the same as Exp. 1, except that the RNT regimen was imposed on the night of d 5 and the targeted nighttime temperature reduction was 8.3°C. Neither final pig BW (21.8 vs. 21.5 kg; SE = 0.64), ADG (0.45 vs. 0.44 kg; SE = 0.016), ADFI (0.61 vs. 0.60 kg; SE = 0.019), nor G:F (0.75 vs. 0.75; SE = 0.012) were different for pigs housed in CON or RNT rooms, respectively. Consumption of heating fuel and electricity was consistently reduced in RNT rooms for all 4 stations. Consumption of heating fuel (10,019 vs. 7,061 Btu·pig

Genetic characterisation of Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) strains from feral pigs in the Brazilian Pantanal: An opportunity to reconstruct the history of PCV2 evolution.

PubMed

Franzo, Giovanni; Cortey, Martí; de Castro, Alessandra Marnie Martins Gomes; Piovezan, Ubiratan; Szabo, Matias Pablo Juan; Drigo, Michele; Segalés, Joaquim; Richtzenhain, Leonardo José

2015-07-09

Since its discovery, Porcine circovirus type 2 has emerged as one of the most relevant swine infectious diseases, causing relevant economic losses for the pig industry. While four genotypes were identified, only three (PCV2a, PCV2b and PCV2d) are currently circulating and display a worldwide distribution. Another genotype, PCV2c, has been described only once in Danish archive samples collected between 1980 and 1990. In addition to commercial pigs, PCV2 has been demonstrated to infect wild boars and other wild species, which can potentially serve as a reservoir for domestic populations. In this study, eight sequences obtained from feral pigs in the Pantanal region (Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil) were compared with reference sequences and other Brazilian sequences, and the results revealed remarkable genetic diversity, with all four genotypes currently recognised being detected (PCV2a, PCV2b, PCV2c and PCV2d). This finding represents a remarkable discovery, as it is the first detection of PCV2c since 1990 and the first-ever detection of PCV2c in live animals. The peculiar population history and ecological scenario of feral pigs in the Pantanal coupled with the complex, and still only partially known relationship of feral pigs with other PCV2 susceptible species (i.e., domestic pigs, wild boars and peccaries), open exciting questions concerning PCV2 origin and evolution. Overall, the results of the present study led us to form the following hypothesis: the PCV2 strains found in feral pigs may be the last descent of the strains that circulated among European pigs in the past, or they may have infected these feral pigs more recently through a bridge species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of balancing crystalline amino acids in diets containing heat-damaged soybean meal or distillers dried grains with solubles fed to weanling pigs.

PubMed

Almeida, F N; Htoo, J K; Thomson, J; Stein, H H

2014-10-01

Two experiments were conducted to investigate if adjustments in diet formulations either based on total analysed amino acids or standardized ileal digestible (SID) amino acids may be used to eliminate negative effects of including heat-damaged soybean meal (SBM) or heat-damaged corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets fed to weanling pigs. In Experiment 1, four corn-SBM diets were formulated. Diet 1 contained non-autoclaved SBM (315 g/kg), and this diet was formulated on the basis of analysed amino acid concentrations and using SID values from the AminoDat® 4.0 database. Diet 2 was similar to Diet 1 in terms of ingredient composition, except that the non-autoclaved SBM was replaced by autoclaved SBM at 1 : 1 (weight basis). Diet 3 was formulated using autoclaved SBM and amino acid inclusions in the diet were adjusted on the basis of analysed total amino acid concentrations in the autoclaved SBM and published SID values for non-autoclaved SBM (AminoDat® 4.0). Diet 4 also contained autoclaved SBM, but the formulation of this diet was adjusted on the basis of analysed amino acids in the autoclaved SBM and SID values that were adjusted according to the degree of heat damage in this source of SBM. Pigs (160; initial BW: 10.4 kg) were allotted to the four treatments with eight replicate pens per treatment in a randomized complete block design. Diets were fed to pigs for 21 days. The gain to feed ratio (G : F) was greater (P<0.05) for pigs fed Diet 1 compared with pigs fed the other diets and pigs fed Diet 4 had greater (P<0.05) G : F than pigs fed Diet 2. In Experiment 2, 144 pigs (initial BW: 9.9 kg) were allotted to four diets with eight replicate pens per diet. The four diets contained corn, SBM (85 g/kg) and DDGS (220 g/kg), and were formulated using the concepts described for Experiment 1, except that heat-damaged DDGS, but not heat-damaged SBM, was used in the diets. Pigs fed Diet 1 had greater (P<0.05) G : F than pigs fed Diet 2, but no

Growth performance, diet nutrient digestibility, and bone mineralization in weaned pigs fed pelleted diets containing thermostable phytase.

PubMed

Yáñez, J L; Landero, J L; Owusu-Asiedu, A; Cervantes, M; Zijlstra, R T

2013-02-01

Traditional supplemental dietary phytase loses activity during steam pelleting. The thermal tolerance and bioefficacy of a phytase product with a thermoprotective coating [coated phytase (C-phytase)] was compared in mash and pelleted diets to a traditional, uncoated phytase (U-phytase) added to a negative control (NC) diet, formulated with reduced dietary Ca and P, and compared with a corn-soybean meal based positive control (POC) diet. Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and third metacarpal bone characteristics were response variables. Weaned pigs (n = 56; 8.20 ± 0.5 kg initial BW; 28 d of age) were individually housed and randomly allotted to 1 of 7 diets for 21 d. The diets were 1) POC mash, 2) NC mash, 3) NC pelleted at 90°C, 4) NC mash + 500 U/kg U-phytase, 5) NC mash + 500 U/kg C-phytase, 6) NC + 500 U/kg C-phytase pelleted at 80°C, and 7) NC + 500 U/kg C-phytase pelleted at 90°C. The POC and NC diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isolysinic. The content of Ca and available P was 1.01 and 0.40% and 0.83 and 0.22% in the POC and NC diets, respectively. Pig BW and feed intake were measured on d 7, 14, and 21, and feces were collected for 2 d. On d 21, pigs were killed and ileal digesta and the third metacarpal bone collected. Pigs fed POC had greater (P < 0.05) ADG, G:F, P digestibility, and bone mineralization but lower (P < 0.01) energy digestibility than pigs fed NC. Pelleting the NC diet did not improve performance, nutrient digestibility, or P use. Adding the U-phytase to NC mash diet increased (P < 0.05) ADG, G:F, apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of CP and Ile, Leu, Phe, Thr, Val, and Ser, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P compared with pigs fed NC. Pigs fed C-phytase in NC mash diets had increased (P < 0.05) G:F and an AID of CP and AA and ATTD of P compared with pigs fed NC but not different than pigs fed U-phytase NC mash diets. Pigs fed pelleted NC diet with C-phytase had a greater (P < 0.05) ATTD of P and

Assessing pig body language: agreement and consistency between pig farmers, veterinarians, and animal activists.

PubMed

Wemelsfelder, F; Hunter, A E; Paul, E S; Lawrence, A B

2012-10-01

This study investigates the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of qualitative behavior assessments (QBA) of individual pigs by 3 observer groups selected for their diverging backgrounds, experience, and views of pigs. Qualitative behavior assessment is a "whole animal" assessment approach that characterizes the demeanor of an animal as an expressive body language, using descriptors such as relaxed, anxious, or content. This paper addresses the concern that use of such descriptors in animal science may be prone to distortion by observer-related bias. Using a free-choice profiling methodology, 12 pig farmers, 10 large animal veterinarians, and 10 animal protectionists were instructed to describe and score the behavioral expressions of 10 individual pigs (sus scrofa) in 2 repeat sets of 10 video clips, showing these pigs in interaction with a human female. They were also asked to fill in a questionnaire gauging their experiences with and views on pigs. Pig scores were analyzed with generalized procrustes analysis and effect of treatment on these scores with ANOVA. Questionnaire scores were analyzed with a χ(2) test or ANOVA. Observers achieved consensus both within and among observer groups (P < 0.001), identifying 2 main dimensions of pig expression (dim1: playful/confident-cautious/timid; dim2: aggressive/nervous-relaxed/bored), on which pig scores for different observer groups were highly correlated (pearson r > 0.90). The 3 groups also repeated their assessments of individual pigs with high precision (r > 0.85). Animal protectionists used a wider quantitative range in scoring individual pigs on dimension 2 than the other groups (P < 0.001); however, this difference did not distort the strong overall consistency of characterizations by observers of individual pigs. Questionnaire results indicated observer groups to differ in various ways, such as daily and lifetime contact with pigs (P < 0.001), some aspects of affection and empathy for pigs (P < 0

Trap style influences wild pig behavior and trapping success

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, B.L.; Holtfreter, R.W.; Ditchkoff, S.S.; Grand, J.B.

2011-01-01

Despite the efforts of many natural resource professionals, wild pig (Sus scrofa) populations are expanding in many areas of the world. Although many creative techniques for controlling pig populations are being explored, trapping has been and still is themost commonly usedmethod of population control formany public and private land managers. We conducted an observational study to examine the efficiency of 2 frequently used trap styles: a small, portable box-style trap and a larger, semi-permanent, corral-style trap.We used game cameras to examine patterns of trap entry by wild pigs around each style of trap, and we conducted a trapping session to compare trapping success between trap styles. Adult female and juvenile wild pigs entered both styles of trap more readily than did adult males, and adult males seemed particularly averse to entering box traps. Less than 10% of adult male visits to box traps resulted in entries, easily the least percentage of any class at any style of trap. Adult females entered corral traps approximately 2.2 times more often per visit than box traps and re-entered corral traps >2 times more frequently. Juveniles entered and reentered both box and corral traps at similar rates. Overall (all-class) entry-per-visit rates at corral traps (0.71) were nearly double that of box traps (0.37). Subsequent trapping data supported these preliminary entry data; the capture rate for corral traps was >4 times that of box traps. Our data suggest that corral traps are temporally and economically superior to box traps with respect to efficiency; that is, corral traps effectively trap more pigs per trap night at a lower cost per pig than do box traps. ?? 2011 The Wildlife Society.

Effect of supplemental oxygen versus dobutamine administration on liver oxygen tension in dPP-guided normovolemic pigs.

PubMed

Pestel, G; Fukui, K; Hager, H; Kurz, A; Hiltebrand, L

2009-01-01

Difference in pulse pressure (dPP) confirms adequate intravascular filling as a prerequisite for tissue perfusion. We hypothesized that both oxygen and dobutamine increase liver tissue oxygen tension (ptO(2)). Eight anesthetized pigs received dPP-guided fluid management. Hepatic pO(2) was measured with Clark-type electrodes placed subcapsularly, and on the liver surface. Pigs received: (1) supplemental oxygen (F(i)O(2) 1.0); (2) dobutamine 2.5 microg/kg/min, and (3) dobutamine 5 microg/kg/min. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA followed by a Tukey post-test for multiple comparisons. ptO(2 )measured subcapsularly and at the liver surface were compared using the Bland-Altman plot. Variation in F(i)O(2) changed local hepatic tissue ptO(2) [subcapsular measurement: 39 +/- 12 (F(i)O(2) 0.3), 89 +/- 35 mm Hg (F(i)O(2) 1.0, p = 0.01 vs. F(i)O(2) 0.3), 44 +/- 10 mm Hg (F(i)O(2) 0.3, p = 0.05 vs. F(i)O(2) 1.0); surface measurement: 52 +/- 35 (F(i)O(2) 0.3), 112 +/- 24 mm Hg (F(i)O(2) 1.0, p = 0.001 vs. F(i)O(2) 0.3), 54 +/- 24 mm Hg (F(i)O(2) 0.3, p = 0.001 vs. F(i)O(2) 1.0)]. Surface measurements were widely scattered compared to subcapsular measurements (bias: -15 mm Hg, precision: 76.3 mm Hg). Dobutamine did not affect hepatic oxygenation. Supplemental oxygen increased hepatic tissue pO(2) while dobutamine did not. Although less invasive, the use of surface measurements is discouraged. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Influence of feeding thermally peroxidized soybean oil on growth performance, digestibility, and gut integrity in finishing pigs.

PubMed

Overholt, Martin F; Dilger, Anna C; Boler, Dustin D; Kerr, Brian J

2018-05-26

Consumption of peroxidized lipids has been shown to reduce pig performance and energy and lipid digestibility. Objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effect of feeding soybean oil (SO) with different levels of peroxidation on growth performance, lipid, N, and GE digestibility, plasma Trp, and gut integrity in finishing pigs. Fifty-six barrows (46.7 ± 5.1 kg initial BW) were randomly assigned to one of four diets in each of two dietary phases, containing either 10% fresh SO (22.5 °C) or thermally processed SO (45 °C for 288 h, 90 °C for 72 h, or 180 °C for 6 h), each infused with of 15 L/min of air. Peroxide values were 2.0, 17.4, 123.6, and 19.4 mEq/kg; 2,4-decadienal values were 2.07, 1.90, 912.15, and 915.49 mg/kg; and 4-hydroxynonenal concentrations were 0.66, 1.49, 170.48, and 82.80 mg/kg, for the 22.5, 45, 90, and 180 °C processed SO, respectively. Pigs were individually housed and fed ad libitum for 81 d to measure growth performance, including a metabolism period to collect urine and feces for determination of GE, lipid, N digestibility, and N retention. Following the last day of fecal and urine collection when pigs were in the metabolism crates, lactulose and mannitol were fed and subsequently measured in the urine to evaluate gut permeability, while markers of oxidative stress were evaluated in plasma, urine, and liver. There were no differences observed in ADFI (P = 0.91), but average daily gain (ADG) and gain:feed G:F were decreased in pigs fed 90 °C SO diet (P ≤ 0.07) compared to pigs fed the other SO diets. Pigs fed the 90 and 180 °C SO had the lowest (P = 0.05) DE as a % of GE compared to pigs fed the 22.5 °C SO, with pigs fed the 45 °C SO being intermediate. Lipid digestibility was similarly affected (P = 0.01) as energy digestibility, but ME as a % of DE was not affected by dietary treatment (P = 0.16). There were no effects of lipid peroxidation on N digested, N retained, or the urinary lactulose:mannitol ratio (P ≥ 0

Investigation of the 2f1-f2 and 2f2-f1 distortion product otoacoustic emissions using a computational model of the gerbil ear.

PubMed

Wen, Haiqi; Bowling, Thomas; Meaud, Julien

2018-05-19

In this work, a three-dimensional computational model of the gerbil ear is used to investigate the generation of the 2f 1 -f 2 and 2f 2 -f 1 distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). In order to predict both the distortion and reflection sources, cochlear roughness is modeled by introducing random inhomogeneities in the outer hair cell properties. The model was used to simulate the generation of DPOAEs in response to a two-tone stimulus for various primary stimulus levels and frequency ratios. As in published experiments, the 2f 1 -f 2 DPOAEs are mostly dominated by the distortion component while the 2f 2 -f 1 DPOAEs are dominated by the reflection component; furthermore, the influence of the levels and frequency ratio of the primaries are consistent with measurements. Analysis of the intracochlear response shows that the distortion component has the highest magnitude at all longitudinal locations for the 2f 1 -f 2 distortion product (DP) while the distortion component only dominates close to the DP best place in the case of the 2f 2 -f 1 DP. Decomposition of the intracochlear DPs into forward and reverse waves demonstrates that the 2f 1 -f 2 DP generates reverse waves for both the distortion and reflection components; however, a reverse wave is only generated for the reflection component in the case of the 2f 2 -f 1 DP. As in experiments in the gerbil, the group delay of the reflection component of the DPOAE is between 1× and 2× the forward group delay, which is consistent with the propagation of DP towards the stapes as slow reverse waves. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of an experimental PRRSV and Streptococcus suis coinfection on the pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur hydrochloride after intramuscular injection in pigs.

PubMed

Day, D N; Sparks, J W; Karriker, L A; Stalder, K J; Wulf, L W; Zhang, J; Kinyon, J M; Stock, M L; Gehring, R; Wang, C; Ellingson, J; Coetzee, J F

2015-10-01

This study determined the impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Streptococcus suis coinfection on the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of ceftiofur hydrochloride in pigs after intramuscular (i.m.) injection. Eighteen clinically normal crossbred gilts were assigned by weight into a challenge group (10 pigs) and control group (eight pigs). Pigs in both groups received a single i.m. injection of ceftiofur hydrochloride (Excenel RTU Sterile Suspension; Zoetis) at a 5 mg/kg BW dose. Serial blood samples were collected to characterize the plasma concentration curve. After a 10 days drug washout period, the challenge group was inoculated with 2 mL of PRRSV isolate VR-2385 (10(5.75) 50% tissue culture infective doses per mL) intranasally and 8 days later inoculated S. suis. When clinical disease was evident, the second PK assessment began in both challenge and control groups. Coinfected pigs demonstrated lower values of AUC and CMAX , but higher values of Cl/F and Vz/F indicating drug kinetics were altered by infection. The data from this study have implications on ceftiofur treatment regimens in diseased pigs. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Proton irradiation of [18O]O2: production of [18F]F2 and [18F]F2 + [18F] OF2.

PubMed

Bishop, A; Satyamurthy, N; Bida, G; Hendry, G; Phelps, M; Barrio, J R

1996-04-01

The production of 18F electrophilic reagents via the 18O(p,n)18F reaction has been investigated in small-volume target bodies made of aluminum, copper, gold-plated copper and nickel, having straight or conical bore shapes. Three irradiation protocols-single-step, two-step and modified two-step-were used for the recovery of the 18F activity. The single-step irradiation protocol was tested in all the target bodies. Based on the single-step performance, aluminum targets were utilized extensively in the investigation of the two-step and modified two-step irradiation protocols. With an 11-MeV cyclotron and using the two-step irradiation protocol, > 1Ci [18F]F2 was recovered reproducibly from an aluminum target body. Probable radical mechanisms for the formation of OF2 and FONO2 (fluorine nitrate) in the single-step and modified two-step targets are proposed based on the amount of ozone generated and the nitrogen impurity present in the target gases, respectively.

Molecular characterization of swine leukocyte antigen gene diversity in purebred Pietrain pigs.

PubMed

Essler, Sabine E; Ertl, Werner; Deutsch, Julia; Ruetgen, Barbara C; Groiss, Sandra; Stadler, Maria; Wysoudil, Bhuma; Gerner, Wilhelm; Ho, Chak-Sum; Saalmueller, Armin

2013-04-01

The porcine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) harbors the highly polymorphic swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I and II gene clusters encoding glycoproteins that present antigenic peptides to T cells in the adaptive immune response. In Austria, the majority of commercial pigs are F 2 descendants of F 1 Large White/Landrace hybrids paired with Pietrain boars. Therefore, the repertoire of SLA alleles and haplotypes present in Pietrain pigs has an important influence on that of their descendants. In this study, we characterized the SLA class I ( SLA-1 , SLA-2 , SLA-3 ) and class II ( SLA-DRB1 , SLA-DQB1 , SLA-DQA ) genes of 27 purebred Pietrain pigs using a combination of the high-resolution sequence-based typing (SBT) method and a low-resolution (Lr) PCR-based method using allele-group, sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). A total of 15 class I and 13 class II haplotypes were identified in the studied cohort. The most common SLA class I haplotype Lr-43.0 ( SLA-1 *11XX- SLA-3 *04XX- SLA-2 *04XX) was identified in 11 animals with a frequency of 20%. For SLA class II, the most prevalent haplotype, Lr-0.14 [ SLA-DRB1 *0901- SLA-DQB1 *0801- SLA-DQA *03XX], was found in 14 animals with a frequency of 26%. Two class II haplotypes, tentatively designated as Lr-Pie-0.1 [ SLA-DRB1 *01XX/be01/ha04- SLA-DQB1 *05XX- SLA - DQA*blank] and Lr-Pie-0.2 [ SLA-DRB1 *06XX- SLA-DQB1 *03XX- SLA-DQA *03XX], appeared to be novel and have never been reported so far in other pig populations. We showed that SLA genotyping using PCR-SSP-based assays represents a rapid and cost-effective way to study SLA diversity in outbred commercial pigs and may facilitate the development of more effective vaccines or identification of disease-resistant pigs in the context of SLA antigens to improve overall swine health. © 2012 The Authors, Animal Genetics © 2012 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

PigGIS: Pig Genomic Informatics System

PubMed Central

Ruan, Jue; Guo, Yiran; Li, Heng; Hu, Yafeng; Song, Fei; Huang, Xin; Kristiensen, Karsten; Bolund, Lars; Wang, Jun

2007-01-01

Pig Genomic Information System (PigGIS) is a web-based depository of pig (Sus scrofa) genomic learning mainly engineered for biomedical research to locate pig genes from their human homologs and position single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different pig populations. It utilizes a variety of sequence data, including whole genome shotgun (WGS) reads and expressed sequence tags (ESTs), and achieves a successful mapping solution to the low-coverage genome problem. With the data presently available, we have identified a total of 15 700 pig consensus sequences covering 18.5 Mb of the homologous human exons. We have also recovered 18 700 SNPs and 20 800 unique 60mer oligonucleotide probes for future pig genome analyses. PigGIS can be freely accessed via the web at and . PMID:17090590

In Vitro Response of Guinea Pig Peritoneal Macrophages to Legionella pneumophila

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-01

In Vitro Responlse of Guinea Pig Peritoneal Macrophages to Legionella pneumophila It. A. KISIIIMi~O~’ .1. Ii.,W11ITE, F. G. SIREY, V. (U.1 Mc(GANN, R...Tlhe inter- act ion between L. lincumnophila andl( peritoneal macrophages front normial guinea pigs or front animials that had survived infection was...roagglujtiniat titer) guinea pig serum to The purp~ose of this study "as to investigate contain approximately 108 organisms per ml. the phagocytic and

Effects of dietary inclusion of pea and faba bean as a replacement for soybean meal on grower and finisher pig performance and carcass quality.

PubMed

Smith, L A; Houdijk, J G M; Homer, D; Kyriazakis, I

2013-08-01

To reduce reliance on imported soybean meal (SBM) in temperate environments, pea and faba bean may be alternative protein sources for pig diets. We assessed the effects of dietary pea and faba bean inclusion on grower and finisher pig performance and carcass quality. There were 9 dietary treatments tested on both grower (30 to 60 kg) and finisher (60 to 100 kg) pigs in a dose response feeding trial. The control diet included SBM at 14 and 12% for grower and finisher pigs, respectively, whereas in the test diets, pea or faba bean were included at 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30%, gradually and completely replacing SBM. Diets were formulated to be isoenergetic for NE and with the same standard ileal digestible Lys content. After a 1-wk adaptation period, each diet was available on an ad libitum basis to 4 pens of pigs with 4 pigs per pen (2 entire males and 2 females) for 4 wk. Weekly BW for individual pigs, and pen intakes were recorded to assess ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Finisher pigs were then slaughtered at a commercial slaughter house to record carcass quality and assess skatole and indole concentration in the backfat. There were no effects (P > 0.10) on grower ADG, ADFI, and G:F, but pulse inclusion reduced finisher ADG (P = 0.04), with a quadratic effect of pulse inclusion (P = 0.03), as ADG tended to be reduced over initial inclusion levels only. There were no associated effects (P > 0.10) on ADFI or G:F, and pea and faba bean diets resulted in similar finisher performance. Increasing pulse inclusion linearly increased fecal DM content both in grower pigs (P = 0.02) and finisher pigs (P < 0.01). There were no effects on carcass quality or backfat skatole concentrations, but indole concentration was linearly reduced with increasing pulse inclusion (P = 0.05). It is concluded that pea and faba bean may be a viable alternative to SBM in grower and finisher pig diets.

Nutrient database for sorghum distillers dried grains with solubles from ethanol plants in the Western Plains Region and their effects on nursery pig performance.

PubMed

Sotak, K M; Goodband, R D; Tokach, M D; Dritz, S S; Derouchey, J M; Nelssen, J L

2014-01-01

Samples of sorghum distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) were collected and analyzed to establish a nutrient database and evaluate the quality and consistency between and within 5 ethanol plants in Kansas and Texas. Each sample (n = 21) was analyzed for AA, DM, CP, crude fiber, crude fat, ash, NDF, ADF, trace minerals, and starch. Mean values (DM basis) were 0.88% Lys, 10.49% crude fat, 34.21% CP, and 4,722 kcal/kg GE. The standard deviations among sorghum DDGS plants were similar to those within plants for most nutrients. Results of these analyses were used to formulate diets for 2 nursery trials. The 2 experiments were conducted to determine the effects of adding sorghum DDGS (29.0% CP and 7.2% crude fat) to corn- or sorghum-based diets on nursery pig growth performance. In Exp. 1, 360 nursery barrows (6.8 kg and 26 d of age) were used in a 34-d study. Pigs were allotted to 1 of 8 dietary treatments with 5 pigs per pen and 9 pens per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 4 factorial with main effects of grain source (corn vs. sorghum) and sorghum DDGS (0, 15, 30, or 45%). Diets were formulated to 1.30 and 1.25% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys in phases 1 and 2, respectively, but were not balanced for energy. Overall, there were no differences among pigs fed sorghum- or corn-based diets for ADG and ADFI; however, as sorghum DDGS increased from 0 to 45% of the diet, ADG decreased (linear, P < 0.01). There was a DDGS × grain source interaction (linear, P < 0.04) observed for G:F. In corn-based diets, pigs fed increasing sorghum DDGS had relatively similar G:F. However, in pigs fed sorghum-based diets, G:F was best for those fed 0% DDGS but was decreased in pigs fed 15, 30, or 45% sorghum DDGS. In Exp. 2, 180 nursery pigs (10.7 kg and 38 d of age) were used in a 21-d study with 6 pigs per pen and 5 pens per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of grain source (corn vs. sorghum) and DDGS (0 vs. 30% corn or

Reduction of infarct size by gentle reperfusion without activation of reperfusion injury salvage kinases in pigs.

PubMed

Musiolik, Judith; van Caster, Patrick; Skyschally, Andreas; Boengler, Kerstin; Gres, Petra; Schulz, Rainer; Heusch, Gerd

2010-01-01

Reperfusion is mandatory to salvage ischaemic myocardium from infarction, but also induces additional reperfusion injury and contributes to infarct size (IS). Gentle reperfusion (GR) has been proposed to attenuate reperfusion injury, but this remains contentious. We now investigated whether (i) GR reduces IS and (ii) GR is associated with the activation of reperfusion injury salvage kinases (RISK). Anaesthetized pigs were subjected to 90 min left anterior descending coronary artery hypoperfusion and 120 min reperfusion. GR was induced by slowly increasing coronary inflow back to baseline over 30 min, using an exponential algorithm [F(t) = F(i)+e(-(0.1)(t)((min)-3)).(F(b)-F(i)); F(b), coronary inflow at baseline; F(i), coronary inflow during ischaemia; n = 12]. Pigs subjected to immediate full reperfusion (IFR; n = 13) served as controls. IS was determined by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining. The expression level of phosphorylated RISK proteins was determined by western blot analysis in myocardial biopsies taken at baseline, after 80-85 min ischaemia and at 10, 30, and 120 min reperfusion. In additional experiments with IFR (n = 3) and GR (n = 3), the PI3-AKT and MEK1/2-ERK1/2 pathways were pharmacologically blocked (BL). IS was 37 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) of the area at risk with IFR and 29 +/- 1% (P < 0.05) with GR. RISK phosphorylation was similar between GR and IFR at baseline and 85 min ischaemia. At 10 min reperfusion, RISK phosphorylation was increased with IFR, but not with GR. At 30 and 120 min reperfusion, RISK phosphorylation was still greater with IFR than GR. RISK blockade did not abolish the IS reduction by GR (BL-IFR: 27 +/- 4% of the area at risk; BL-GR: 42 +/- 5%; P < 0.05). Gentle reperfusion reduces infarct size in pigs, but RISK activation is not causally involved in this infarct size reduction.

Comparison of sow and/or piglet vaccination of 3 commercial porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) single-dose vaccines on pigs under experimental PCV2 challenge.

PubMed

Oh, Yeonsu; Seo, Hwi Won; Park, Changhoon; Chae, Chanhee

2014-08-27

The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of sow and/or piglet vaccination regimen by three commercial porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccines on pigs experimentally challenged with PCV2 at 84 days of age based on immunological, virological, and pathological evaluation. One hundred and nineteen piglets born to vaccinated or non-vaccinated sows were divided into 17 groups. A portion of the pigs with or without passively acquired immunity was vaccinated at 21 or 49 days of age. Regardless of the PCV2 vaccine, the combination of sow and pig (49 days of age) vaccinations significantly (P<0.05) reduced PCV2 viremia, induced higher log2 transformed neutralizing antibody titers, and resulted in higher proportion of CD4(+)CD8(+)IFN-γ(+) lymphocyte subsets than the sow vaccination alone, the pig (21 or 49 days of age) vaccination alone, and the combination of sow and pig (21 days of age) vaccinations at various days post challenge. The results showed a significant negative correlation between maternally derived antibodies at the day of vaccination and the increment of antibody titers to PCV2 at 28 days post vaccination in the combination of sow and pig (21 days of age) vaccinations but not the combination of sow and pig (49 days of age) vaccinations. The combination of sow and pig (49 days of age) vaccinations could be more effective for controlling PCV2 infection if PCV2 the infection occurs during the growing-finishing period in herds. Optimal vaccination strategies must balance the advantage of delayed vaccination with the need to induce immunity prior to exposure to pathogens under field conditions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Empirical analysis of pig welfare levels and their impact on pig breeding efficiency-Based on 773 pig farmers' survey data.

PubMed

Li, Yanling; Wu, Nanjun; Xu, Rong; Li, Liqing; Zhou, Wei; Zhou, Xianjun

2017-01-01

Few studies of the pig production efficiency are from the perspective of animal welfare. Therefore, this study conducted a comprehensive evaluation of pig welfare levels based on survey data from 773 pig farmers from 23 counties in the Chinese provinces of Hunan, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Shanxi. This study used the Delphi method, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)-Tobit regression model to analyze farmers' pig production efficiency and its influencing factors. This paper found that most farmers' pig production efficiency is low, and the DEA is invalid. Only 2.9% of pig farmers' who breed pigs are at the optimal level in terms of welfare, and their production efficiency is relatively high. In contrast, 49.34% of the farmers are at the medium welfare level, and compared with the farmers at the optimal welfare level, these farmers' pig production efficiency is low. Additionally, the farmers' age, gender, and number of years of experience with pig breeding have a significant effect. Furthermore, the scale of pig breeding and feeding type, the agriculture facilities for the central treatment of waste in local areas, and the availability of local agricultural science and technology personnel have a considerable influence on pig production efficiency.

A 2-D guinea pig lung proteome map

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Guinea pigs represent an important model for a number of infectious and non-infectious pulmonary diseases. The guinea pig genome has recently been sequenced to full coverage, opening up new research avenues using genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics techniques in this species. In order to furth...

Effects of a 3 strain -based direct-fed microbial and dietary fiber concentration on growth performance and expression of genes related to absorption and metabolism of volatile fatty acids in weanling pigs.

PubMed

Jaworski, N W; Owusu-Asiedu, A; Walsh, M C; McCann, J C; Loor, J J; Stein, H H

2017-01-01

Effects of a -based direct-fed microbial (DFM) on growth performance, plasma tumor necrosis factor ɑ (TNFɑ), relative gene expression, and intestinal VFA concentrations in weanling pigs fed low- or high-fiber diets were evaluated. Two hundred pigs (initial BW: 6.31 ± 0.73 kg) were allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (5 pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment). Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design with 2 diet types [low-fiber (LF) or high-fiber (HF)] and 2 concentrations of DFM (0 or 60 g DFM/t of feed). The DFM contained 1.5 × 10 cfu/g and was obtained from Danisco Animal Nutrition-DuPont Industrial Biosciences, Marlborough, UK. Phase 1 diets were fed for 2 wk post-weaning and phase 2 diets were fed over the following 29 d. Low fiber diets contained corn and soybean meal as main ingredients and HF diets contained corn, soybean meal, corn distillers dried grains with solubles (7.5 and 15.0% in phase 1 and 2, respectively), and wheat middlings (10.0%). Pigs and feed were weighed at the start and at the end of each phase, and ADG, ADFI, and G:F were calculated. At the conclusion of phase 2, blood was collected from 1 pig per pen and 1 pig per pen was sacrificed. Cecum and rectum contents were analyzed for VFA, and tissue samples were collected from the ileum, cecum, rectum, and liver to determine expression of genes related to absorption and metabolism of VFA using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Results indicated that feeding HF diets reduced ( ≤ 0.05) ADFI and ADG of pigs compared with feeding LF diets. Pigs fed DFM diets had improved ( ≤ 0.05) G:F compared with pigs fed non-DFM diets. Pigs fed LF diets had greater ( ≤ 0.05) BW at the end of phase 2 compared with pigs fed HF diets. The concentration of VFA in rectum contents was greater ( ≤ 0.05) in pigs fed LF diets than in pigs fed HF diets. The expression of in the rectum of pigs fed HF diets was greater ( ≤ 0.05) than for pigs fed LF diets, and pigs fed DFM

Dual therapeutic functions of F-5 fragment in burn wounds: preventing wound progression and promoting wound healing in pigs

PubMed Central

Bhatia, Ayesha; O’Brien, Kathryn; Chen, Mei; Wong, Alex; Garner, Warren; Woodley, David T.; Li, Wei

2016-01-01

Burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity including prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability. Currently there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved burn therapeutics. A clinical distinction of burn injuries from other acute wounds is the event of the so-called secondary burn wound progression within the first week of the injury, in which a burn expands horizontally and vertically from its initial boundary to a larger area. Therefore, an effective therapeutics for burns should show dual abilities to prevent the burn wound progression and thereafter promote burn wound healing. Herein we report that topically applied F-5 fragment of heat shock protein-90α is a dual functional agent to promote burn wound healing in pigs. First, F-5 prevents burn wound progression by protecting the surrounding cells from undergoing heat-induced caspase 3 activation and apoptosis with increased Akt activation. Accordingly, F-5–treated burn and excision wounds show a marked decline in inflammation. Thereafter, F-5 accelerates burn wound healing by stimulating the keratinocyte migration-led reepithelialization, leading to wound closure. This study addresses a topical agent that is capable of preventing burn wound progression and accelerating burn wound healing. PMID:27382602

Dual therapeutic functions of F-5 fragment in burn wounds: preventing wound progression and promoting wound healing in pigs.

PubMed

Bhatia, Ayesha; O'Brien, Kathryn; Chen, Mei; Wong, Alex; Garner, Warren; Woodley, David T; Li, Wei

2016-01-01

Burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity including prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability. Currently there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved burn therapeutics. A clinical distinction of burn injuries from other acute wounds is the event of the so-called secondary burn wound progression within the first week of the injury, in which a burn expands horizontally and vertically from its initial boundary to a larger area. Therefore, an effective therapeutics for burns should show dual abilities to prevent the burn wound progression and thereafter promote burn wound healing. Herein we report that topically applied F-5 fragment of heat shock protein-90α is a dual functional agent to promote burn wound healing in pigs. First, F-5 prevents burn wound progression by protecting the surrounding cells from undergoing heat-induced caspase 3 activation and apoptosis with increased Akt activation. Accordingly, F-5-treated burn and excision wounds show a marked decline in inflammation. Thereafter, F-5 accelerates burn wound healing by stimulating the keratinocyte migration-led reepithelialization, leading to wound closure. This study addresses a topical agent that is capable of preventing burn wound progression and accelerating burn wound healing.

Pig has no uncoupling protein 1.

PubMed

Hou, Lianjie; Shi, Jia; Cao, Lingbo; Xu, Guli; Hu, Chingyuan; Wang, Chong

2017-06-10

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is critical for mammal's survival in the cold environment. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is responsible for the non-shivering thermogenesis in the BAT. Pig is important economically as a meat-producing livestock. However, whether BAT or more precisely UCP1 protein exists in pig remains a controversy. The objective of this study was to ascertain whether pig has UCP1 protein. In this study, we used rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique to obtain the UCP1 mRNA 3' end sequence, confirmed only exons 1 and 2 of the UCP1 gene are transcribed in the pig. Then we cloned the pig UCP1 gene exons 1 and 2, and expressed the UCP1 protein from the truncated pig gene using E. coli BL21. We used the expressed pig UCP1 protein as antigen for antibody production in a rabbit. We could not detect any UCP1 protein expression in different pig adipose tissues by the specific pig UCP1 antibody, while our antibody can detect the cloned pig UCP1 as well as the mice adipose UCP1 protein. This result shows although exons 1 and 2 of the pig UCP1 gene were transcribed but not translated in the pig adipose tissue. Furthermore, we detected no uncoupled respiration in the isolated pig adipocytes. Thus, these results unequivocally demonstrate that pig has no UCP1 protein. Our results have resolved the controversy of whether pigs have the brown adipose tissue. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Syntheses, Raman spectra, and X-ray crystal structures of [XeF(5)][mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)] and [M][OsO(3)F(3)] (M = XeF(5)(+), Xe(2)F(11)(+)).

PubMed

Hughes, Michael J; Mercier, Hélène P A; Schrobilgen, Gary J

2010-04-05

Stoichiometric amounts of XeF(6) and (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity) react at 25-50 degrees C to form salts of the known XeF(5)(+) and Xe(2)F(11)(+) cations, namely, [XeF(5)][mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)], [XeF(5)][OsO(3)F(3)], and [Xe(2)F(11)][OsO(3)F(3)]. Although XeF(6) is oxophilic toward a number of transition metal and main-group oxides and oxide fluorides, fluoride/oxide metathesis was not observed. The series provides the first examples of noble-gas cations that are stabilized by metal oxide fluoride anions and the first example of a mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)(-) salt. Both [XeF(5)][mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)] and [Xe(2)F(11)][OsO(3)F(3)] are orange solids at room temperature. The [XeF(5)][OsO(3)F(3)] salt is an orange liquid at room temperature that solidifies at 5-0 degrees C. When the salts are heated at 50 degrees C under 1 atm of N(2) for more than 2 h, significant XeF(6) loss occurs. The X-ray crystal structures (-173 degrees C) show that the salts exist as discrete ion pairs and that the osmium coordination spheres in OsO(3)F(3)(-) and mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)(-) are pseudo-octahedral OsO(3)F(3)-units having facial arrangements of oxygen and fluorine atoms. The mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)(-) anion is comprised of two symmetry-related OsO(3)F(2)-groups that are fluorine-bridged to one another. Ion pairing results from secondary bonding interactions between the fluorine/oxygen atoms of the anions and the xenon atom of the cation, with the Xe...F/O contacts occurring opposite the axial fluorine and from beneath the equatorial XeF(4)-planes of the XeF(5)(+) and Xe(2)F(11)(+) cations so as to avoid the free valence electron lone pairs of the xenon atoms. The xenon atoms of [XeF(5)][mu-F(OsO(3)F(2))(2)] and [Xe(2)F(11)][OsO(3)F(3)] are nine-coordinate and the xenon atom of [XeF(5)][OsO(3)F(3)] is eight-coordinate. Quantum-chemical calculations at SVWN and B3LYP levels of theory were used to obtain the gas-phase geometries, vibrational frequencies, and NBO bond orders, valencies, and NPA charges of

Saving genetic resources of native pigs in Occidental and Oriental countries - practical examples of the characterization and utilization of native pigs in Hungary and Laos.

PubMed

Rátky, Jozsef; Egerszegi, Istvan; Toth, Peter; Keonuchan, Soukanh; Nagai, Takashi; Kikuchi, Kazuhiro; Manabe, Noboru; Brüssow, Klaus-Peter

2013-10-01

Worldwide, only a few "fatty" pig breeds exist with different and/or regional utilization. Using the Hungarian Mangalica, which almost went extinct in Europe and the Lao Moo Lat pig, which still has a large population in South-East Asia as exemples, we wanted to demonstrate that indigenous (fatty) pig breeds may represent both national value and tremendous economic potential. Since these less prolific and less productive breeds cannot contribute to mass production, new market roles and methods should be established for them in the premium segment of pork trading. Thus their preservation and propagation needs the comprehensive collaboration of commercial, governmental actors and researchers. Briefly summarizing the history, we report the current results of reproductive physiology research. The commercial renaissance of Mangalica pigs is indebted to the enthusiastic efforts of basic scientists, pig breeding experts and dedicated Mangalica producers. Scientific achievements were applied to practical breeding and production of delicious pork and processed products, which ultimately made the economic success in the Mangalica sector possible. Both, research on and utilization of endangered (pig) breeds maintain not only breed diversities, but also may improve the livelihood of farmers worldwide.

Effects of withdrawing high-fiber ingredients before marketing on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and intestinal weights.

PubMed

Coble, Kyle F; DeRouchey, Joel M; Tokach, Mike D; Dritz, Steve S; Goodband, Robert D; Woodworth, Jason C

2018-02-15

Two experiments were conducted to determine the duration of high-fiber ingredient removal from finishing pig diets before marketing to restore carcass yield and carcass fat iodine value (IV), similar to pigs continuously fed a corn-soybean meal diet. In experiment 1, 288 pigs (initially 38.4 ± 0.3 kg body weight [BW]) were used in an 88-d study and fed either a low-fiber corn-soybean meal diet from day 0 to 88 or a high-fiber diet containing 30% corn distillers dried grains with solubles and 19% wheat middlings until day 20, 15, 10, 5, or 0 before slaughter and switched to the low-fiber corn-soybean meal diet thereafter. Diets were not balanced for net energy. From day 0 to 88, pigs continuously fed the high-fiber diet tended to have increased average daily feed intake (P = 0.072) and decreased G:F and carcass yield (P = 0.001) compared with pigs fed the low-fiber corn-soybean meal diet. Pigs continuously fed the high-fiber diet had greater (P < 0.010) IV of jowl, backfat, belly, and ham collar fat than those fed the low-fiber corn-soybean meal diet throughout. As days of withdrawal increased, pigs previously fed the high-fiber diet had increased carcass yield (quadratic; P = 0.039). Pigs continuously fed the high-fiber diet had heavier (percentage of hot carcass weight [HCW]) full large intestines (P = 0.003) than pigs fed the corn-soybean meal diet. Full large intestine weight decreased (linear; P = 0.018) as withdrawal time increased. Belly fat IV tended (linear; P = 0.080) to improve as withdrawal time increased. In experiment 2, a total of 1,089 pigs (initially 44.5 ± 0.1 kg BW) were used in a 96-d study with the same dietary treatments as in experiment 1, except pigs were fed the high-fiber diet until day 24, 19, 14, 9, or 0 before slaughter and then switched to the corn-soybean meal diet. Pigs fed the high-fiber diet throughout had decreased average daily gain and G:F (P = 0.001) compared with those fed the low-fiber corn-soybean meal diet. For pigs

Effects of distillers dried grains with solubles and added fat fed immediately before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs.

PubMed

Coble, K F; DeRouchey, J M; Tokach, M D; Dritz, S S; Goodband, R D; Woodworth, J C

2017-01-01

The addition of dietary fat has been shown to increase HCW and carcass yield in pigs fed low-fiber corn-soy diets; however, data on added fat in high-fiber, low-energy diets is less available. Therefore, the potential for dietary fat to ameliorate the negative effect high-fiber diets have on carcass yield during the last 3 wk before slaughter is of high importance. This experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 5% added fat fed before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics. A total of 1,258 pigs in 2 groups (initially 105.8 ± 0.1 kg BW; group 1 PIC 337 × 1,050; group 2 PIC 327 × 1,050) were used in a 20-d experiment. All pigs were fed a common diet with 30% DDGS until 20 d before slaughter. Then, all pens were weighed and allotted to treatments with 20 replicate pens per treatment. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial with 2 diet types (corn-soybean meal-based with or without 30% DDGS) and added fat (0 or 5%; group 1 = tallow; group 2 = choice white grease). Diets were formulated to a constant standardized ileal digestible Lys:NE ratio. There were no treatment × group interactions for any response criteria. Thus, data for the 2 groups were combined for analysis. Overall, there was a tendency for a diet type × added fat interaction for ADG ( = 0.054), whereas this was significant for G:F ( = 0.008). This was a result of 5% added fat increasing ADG and G:F to a greater magnitude for pigs fed the diet containing 30% DDGS (8.6 and 10.4%, respectively) than for pigs fed the corn-soy diet (2.0 and 2.9%, respectively). Although diet type did not affect final live BW, pigs fed the diet containing DDGS had decreased HCW and carcass yield ( < 0.05). Adding 5% fat did not affect carcass yield. In conclusion, adding 5% fat to finishing pig diets containing 30% DDGS approximately 20 d before slaughter improved ADG and G:F but did not overcome the reduction in

Plague in Guinea pigs and its prevention by subunit vaccines.

PubMed

Quenee, Lauriane E; Ciletti, Nancy; Berube, Bryan; Krausz, Thomas; Elli, Derek; Hermanas, Timothy; Schneewind, Olaf

2011-04-01

Human pneumonic plague is a devastating and transmissible disease for which a Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine is not available. Suitable animal models may be adopted as a surrogate for human plague to fulfill regulatory requirements for vaccine efficacy testing. To develop an alternative to pneumonic plague in nonhuman primates, we explored guinea pigs as a model system. On intranasal instillation of a fully virulent strain, Yersinia pestis CO92, guinea pigs developed lethal lung infections with hemorrhagic necrosis, massive bacterial replication in the respiratory system, and blood-borne dissemination to other organ systems. Expression of the Y. pestis F1 capsule was not required for the development of pulmonary infection; however, the capsule seemed to be important for the establishment of bubonic plague. The mean lethal dose (MLD) for pneumonic plague in guinea pigs was estimated to be 1000 colony-forming units. Immunization of guinea pigs with the recombinant forms of LcrV, a protein that resides at the tip of Yersinia type III secretion needles, or F1 capsule generated robust humoral immune responses. Whereas LcrV immunization resulted in partial protection against pneumonic plague challenge with 250 MLD Y. pestis CO92, immunization with recombinant F1 did not. rV10, a vaccine variant lacking LcrV residues 271-300, elicited protection against pneumonic plague, which seemed to be based on conformational antibodies directed against LcrV. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plague in Guinea Pigs and Its Prevention by Subunit Vaccines

PubMed Central

Quenee, Lauriane E.; Ciletti, Nancy; Berube, Bryan; Krausz, Thomas; Elli, Derek; Hermanas, Timothy; Schneewind, Olaf

2011-01-01

Human pneumonic plague is a devastating and transmissible disease for which a Food and Drug Administration–approved vaccine is not available. Suitable animal models may be adopted as a surrogate for human plague to fulfill regulatory requirements for vaccine efficacy testing. To develop an alternative to pneumonic plague in nonhuman primates, we explored guinea pigs as a model system. On intranasal instillation of a fully virulent strain, Yersinia pestis CO92, guinea pigs developed lethal lung infections with hemorrhagic necrosis, massive bacterial replication in the respiratory system, and blood-borne dissemination to other organ systems. Expression of the Y. pestis F1 capsule was not required for the development of pulmonary infection; however, the capsule seemed to be important for the establishment of bubonic plague. The mean lethal dose (MLD) for pneumonic plague in guinea pigs was estimated to be 1000 colony-forming units. Immunization of guinea pigs with the recombinant forms of LcrV, a protein that resides at the tip of Yersinia type III secretion needles, or F1 capsule generated robust humoral immune responses. Whereas LcrV immunization resulted in partial protection against pneumonic plague challenge with 250 MLD Y. pestis CO92, immunization with recombinant F1 did not. rV10, a vaccine variant lacking LcrV residues 271-300, elicited protection against pneumonic plague, which seemed to be based on conformational antibodies directed against LcrV. PMID:21406168

Identification of four genotypes of H3N2 swine influenza virus in pigs from southern China.

PubMed

Chen, Jidang; Fu, Xinliang; Chen, Ye; He, Shuyi; Zheng, Yun; Cao, Zhenpeng; Yu, Wenxin; Zhou, Han; Su, Shuo; Zhang, Guihong

2014-10-01

In 2011, four H3N2 swine influenza viruses (SIVs) were isolated from nasal swabs of four pigs (800 nasal swabs were collected from pigs showing influenza-like symptoms) in Guangdong province, China. Four different genotypes of H3N2 appeared among pigs in southern China, including wholly human-like H3N2 viruses, intermediate (1975) double-reassortant human H3N2 viruses (resulting from reassortment between an early human lineage and a recent human lineage), recent double-reassortant human H3N2 viruses, and avian-like H3N2 viruses. Because pigs can support the reassortment of human and avian influenza viruses, our surveillance should be enhanced as a part of an overall pandemic preparedness plan.

Creation of miniature pig model of human Waardenburg syndrome type 2A by ENU mutagenesis.

PubMed

Hai, Tang; Guo, Weiwei; Yao, Jing; Cao, Chunwei; Luo, Ailing; Qi, Meng; Wang, Xianlong; Wang, Xiao; Huang, Jiaojiao; Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Hongyong; Wang, Dayu; Shang, Haitao; Hong, Qianlong; Zhang, Rui; Jia, Qitao; Zheng, Qiantao; Qin, Guosong; Li, Yongshun; Zhang, Tao; Jin, Weiwu; Chen, Zheng-Yi; Wang, Hongmei; Zhou, Qi; Meng, Anming; Wei, Hong; Yang, Shiming; Zhao, Jianguo

2017-11-01

Human Waardenburg syndrome 2A (WS2A) is a dominant hearing loss (HL) syndrome caused by mutations in the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) gene. In mouse models with MITF mutations, WS2A is transmitted in a recessive pattern, which limits the study of hearing loss (HL) pathology. In the current study, we performed ENU (ethylnitrosourea) mutagenesis that resulted in substituting a conserved lysine with a serine (p. L247S) in the DNA-binding domain of the MITF gene to generate a novel miniature pig model of WS2A. The heterozygous mutant pig (MITF +/L247S ) exhibits a dominant form of profound HL and hypopigmentation in skin, hair, and iris, accompanied by degeneration of stria vascularis (SV), fused hair cells, and the absence of endocochlear potential, which indicate the pathology of human WS2A. Besides hypopigmentation and bilateral HL, the homozygous mutant pig (MITF L247S/L247S ) and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated MITF bi-allelic knockout pigs both exhibited anophthalmia. Three WS2 patients carrying MITF mutations adjacent to the corresponding region were also identified. The pig models resemble the clinical symptom and molecular pathology of human WS2A patients perfectly, which will provide new clues for better understanding the etiology and development of novel treatment strategies for human HL.

Pigs immunized with a novel E2 subunit vaccine are protected from subgenotype heterologous classical swine fever virus challenge.

PubMed

Madera, Rachel; Gong, Wenjie; Wang, Lihua; Burakova, Yulia; Lleellish, Karen; Galliher-Beckley, Amy; Nietfeld, Jerome; Henningson, Jamie; Jia, Kaimin; Li, Ping; Bai, Jianfa; Schlup, John; McVey, Scott; Tu, Changchun; Shi, Jishu

2016-09-09

Classical swine fever (CSF) or hog cholera is a highly contagious swine viral disease. CSF endemic countries have to use routine vaccination with modified live virus (MLV) vaccines to prevent and control CSF. However, it is impossible to serologically differentiate MLV vaccinated pigs from those infected with CSF virus (CSFV). The aim of this study is to develop a one-dose E2-subunit vaccine that can provide protection against CSFV challenge. We hypothesize that a vaccine consisting of a suitable adjuvant and recombinant E2 with natural conformation may induce a similar level of protection as the MLV vaccine. Our experimental vaccine KNB-E2 was formulated with the recombinant E2 protein (Genotype 1.1) expressed by insect cells and an oil-in-water emulsion based adjuvant. 10 pigs (3 weeks old, 5 pigs/group) were immunized intramuscularly with one dose or two doses (3 weeks apart) KNB-E2, and 10 more control pigs were administered normal saline solution only. Two weeks after the second vaccination, all KNB-E2 vaccinated pigs and 5 control pigs were challenged with 5 × 10(5) TCID50 CSFV Honduras/1997 (Genotype 1.3, 1 ml intramuscular, 1 ml intranasal). It was found that while control pigs infected with CSFV stopped growing and developed high fever (>40 °C), high level CSFV load in blood and nasal fluid, and severe leukopenia 3-14 days post challenge, all KNB-E2 vaccinated pigs continued to grow as control pigs without CSFV exposure, did not show any fever, had low or undetectable level of CSFV in blood and nasal fluid. At the time of CSFV challenge, only pigs immunized with KNB-E2 developed high levels of E2-specific antibodies and anti-CSFV neutralizing antibodies. Our studies provide direct evidence that pigs immunized with one dose KNB-E2 can be protected clinically from CSFV challenge. This protection is likely mediated by high levels of E2-specific and anti-CSFV neutralizing antibodies.

Bcl-2 upregulation and neuroprotection in guinea pig brain following chronic simvastatin treatment.

PubMed

Franke, Cornelia; Nöldner, Michael; Abdel-Kader, Reham; Johnson-Anuna, Leslie N; Gibson Wood, W; Müller, Walter E; Eckert, Gunter P

2007-02-01

The present study determined if chronic simvastatin administration in vivo would provide neuroprotection in brain cells isolated from guinea pigs after challenge with the Bcl-2 inhibitor HA 14-1 or the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Bcl-2 levels were significantly increased in brains of simvastatin-treated guinea pigs while levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax were significantly reduced. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, being a critical factor of the apoptotic state of cells, was significantly reduced in simvastatin-treated animals. Cholesterol levels in the brain remained unchanged in the simvastatin group. Brain cells isolated from simvastatin-treated guinea pigs were significantly less vulnerable to mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-activation. These results provide new insight into potential mechanisms for the protective actions of statins within the CNS where programmed cell death has been implicated.

Effects of full fat rice bran and defatted rice bran on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs.

PubMed

Casas, Gloria A; Overholt, Martin F; Dilger, Anna C; Boler, Dustin D; Stein, Hans H

2018-06-04

The objective was to test the hypothesis that increasing inclusion levels of full fat rice bran (FFRB) or defatted rice bran (DFRB) are not detrimental to growth or carcass characteristics, longissimus muscle (LM) quality, or fat quality when fed to growing-finishing pigs. A total of 224 barrows and gilts were randomly allotted to 7 treatments, with 4 pigs per pen and 8 pen replicates per treatment. Pigs had an average initial BW of 28.2 ± 4.1 kg and a 3-phase feeding program was used. A basal diet containing corn and soybean meal, 3 diets containing corn, soybean meal, and 10, 20, or 30% FFRB, and 3 diets containing corn, soybean meal, and 10, 20, or 30% DFRB were formulated within each phase. Daily feed allotments and pig BW at the start of the experiment and at the conclusion of each phase were recorded. On the last day of the experiment, 1 pig per pen was harvested and carcass characteristics, LM quality, and fat quality were determined. For the overall experimental period, no effects of dietary treatments were observed for average daily gain. However, average daily feed intake (ADFI) decreased (linear, P < 0.05) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) increased (linear, P < 0.05) for pigs fed diets with increasing concentrations of FFRB. In contrast, ADFI increased linearly (P < 0.05) and G:F decreased (linear, P < 0.05) as DFRB was included in the diets. There were no effects of dietary treatments on LM quality. The length of the bellies decreased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) as the inclusion of FFRB or DFRB increased in the diets. The concentration of crude fat in the adipose tissue of pigs increased linearly (P < 0.05) as the concentration of FFRB or DFRB increased in the diets. The concentration of saturated fatty acids in the adipose tissue of pigs fed diets containing FFRB decreased (linear, P < 0.05), whereas the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased (linear, P < 0.05). In contrast, addition of DFRB did not affect the concentration of

Differences between antigenic determinants of pig and cat zona pellucida proteins.

PubMed

Jewgenow, K; Rohleder, M; Wegner, I

2000-05-01

Despite many efforts, the control of reproduction in feral cat populations is still a problem in urban regions around the world. Immunocontraception is a promising approach; thus the present study examined the suitability of the widely used pig zona pellucida proteins (pZP) for contraception in feral domestic cats. Purified zona pellucida proteins obtained from pig and cat ovaries were used to produce highly specific antisera in rabbits. Antibodies against pZP raised in rabbits or lions were not effective inhibitors of either in vitro sperm binding (cat spermatozoa to cat oocytes) or in vitro fertilization in cats, whereas antibodies against feline zona pellucida proteins (fZP) raised in rabbits showed a dose-dependent inhibition of in vitro fertilization. Immunoelectrophoresis, ELISA and immunohistology of ovaries confirmed these results, showing crossreactivity of anti-fZP sera to fZP and to a lesser extent to pZP, but no interaction of anti-pZP sera with fZP. It is concluded that cat and pig zonae pellucidae express a very small number of shared antigenic determinants, making the use of pZP vaccine in cats questionable. A contraceptive vaccine based on feline zona pellucida determinants will be a better choice for the control of reproduction in feral cats if immunogenity can be achieved.

Comparison of ionospheric F2 peak parameters foF2 and hmF2 with IRI2001 at Hainan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.; Shi, J. K.; Wang, G. J.; Gong, Y.

2009-06-01

Monthly median values of foF2, hmF2 and M(3000)F2 parameters, with quarter-hourly time interval resolution for the diurnal variation, obtained with DPS4 digisonde at Hainan (19.5°N, 109.1°E; Geomagnetic coordinates: 178.95°E, 8.1°N) are used to investigate the low-latitude ionospheric variations and comparisons with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model predictions. The data used for the present study covers the period from February 2002 to April 2007, which is characterized by a wide range of solar activity, ranging from high solar activity (2002) to low solar activity (2007). The results show that (1) Generally, IRI predictions follow well the diurnal and seasonal variation patterns of the experimental values of foF2, especially in the summer of 2002. However, there are systematic deviation between experimental values and IRI predictions with either CCIR or URSI coefficients. Generally IRI model greatly underestimate the values of foF2 from about noon to sunrise of next day, especially in the afternoon, and slightly overestimate them from sunrise to about noon. It seems that there are bigger deviations between IRI Model predictions and the experimental observations for the moderate solar activity. (2) Generally the IRI-predicted hmF2 values using CCIR M(3000)F2 option shows a poor agreement with the experimental results, but there is a relatively good agreement in summer at low solar activity. The deviation between the IRI-predicted hmF2 using CCIR M(3000)F2 and observed hmF2 is bigger from noon to sunset and around sunrise especially at high solar activity. The occurrence time of hmF2 peak (about 1200 LT) of the IRI model predictions is earlier than that of observations (around 1500 LT). The agreement between the IRI hmF2 obtained with the measured M(3000)F2 and the observed hmF2 is very good except that IRI overestimates slightly hmF2 in the daytime in summer at high solar activity and underestimates it in the nighttime with lower values near

Effects of choice white grease or poultry fat on growth performance, carcass leanness, and meat quality characteristics of growing-finishing pigs.

PubMed

Engel, J J; Smith, J W; Unruh, J A; Goodband, R D; O'Quinn, P R; Tokach, M D; Nelssen, J L

2001-06-01

Eighty-four crossbred gilts were used to evaluate the effects of dietary choice white grease (CWG) or poultry fat (PF) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and quality characteristics of longissimus muscle (LM), belly, and bacon of growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (initially 60 kg) were fed a control diet with no added fat or diets containing 2, 4, or 6% CWG or PF. Diets were fed from 60 to 110 kg and contained 2.26 g lysine/Mcal ME. Data were analyzed as a 2 x 3 factorial plus a control with main effects of fat source (CWG and PF) and fat level (2, 4, and 6%). Pigs fed the control diet, 2% fat, and 4% fat had greater (P < 0.05) ADFI than pigs fed 6% fat. Pigs fed 6% fat had greater (P < 0.05) gain/feed (G/F) than pigs fed the control diet or other fat levels. Subcutaneous fat over the longissimus muscle from pigs fed CWG had more (P < 0.05) moisture than that from pigs fed PF. Feeding dietary fat (regardless of source or level) reduced (P < 0.05) the amount of saturated fats present in the LM. Similarly, 4 or 6% fat decreased (P < 0.05) the amount of saturated fats and increased unsaturated fats present in the bacon. No differences (P > 0.05) were observed for ADG, dressing percentage, leaf fat weight, LM pH, backfat depth, LM area, percentage lean, LM visual evaluation, LM waterholding capacity, Warner-Bratzler shear and sensory evaluation of the LM and bacon, fat color and firmness measurements, or bacon processing characteristics. Adding dietary fat improved G/F and altered the fatty acid profiles of the LM and bacon, but differences in growth rate, carcass characteristics, and quality and sensory characteristics of the LM and bacon were minimal. Dietary additions of up to 6% CWG or PF can be made with little effect on quality of pork LM, belly, or bacon.

Exposures to conditioned flavours with different hedonic values induce contrasted behavioural and brain responses in pigs.

PubMed

Clouard, Caroline; Jouhanneau, Mélanie; Meunier-Salaün, Marie-Christine; Malbert, Charles-Henri; Val-Laillet, David

2012-01-01

This study investigated the behavioural and brain responses towards conditioned flavours with different hedonic values in juvenile pigs. Twelve 30-kg pigs were given four three-day conditioning sessions: they received three different flavoured meals paired with intraduodenal (i.d.) infusions of 15% glucose (F(Glu)), lithium chloride (F(LiCl)), or saline (control treatment, F(NaCl)). One and five weeks later, the animals were subjected to three two-choice feeding tests without reinforcement to check the acquisition of a conditioned flavour preference or aversion. In between, the anaesthetised pigs were subjected to three (18)FDG PET brain imaging coupled with an olfactogustatory stimulation with the conditioned flavours. During conditioning, the pigs spent more time lying inactive, and investigated their environment less after the F(LiCl) than the F(NaCl) or F(Glu) meals. During the two-choice tests performed one and five weeks later, the F(NaCl) and F(Glu) foods were significantly preferred over the F(LICl) food even in the absence of i.d. infusions. Surprisingly, the F(NaCl) food was also preferred over the F(Glu) food during the first test only, suggesting that, while LiCl i.d. infusions led to a strong flavour aversion, glucose infusions failed to induce flavour preference. As for brain imaging results, exposure to aversive or less preferred flavours triggered global deactivation of the prefrontal cortex, specific activation of the posterior cingulate cortex, as well as asymmetric brain responses in the basal nuclei and the temporal gyrus. In conclusion, postingestive visceral stimuli can modulate the flavour/food hedonism and further feeding choices. Exposure to flavours with different hedonic values induced metabolism differences in neural circuits known to be involved in humans in the characterization of food palatability, feeding motivation, reward expectation, and more generally in the regulation of food intake.

Emergence of 2.1. subgenotype of classical swine fever virus in pig population of India in 2011.

PubMed

Rajkhowa, T K; Hauhnar, Lalthapui; Lalrohlua, Isaac; Mohanarao G, Jagan

2014-01-01

Limited studies are available on molecular epidemiology of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) in India and are restricted to domestic pigs. These studies show the presence of 1.1. genotype. The aim of the present study was to subgenotype four CSFV isolates, two each from the outbreaks of CSF in wild (Sus scrofa) and domestic pigs of Mizoram state, India, in 2011. CSFV isolates were subjected to nucleotide sequencing in E2 and NS5B genomic regions. Phylogenetic analysis of the isolates in both genomic regions was carried out with 39 Indian isolates (4 isolates from the present study of Mizoram state and 35 isolates from the other states of India) and 57 reference sequences retrieved from the GenBank database. Two of the 39 isolates from India were collected from wild boar and were subgenotyped as 2.1. Out of 37 isolates from domestic pigs, only two were subgenotyped as 2.1. The analysis revealed the emergence of 2.1. subgenotype of CSFV in both wild and domestic pigs in India. The isolates from domestic pigs of Mizoram state (CSF/MZ/KOL/73 and CSF/MZ/AIZ/115) were grouped in genotype 1 and subgenotype 1.1., thus confirming that the source of CSF outbreaks in domesticated pigs in Mizoram was not from wild pigs. The current study forms an essential step for better understanding of the epidemiology of 2.1 subgroup as well as the movement and spread of the disease in India.

Biodistribution of the radionuclides 18F-FDG, 11C-methionine, 11C-PK11195, and 68Ga-citrate in domestic juvenile female pigs and morphological and molecular imaging of the tracers in hematogenously disseminated Staphylococcus aureus lesions

PubMed Central

Afzelius, Pia; Nielsen, Ole L; Alstrup, Aage KO; Bender, Dirk; Leifsson, Páll S; Jensen, Svend B; Schønheyder, Henrik C

2016-01-01

Approximately 5-7% of acute-care patients suffer from bacteremia. Bacteremia may give rise to bacterial spread to different tissues. Conventional imaging procedures as X-ray, Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and ultrasound are often first-line imaging methods for identification and localization of infection. These methods are, however, not always successful. Early identification and localization of infection is critical for the appropriate and timely selection of therapy. The aim of this study was thus; a head to head comparison of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) to PET with tracers that potentially could improve uncovering of infectious lesions in soft tissues. We chose 11C-methionine, 11C-PK11195, and 68Ga-citrate as tracers and besides presenting their bio-distribution we validated their diagnostic utility in pigs with experimental bacterial infection. Four juvenile 14-15 weeks old female domestic pigs were scanned seven days after intra-arterial inoculation in the right femoral artery with a porcine strain of S. aureus using a sequential scanning protocol with 18F-FDG, 11C-methionine, 11C-PK11195 and 68Ga-citrate. This was followed by necropsy of the pigs consisting of gross pathology, histopathology and microbial examination. The pigs primarily developed lesions in lungs and neck muscles. 18F-FDG had higher infection to background ratios and accumulated in most infectious foci caused by S. aureus, while 11C-methionine and particularly 11C-PK11195 and 68Ga-citrate accumulated to a lesser extent in infectious foci. 18F-FDG-uptake was seen in the areas of inflammatory cells and to a much lesser extent in reparative infiltration surrounding necrotic regions. PMID:27069765

Estimate of herpetofauna depredation by a population of wild pigs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jolley, D.B.; Ditchkoff, S.S.; Sparklin, B.D.; Hanson, L.B.; Mitchell, M.S.; Grand, J.B.

2010-01-01

Herpetofauna populations are decreasing worldwide, and the range of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is expanding. Depredation of threatened reptile and amphibian populations by wild pigs could be substantial. By understanding depredation characteristics and rates, more resources can be directed toward controlling populations of wild pigs coincident with threatened or endangered herpetofauna populations. From April 2005 to March 2006 we used firearms to collect wild pigs (n = 68) and examined stomach content for reptiles and amphibians. We found 64 individual reptiles and amphibians, composed of 5 different species, that were consumed by wild pigs during an estimated 254 hours of foraging. Primarily arboreal species (e.g., Anolis carolinensis) became more vulnerable to depredation when temperatures were low and they sought thermal shelter. Other species (e.g., Scaphiopus holbrookii) that exhibit mass terrestrial migrations during the breeding season also faced increased vulnerability to depredation by wild pigs. Results suggest that wild pigs are opportunistic consumers that can exploit and potentially have a negative impact on species with particular life-history characteristics. ?? 2009 American Society of Mammalogists.

Schwinger multichannel study of the 2Pi(g) shape resonance in N2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huo, Winifred M.; Gibson, Thomas L.; Lima, Marco A. P.; Mckoy, Vincent

1987-01-01

The results of a study on electron-target correlations in the 2Pi(g) shape resonance of elastic e-N2 scattering, using the Schwinger multichannel formulation, are reported. The effects of basis set, orbital representation, and closed-channel-configurations are delineated. The different roles of radial and angular correlations are compared.

Analyses of pig genomes provide insight into porcine demography and evolution

PubMed Central

Groenen, Martien A. M.; Archibald, Alan L.; Uenishi, Hirohide; Tuggle, Christopher K.; Takeuchi, Yasuhiro; Rothschild, Max F.; Rogel-Gaillard, Claire; Park, Chankyu; Milan, Denis; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Li, Shengting; Larkin, Denis M.; Kim, Heebal; Frantz, Laurent A. F.; Caccamo, Mario; Ahn, Hyeonju; Aken, Bronwen L.; Anselmo, Anna; Anthon, Christian; Auvil, Loretta; Badaoui, Bouabid; Beattie, Craig W.; Bendixen, Christian; Berman, Daniel; Blecha, Frank; Blomberg, Jonas; Bolund, Lars; Bosse, Mirte; Botti, Sara; Bujie, Zhan; Bystrom, Megan; Capitanu, Boris; Silva, Denise Carvalho; Chardon, Patrick; Chen, Celine; Cheng, Ryan; Choi, Sang-Haeng; Chow, William; Clark, Richard C.; Clee, Christopher; Crooijmans, Richard P. M. A.; Dawson, Harry D.; Dehais, Patrice; De Sapio, Fioravante; Dibbits, Bert; Drou, Nizar; Du, Zhi-Qiang; Eversole, Kellye; Fadista, João; Fairley, Susan; Faraut, Thomas; Faulkner, Geoffrey J.; Fowler, Katie E.; Fredholm, Merete; Fritz, Eric; Gilbert, James G. R.; Giuffra, Elisabetta; Gorodkin, Jan; Griffin, Darren K.; Harrow, Jennifer L.; Hayward, Alexander; Howe, Kerstin; Hu, Zhi-Liang; Humphray, Sean J.; Hunt, Toby; Hornshøj, Henrik; Jeon, Jin-Tae; Jern, Patric; Jones, Matthew; Jurka, Jerzy; Kanamori, Hiroyuki; Kapetanovic, Ronan; Kim, Jaebum; Kim, Jae-Hwan; Kim, Kyu-Won; Kim, Tae-Hun; Larson, Greger; Lee, Kyooyeol; Lee, Kyung-Tai; Leggett, Richard; Lewin, Harris A.; Li, Yingrui; Liu, Wansheng; Loveland, Jane E.; Lu, Yao; Lunney, Joan K.; Ma, Jian; Madsen, Ole; Mann, Katherine; Matthews, Lucy; McLaren, Stuart; Morozumi, Takeya; Murtaugh, Michael P.; Narayan, Jitendra; Nguyen, Dinh Truong; Ni, Peixiang; Oh, Song-Jung; Onteru, Suneel; Panitz, Frank; Park, Eung-Woo; Park, Hong-Seog; Pascal, Geraldine; Paudel, Yogesh; Perez-Enciso, Miguel; Ramirez-Gonzalez, Ricardo; Reecy, James M.; Zas, Sandra Rodriguez; Rohrer, Gary A.; Rund, Lauretta; Sang, Yongming; Schachtschneider, Kyle; Schraiber, Joshua G.; Schwartz, John; Scobie, Linda; Scott, Carol; Searle, Stephen; Servin, Bertrand; Southey, Bruce R.; Sperber, Goran; Stadler, Peter; Sweedler, Jonathan V.; Tafer, Hakim; Thomsen, Bo; Wali, Rashmi; Wang, Jian; Wang, Jun; White, Simon; Xu, Xun; Yerle, Martine; Zhang, Guojie; Zhang, Jianguo; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Shuhong; Rogers, Jane; Churcher, Carol; Schook, Lawrence B.

2013-01-01

For 10,000 years pigs and humans have shared a close and complex relationship. From domestication to modern breeding practices, humans have shaped the genomes of domestic pigs. Here we present the assembly and analysis of the genome sequence of a female domestic Duroc pig (Sus scrofa) and a comparison with the genomes of wild and domestic pigs from Europe and Asia. Wild pigs emerged in South East Asia and subsequently spread across Eurasia. Our results reveal a deep phylogenetic split between European and Asian wild boars ~1 million years ago, and a selective sweep analysis indicates selection on genes involved in RNA processing and regulation. Genes associated with immune response and olfaction exhibit fast evolution. Pigs have the largest repertoire of functional olfactory receptor genes, reflecting the importance of smell in this scavenging animal. The pig genome sequence provides an important resource for further improvements of this important livestock species, and our identification of many putative disease-causing variants extends the potential of the pig as a biomedical model. PMID:23151582

MMP-2 participates in the sclera of guinea pig with form-deprivation myopia via IGF-1/STAT3 pathway.

PubMed

Liu, Y-X; Sun, Y

2018-05-01

To investigate the expression changes of MMP-2 (matrix metalloproteinases-2) mediated by IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factors-1) STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) pathway in the sclera of the form-deprivation myopia guinea pigs. Twenty-four three-week-old guinea pigs were randomly divided into 4 groups: group A (Control), B, C and D. Guinea pigs in group A were sacrificed after 21 days without any special treatment. Guinea pigs in group B were sacrificed 7 days after receiving stitch in the right eye. Guinea pigs in group C were sacrificed 14 days after receiving stitch in the right eye. Guinea pigs in group D were sacrificed 21 days after receiving stitch in the right eye. Eyeball refraction and axial length of guinea pigs were measured before sacrifice. Eyeballs of guinea pigs were enucleated after sacrifice. The expressions of IGF-1, STAT3 and MMP-2 in scleral tissue were detected by Western blot. Axial length extension and myopia appeared in the right eye of guinea pigs in group B. The expressions of IGF-1, STAT3 and MMP-2 in the sclera significantly increased after 7 days of occlusion compared with that in control group A (p<0.05). In the right eye of group C, the axial prolongation and myopia formation appeared after 14-day occlusion. The expressions of IGF-1, STAT3 and MMP-2 in sclera significantly increased compared with that in group A (p<0.05). In the right eye of group D, the axial extension and myopia formation occurred. IGF-1, STAT3 and MMP-2 in scleral significantly upregulated 21 days after occlusion (p<0.05). Furthermore, at different stages of deprivation, protein expressions of MMP-2 and IGF-1 in sclera were positively correlated (r = 0.962, p<0.01). Form-deprivation of guinea pigs lead to increased expressions of IGF-1, STAT3 and MMP-2 in the sclera and myopia of guinea pigs. The expressions of IGF-1, STAT3 and MMP-2 increased progressively over the time of deprivation. Additionally, overexpression of MMP-2 mediated by IGF

Standardized ileal digestible valine:lysine dose response effects in 25- to 45-kg pigs under commercial conditions.

PubMed

Gonçalves, Marcio A D; Tokach, Mike D; Dritz, Steve S; Bello, Nora M; Touchette, Kevin J; Goodband, Robert D; DeRouchey, Joel M; Woodworth, Jason C

2018-03-06

Two experiments were conducted to estimate the standardized ileal digestible valine:lysine (SID Val:Lys) dose response effects in 25- to 45-kg pigs under commercial conditions. In experiment 1, a total of 1,134 gilts (PIC 337 × 1050), initially 31.2 kg ± 2.0 kg body weight (BW; mean ± SD) were used in a 19-d growth trial with 27 pigs per pen and seven pens per treatment. In experiment 2, a total of 2,100 gilts (PIC 327 × 1050), initially 25.4 ± 1.9 kg BW were used in a 22-d growth trial with 25 pigs per pen and 12 pens per treatment. Treatments were blocked by initial BW in a randomized complete block design. In experiment 1, there were a total of six dietary treatments with SID Val at 59.0, 62.5, 65.9, 69.6, 73.0, and 75.5% of Lys and for experiment 2 there were a total of seven dietary treatments with SID Val at 57.0, 60.6, 63.9, 67.5, 71.1, 74.4, and 78.0% of Lys. Experimental diets were formulated to ensure that Lys was the second limiting amino acid throughout the experiments. Initially, linear mixed models were fitted to data from each experiment. Then, data from the two experiments were combined to estimate dose-responses using a broken-line linear ascending (BLL) model, broken-line quadratic ascending (BLQ) model, or quadratic polynomial (QP). Model fit was compared using Bayesian information criterion (BIC). In experiment 1, ADG increased linearly (P = 0.009) with increasing SID Val:Lys with no apparent significant impact on G:F. In experiment 2, ADG and ADFI increased in a quadratic manner (P < 0.002) with increasing SID Val:Lys whereas G:F increased linearly (P < 0.001). Overall, the best-fitting model for ADG was a QP, whereby the maximum mean ADG was estimated at a 73.0% (95% CI: [69.5, >78.0%]) SID Val:Lys. For G:F, the overall best-fitting model was a QP with maximum estimated mean G:F at 69.0% (95% CI: [64.0, >78.0]) SID Val:Lys ratio. However, 99% of the maximum mean performance for ADG and G:F were achieved at, 68% and 63% SID Val:Lys ratio

Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4) and the Raman spectra of (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity), (OsO(3)F(2))(2), and (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4).

PubMed

Hughes, Michael J; Mercier, Hélène P A; Schrobilgen, Gary J

2009-05-18

The adduct, (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4), was synthesized by dissolution of the infinite chain polymer, (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity), in XeOF(4) solvent at room temperature followed by removal of excess XeOF(4) under dynamic vacuum at 0 degrees C. Continued pumping at 0 degrees C resulted in removal of associated XeOF(4), yielding (OsO(3)F(2))(2), a new low-temperature phase of OsO(3)F(2). Upon standing at 25 degrees C for 1(1)/(2) h, (OsO(3)F(2))(2) underwent a phase transition to the known monoclinic phase, (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity). The title compounds, (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity), (OsO(3)F(2))(2), and (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4) have been characterized by low-temperature (-150 degrees C) Raman spectroscopy. Crystallization of (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4) from XeOF(4) solution at 0 degrees C yielded crystals suitable for X-ray structure determination. The structural unit contains the (OsO(3)F(2))(2) dimer in which the OsO(3)F(3) units are joined by two Os---F---Os bridges having fluorine bridge atoms that are equidistant from the osmium centers (2.117(5) and 2.107(4) A). The dimer coordinates to two XeOF(4) molecules through Os-F...Xe bridges in which the Xe...F distances (2.757(5) A) are significantly less than the sum of the Xe and F van der Waals radii (3.63 A). The (OsO(3)F(2))(2) dimer has C(i) symmetry in which each pseudo-octahedral OsO(3)F(3) unit has a facial arrangement of oxygen ligands with XeOF(4) molecules that are only slightly distorted from their gas-phase C(4v) symmetry. Quantum-chemical calculations using SVWN and B3LYP methods were employed to calculate the gas-phase geometries, natural bond orbital analyses, and vibrational frequencies of (OsO(3)F(2))(2), (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4), XeOF(4), OsO(2)F(4), and (mu-FOsO(3)F(2))(2)OsO(3)F(-) to aid in the assignment of the experimental vibrational frequencies of (OsO(3)F(2))(2), (OsO(3)F(2))(2)2XeOF(4), and (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity). The vibrational modes of the low-temperature polymeric phase, (OsO(3)F(2))(infinity), have been

Fate and Distribution of 3H-Labeled T-2 Mycotoxin in Guinea Pigs

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-08-03

HPLC as well as TLC. . . of T-2 sycotox in guinea pigs. To establish the toxicity of an im injection of T-2 mycotoxin in the guinea pig, si:: ;A...that remained at the origin with p- glucuronidase , two additional less-polar radiolabeled peaks were smnarated by HPLC. This suggests that at least one...all tissues within 30 min - ’af.ter, an a injection" of, thr toxin. The rapi& reationff label suggests that toxic effects could begin shortly after

UCP2 and 3 deletion screening and distribution in 15 pig breeds.

PubMed

Li, Yanhua; Li, Hanjie; Zhao, Xingbo; Li, Ning; Wu, Changxin

2007-02-01

The uncoupling protein family is a mitochondrial anion carrier family. It plays an important role in the biological traits of animal body weight, basal metabolic rate and energy conversion. Using PCR and PCR-SSCP, we scanned the porcine uncoupling protein 2 gene (UCP2) and uncoupling protein 3 gene (UCP3) and found seven deletion sites, three in UCP2 and four in UCP3. The deletions in 15 pig breeds showed that deletion influenced weight. The genotype compounding of seven deletion sites in 15 pig breeds had significant effects on performance traits of the pig, such as body weight. We predicted the potential protein factor binding sites using the transcription factor analysis tool TFSearch version 1.3 online. Two deletions (1830 nt and 3219 nt) in UCP3 were found to change the transcriptional factor sites. The 16 bp deletion in 1830 nt added a SP1 site and a 6 bp deletion in 3219 nt removed two MZF1 sites. Seven deletion polymorphisms were covered in introns of linkage genes of UCP2 and UCP3, showing that UCPs have conservation and genetic reliability.

Determining Optimal Microwave Antigen Retrieval Conditions for Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 Immunohistochemistry in the Guinea Pig Brain

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

sections of formalin-fixed guinea pig brains using different MAP-2 monoclonal antibodies. Brain sections were boiled in sodium citrate, citric acid...citric acid solution at pH 6.0 is the optimal microwave-assisted AR method for immunolabeling MAP-2 in formalin-fixed, paraffin-processed guinea pig brain...studies on archival guinea pig brain paraffin blocks, ultimately relaxing the use of additional animals to evaluate changes in MAP-2 expression between chemical warfare nerve agent-treated and control samples.

Combined selenium and vitamin C deficiency causes cell death in guinea pig skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Hill, Kristina E; Motley, Amy K; May, James M; Burk, Raymond F

2009-03-01

Combined antioxidant deficiencies of selenium and vitamin E or vitamin E and vitamin C in guinea pigs result in clinical illness. We hypothesized that combined selenium and vitamin C deficiency would have clinical consequences because in vitro interactions of these antioxidant nutrients have been reported. Because guinea pigs are dependent on dietary vitamin C, weanling male guinea pigs were fed selenium-deficient or control diet for 15 weeks before imposing vitamin C deficiency. Four dietary groups were formed and studied 3 weeks later: controls, vitamin C deficient, selenium deficient, and doubly deficient. Deficiencies were confirmed by determinations of glutathione peroxidase activity and vitamin C concentration in liver and skeletal muscle. Plasma creatine phosphokinase activity and liver, kidney, heart, and quadriceps histopathology were determined. Doubly deficient animals had moderately severe skeletal muscle cell death as judged by histopathology and plasma creatine phosphokinase activity of 6630 +/- 4400 IU/L (control, 70 + or - 5; vitamin C deficient, 95 + or - 110; selenium deficient, 280 + or - 250). Liver, kidney, and heart histology was normal in all groups. Muscle alpha-tocopherol levels were not depressed in the doubly deficient group, but muscle F2 isoprostane concentrations were elevated in them and correlated with markers of cell death. We conclude that combining selenium and vitamin C deficiencies in the guinea pig causes cell death in skeletal muscle that is more severe than the injury caused by selenium deficiency. The elevation of muscle F2 isoprostanes is compatible with the cell death being caused by oxidative stress.

Prevalence of adhesin and toxin genes in E. coli strains isolated from diarrheic and non-diarrheic pigs from smallholder herds in northern and eastern Uganda.

PubMed

Ikwap, Kokas; Larsson, Jenny; Jacobson, Magdalena; Owiny, David Okello; Nasinyama, George William; Nabukenya, Immaculate; Mattsson, Sigbrit; Aspan, Anna; Erume, Joseph

2016-08-05

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) significantly contribute to diarrhea in piglets and weaners. The smallholder pig producers in Uganda identified diarrhea as one of the major problems especially in piglets. The aim of this study was to; i) characterize the virulence factors of E. coli strains isolated from diarrheic and non-diarrheic suckling piglets and weaners from smallholder herds in northern and eastern Uganda and ii) identify and describe the post-mortem picture of ETEC infection in severely diarrheic piglets. Rectal swab samples were collected from 83 piglets and weaners in 20 herds and isolated E. coli were characterized by PCR, serotyping and hemolysis. The E. coli strains carried genes for the heat stable toxins STa, STb and EAST1 and adhesins F4 and AIDA-I. The genes for the heat labile toxin LT and adhesins F5, F6, F18 and F41 were not detected in any of the E. coli isolates. Where the serogroup could be identified, E. coli isolates from the same diarrheic pig belonged to the same serogroup. The prevalence of EAST1, STb, Stx2e, STa, AIDA-I, and F4 in the E. coli isolates from suckling piglets and weaners (diarrheic and non-diarrheic combined) was 29, 26.5, 2.4, 1.2, 16, and 8.4 %, respectively. However the prevalence of F4 and AIDA-I in E. coli from diarrheic suckling piglets alone was 22.2 and 20 %, respectively. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of the individual virulence factors in E. coli from the diarrheic and non-diarrheic pigs (p > 0.05). The main ETEC strains isolated from diarrheic and non-diarrheic pigs included F4/STb/EAST1 (7.2 %), F4/STb (1.2 %), AIDA/STb/EAST1 (8 %) and AIDA/STb (8 %). At post-mortem, two diarrheic suckling piglets carrying ETEC showed intact intestinal villi, enterocytes and brush border but with a layer of cells attached to the brush border, suggestive of ETEC infections. This study has shown that the F4 fimbriae is the most predominant in E. coli from diarrheic piglets in the study area and

Improving the quality of miniature pig somatic cell nuclear transfer blastocysts: aggregation of SCNT embryos at the four-cell stage.

PubMed

Terashita, Y; Sugimura, S; Kudo, Y; Amano, R; Hiradate, Y; Sato, E

2011-04-01

Miniature pigs share many similar characteristics such as anatomy, physiology and body size with humans and are expected to become important animal models for therapeutic cloning using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In the present study, we observed that miniature pig SCNT blastocysts possessed a lower total number of nuclei and a lower percentage of POU5F1-positive cells than those possessed by in vitro fertilized (IVF) blastocysts. To overcome these problems, we evaluated the applicability of aggregating miniature pig SCNT embryos at the four-cell stage. We showed that (i) aggregation of two or three miniature pig SCNT embryos at the four-cell stage improves the total number of nuclei and the percentage of POU5F1-positive cells in blastocysts, and (ii) IVF blastocysts with low cell numbers induced by the removal of two blastomeres at the four-cell stage did not exhibit a decrease in the percentage of POU5F1-positive cells. These results suggest that the aggregation of miniature pig SCNT embryos at the four-cell stage can be a useful technique for improving the quality of miniature pig SCNT blastocysts and indicating that improvement in the percentage of POU5F1-positive cells in aggregated SCNT embryos is not simply the consequence of increased cell numbers. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Early changes in retinal structure and BMP2 expression in the retina and crystalline lens of streptozotocin-induced diabetic pigs.

PubMed

Jeong, Jae Seung; Lee, Woon-Kyu; Moon, Yeon Sung; Kim, Na Rae

2017-09-01

This study aims to evaluate early changes in retinal structure and BMP2 expression in the retina and crystalline lens by comparing streptozotocin-induced diabetic pigs and normal control group pigs. Five eye samples from five diabetic Micro-pigs (Medikinetics, Pyeongtaek, Korea) and five eye samples from five control pigs bred in a specific pathogen-free area were used. Diabetes was developed through intravenous injection of nicotinamide and streptozotocin, and the average fasting glucose level was maintained at 250 mg/dL or higher for 16 weeks. To evaluate BMP2 expression in the retina and crystalline lens, Western blotting was performed. In Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, most diabetic pigs showed structural abnormalities in the inner plexiform layer. The number of nuclei in the ganglion cell layer within the range of 10 4 µm 2 was 3.78±0.60 for diabetic pigs and 5.57±1.07 for control group pigs, showing a statistically significant difference. In immunohistochemical staining, diabetic retinas showed an overall increase in BMP2 expression. In Western blotting, the average BMP2/actin level of diabetic retinas was 1.19±0.05, showing a significant increase compared to the 1.06±0.03 of the control group retinas ( P =0.016). The BMP2/actin level of diabetic crystalline lenses was similar to the control group crystalline lenses ( P =0.730). Compared to control group pigs, the number of nuclei in the inner nuclear layer of retinas from streptozotocin-induced diabetic pigs decreased, while an increase in BMP2 expression was observed in the retina of diabetic pigs.

Pressure-induced photoluminescence in Mn2+-doped BaF2 and SrF2 fluorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Ignacio; Rodríguez, Fernando

2003-01-01

This work reports an effective way for inducing room temperature photoluminescence (PL) in Mn2+-doped BaF2 and SrF2 using high-pressure techniques. The aim is to understand the surprising PL behavior exhibited by Mn2+ at the cubal site of the fluorite structure. While Mn2+-doped CaF2 shows a green PL with quantum yield close to 1 at room temperature, Mn2+-doped MF2 (M=Ba,Sr) is not PL either at room temperature (SrF2) or at any temperature (BaF2) at ambient pressure. We associate the loss of Mn2+ PL on passing from CaF2 to SrF2 or BaF2 with nonradiative multiphonon relaxation whose thermal activation energy decreases along the series CaF2→SrF2→BaF2. A salient feature of this work deals with the increase of activation energy induced by pressure. It leads to a quantum yield enhancement, which favors PL recovery. Furthermore, the activation energy mainly depends on the crystal volume per molecule irrespective of the crystal structure or the local symmetry around the impurity. In this way, the relevance of the fluorite-to-cotunnite phase transition is analyzed in connection with the PL properties of the investigated compounds. The PL spectrum and the corresponding lifetime are reported for both structural phases as a function of pressure.

Adeno-associated virus transformation into the normal miniature pig and the normal guinea pigs cochlea via scala tympani.

PubMed

Shi, Xunbei; Wu, Nan; Zhang, Yue; Guo, Weiwei; Lin, Chang; Yang, Shiming

2017-09-01

To investigate the expression of the miniature pig cochlea after AAV1 transfect into the cochlea via round window membrane (RWM). Twenty miniature pigs are equally divided into four experimental groups. Twelve miniature pigs are equally divided into four control groups. Each pig was transfected with the AAV1 in the experimental group via RWM and each pig was transduced with the artificial perilymph in the control group. The expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) was observed at 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively. Likewise, AAV1 was delivered into the guinea pigs cochleas using the same method, and the results were compared with that of the miniature pigs. The expression was mainly in the inner hair cells of the miniature pig. The expression of GFP began to appear at 2 weeks, reached the peak at 3 weeks. It also expressed in Hensen's cells, inner pillar cells, outer pillar cells, spiral limbus, and spiral ligament. In the meanwhile, AAV1 was delivered into guinea pig cochlea via the same method, and AAV1 was also expressed in the inner hair cells. But the expression peaked at 2 weeks, and the efficiency of the inner hair cell transfection was higher than that of the pig. AAV1 can be transformed into miniature pig cochlea via scala tympani by the RWM method efficiently.

Parameters to Maximize 2f2-f1 Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, Jennifer H.; Pratt, Shiela R.; Durrant, John D.

2008-01-01

Purpose: Past research has established parameters for the 2f1-f2 distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) that enhance response levels (e.g., L1 - L2 = 10 dB; f2/f1 = 1.22; L1, L2 = 65, 55 dB SPL). These same parameters do not optimize 2f2-f1 DPOAEs. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate more completely those parameters that…

Effects of transport duration on maintenance behavior, heart rate and gastrointestinal tract temperature of market-weight pigs in 2 seasons.

PubMed

Goumon, S; Brown, J A; Faucitano, L; Bergeron, R; Widowski, T M; Crowe, T; Connor, M L; Gonyou, H W

2013-10-01

Welfare and meat quality of market-weight pigs may be negatively affected by transport duration and environmental temperatures, which vary considerably between seasons. This study evaluated the effects of 3 transport durations (6, 12, and 18 h) on the physiology and behavior of pigs in summer and winter in western Canada. Market-weight pigs were transported using a pot-belly trailer at an average loading density of 0.375 m(2)/100 kg. Four replicates of each transport duration were conducted during each season. Heart rate and gastrointestinal tract temperature (GTT) were monitored from loading to unloading in 16 pigs from 4 selected trailer compartments (n = 96 groups, total of 384 animals, BW = 120.8 ± 0.4 kg), namely top front (C1), top back (C4), middle front (C5), and bottom rear (C10). Behavior was recorded for pigs (948 and 924 animals, in summer and winter, respectively) in C1, C4, and C5 during transportation (standing, sitting, lying), and during 90 min in lairage (sitting, lying, drinking, latency to rest) for pigs in all 4 compartments. Transport was split into 7 periods: loading, pre-travel (PT), initial travel (IT), pre-arrival 1 (PA1) and 2 (PA2), unloading, and lairage. During IT and PA2, pigs spent less time lying in winter than summer (P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively). During PA1, PA2, and unloading, a greater (P < 0.001) heart rate was found in pigs transported in winter compared with summer. During PA2, pigs subjected to the 18-h transport treatment in winter had a greater (P < 0.05) GTT than the other groups. In lairage, pigs transported for 18 h in winter drank more (P < 0.001) and took longer to rest (P < 0.01) than pigs from other groups. During PA1, pigs transported for 18 h had the greatest GTT (P < 0.001). At unloading, pigs transported for 6 h had the lowest GTT (P < 0.001). In lairage, pigs transported for 18 h spent less time lying than those transported for 6 or 12 h (P < 0.001). These results suggest that in winter, pigs increased

Efficacy of dietary spray dried plasma protein to mitigate the negative effects on performance of pigs fed diets with corn naturally contaminated with multiple mycotoxins.

PubMed

Weaver, A C; Campbell, J M; Crenshaw, J D; Polo, J; Kim, S W

2014-09-01

The ability of spray dried plasma protein (SDPP) to reduce the negative effects of multiple mycotoxins from naturally contaminated corn on weaned pig performance and health was investigated (n = 180; 6.84 ± 0.11 kg). For 12 d after weaning, pigs were fed phase 1 nursery diets with either 0% SDPP (PP0) or 6% SDPP (PP6). After 12 d, pigs were fed phase 2 diets for 3 wk. Pigs fed PP0 in phase 1 continued to be fed a phase 2 diet with no SDPP (PP0/PP0) or were fed a diet including corn naturally contaminated with multiple mycotoxins (M), labeled PP0/PP0M. Pigs fed SDPP in phase 1 were fed either a diet with no SDPP (PP6/PP0), a diet with M and no SDPP (PP6/PP0M), a diet with M and 3% SDPP (PP6/PP3M), or a diet with M and 6% SDPP (PP6/PP6M). During phase 1, pigs fed PP6 had increased (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and G:F, whereas immunological parameters were not altered. During phase 2, pigs consuming PP0/PP0M had reduced ADG (P < 0.01) and ADFI (P < 0.05) in contrast to pigs fed PP0/PP0, whereas the performance of pigs fed PP6/PP0M was intermediate to pigs fed PP0/PP0M and PP6/PP0. The ADG and ADFI did not differ for pigs fed PP0/PP0M and PP6/PP0M during phase 2. Performance of pigs fed PP6/PP3M in contrast to pigs fed PP6/PP0M during phase 2 did not differ; however, these pigs had lower (P < 0.05) tumor necrosis factor α and tended (P = 0.094) to have lower DNA damage. During phase 2, ADG and ADFI of pigs fed PP6/PP6M did not differ from pigs fed PP6/PP0M, but G:F tended (P = 0.067) to be increased in pigs fed PP6/PP6M. Over the entire study period, pigs fed PP0/PP0M had reduced (P < 0.05) ADG and tended (P = 0.067) to have reduced ADFI. During this time, pigs fed PP6/PP0M tended to have greater ADG and ADFI (P = 0.093 and P = 0.067, respectively) compared with pigs fed PP0/PP0M. Overall, feeding a diet with SDPP improved growth performance and feed intake of young pigs directly after weaning. Feeding multiple M had a negative impact on growth performance of pigs during

Radioligand binding characterization of the bradykinin B(2) receptor in the rabbit and pig ileal smooth muscle.

PubMed

Meini, Stefania; Cucchi, Paola; Catalani, Claudio; Bellucci, Francesca; Santicioli, Paolo; Giuliani, Sandro; Maggi, Carlo Alberto

2010-06-10

Several species-related differences have been reported in kinin B(2) receptor pharmacology. The present study aimed to evaluate the affinity of the bradykinin B(2) receptor antagonist MEN16132 for the rabbit and pig B(2) receptor, and radioligand binding experiments using [(3)H]bradykinin and membranes of rabbit and pig ileum smooth muscle were conducted. The [(3)H]bradykinin binding was characterized by homologous displacement curves indicating K(d) values of 0.65 and 0.33nM in rabbit and pig, respectively. The B(2) receptor specificity of [(3)H]bradykinin binding was shown by the low affinity (>microM) displayed by agonists ([desArg(9)]bradykinin and Lys[desArg(9)]bradykinin) and antagonists [Leu(8),desArg(9)]bradykinin and Lys[Leu(8),desArg(9)]bradykinin) selective for the B(1) receptor. The affinity of MEN16132 and other antagonists was determined by inhibition curves (pK(i) values in the rabbit and pig assay, respectively): MEN16132 (10.4 and 10.3) and peptide compounds such as icatibant (10.1 and 9.9) and MEN11270 (10.3 and 10.1) displayed subnanomolar potency in both assays; the nonpeptide LF16-0687 (8.4 and 8.5) and FR173657 (8.2 and 9.1) exhibited a different affinity pattern, whereas WIN64338 displayed low affinity (5.7 and pig vascular functional assays, but also with those obtained in analog guinea pig and mouse assays and at the human B(2) receptor. An attempt to highlight differences which can undertake ligands selectivity across the species is presented. In conclusion, the present study indicates MEN16132 as the only nonpeptidic compound which displays an even subnanomolar affinity for the rabbit and pig B(2) receptor.

Impact of raw pig slurry and pig farming practices on physicochemical parameters and on atmospheric N2O and CH 4 emissions of tropical soils, Uvéa Island (South Pacific).

PubMed

Roth, E; Gunkel-Grillon, P; Joly, L; Thomas, X; Decarpenterie, T; Mappe-Fogaing, I; Laporte-Magoni, C; Dumelié, N; Durry, G

2014-09-01

Emissions of CH4 and N2O related to private pig farming under a tropical climate in Uvéa Island were studied in this paper. Physicochemical soil parameters such as nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, Kjeldahl nitrogen, total organic carbon, pH and moisture were measured. Gaseous soil emissions as well as physicochemical parameters were compared in two private pig farming strategies encountered on this island on two different soils (calcareous and ferralitic) in order to determine the best pig farming management: in small concrete pens or in large land pens. Ammonium levels were higher in control areas while nitrate and nitrite levels were higher in soils with pig slurry inputs, indicating that nitrification was the predominant process related to N2O emissions. Nitrate contents in soils near concrete pens were important (≥ 55 μg N/g) and can thus be a threat for the groundwater. For both pig farming strategies, N2O and CH4 fluxes can reach high levels up to 1 mg N/m(2)/h and 1 mg C/m(2)/h, respectively. CH4 emissions near concrete pens were very high (≥ 10.4 mg C/m(2)/h). Former land pens converted into agricultural land recover low N2O emission rates (≤ 0.03 mg N/m(2)/h), and methane uptake dominates. N2O emissions were related to nitrate content whereas CH4 emissions were found to be moisture dependent. As a result relating to the physicochemical parameters as well as to the gaseous emissions, we demonstrate that pig farming in large land pens is the best strategy for sustainable family pig breeding in Uvéa Islands and therefore in similar small tropical islands.

Effects of dietary energy and lipase levels on nutrient digestibility, digestive physiology and noxious gas emission in weaning pigs.

PubMed

Liu, Jingbo; Cao, S C; Liu, J; Pu, J; Chen, L; Zhang, H F

2018-05-31

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary energy and lipase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, serum profiles, intestinal morphology, small intestinal digestive enzyme activities, biochemical index of intestinal development and noxious gas emission in weaning pigs. A total of 240 weaning pigs [(Yorkshire×Landrace)×Duroc)] with an average BW of 7.3 ± 0.12 kg were used in this 28-d experiment. Weaning pigs were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with 2 levels of energy (NE = 2,470 kcal/kg for low energy diet and 2,545 kcal/kg for basal diet) and 2 levels of lipase (0 and 1.5 U/g of lipase) according to BW and sex. There were 6 replications (pens) per treatment and 10 pigs per pen (5 barrows and 5 gilts). Weaning pigs fed the low energy diet had lower (p<0.05) G:F throughout the experiment, apparent digestibility of DM, N, EE, and GE during d 0 to 14, ADG during d 15 to 28, lipase activity in duodenum and ileum and protein/DNA in jejunum (p<0.05), respectively. Lipase supplementation had no effect on growth performance but affected apparent nutrient digestibility (p<0.05) on d 14 and enhanced lipase activity in the duodenum and ileum and protease activity in duodenum and jejunum of pigs (p<0.05) fed the low energy diet. Lipase reduced serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG), NH3 production (p<0.05) from the feces. The low energy diet decreased G:F throughout the experiment and nutrient digestibility during d 0 to 14 as well as lipase activity in duodenum and ileum. Lipase supplementation increased nutrient digestibility during d 0 to 14 and exerted beneficial effects on lipase activity in duodenum and ileum as well as protease activity in duodenum and jejunum, while reduced serum LDL-C, TG and fecal NH3.

The effect of FeF2 on the magneto-optic response in FeF2/Fe/FeF2 sandwiches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pištora, J.; Lesňák, M.; Lišková, E.; Višňovský, Š.; Harward, I.; Maslankiewicz, P.; Balin, K.; Celinski, Z.; Mistrík, J.; Yamaguchi, T.; Lopusnik, R.; Vlček, J.

2010-04-01

The room temperature optical constants n and k of MBE grown FeF2 films are reported. Because of poor chemical stability, FeF2 had to be coated with a protective Au layer. Reflection spectral ellipsometry in the photon energy range between 1.3 and 5.2 eV was performed on structures with a typical profile Au(0.5 nm)/FeF2(120 nm)/Au(30 nm)/Ag(20 nm)/Fe(0.6 nm) grown on GaAs(0 0 1) substrate. The spectra of n and k in FeF2 were subsequently employed in the design of FeF2/Fe/FeF2 sandwiches considered as magneto-optic (MO) sensors for weak microwave currents. Their MO response was evaluated using reflection MO (Kerr) spectroscopy at polar magnetization. The present results may be of interest in MO studies of magnetic nanostructures with Fe/FeF2/Fe, including MO magnetometry and MO magnetic domain imaging.

Estimation of the true ileal digestible lysine and sulfur amino acid requirement and comparison of the bioefficacy of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid and DL-methionine in eleven- to twenty-six-kilogram nursery pigs.

PubMed

Yi, G F; Gaines, A M; Ratliff, B W; Srichana, P; Allee, G L; Perryman, K R; Knight, C D

2006-07-01

Three experiments were conducted to determine the true ileal digestible (TID) Lys and sulfur AA (SAA) requirement and to compare the bioefficacy of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid (HMTBA) and dl-MET as Met sources in nursery pigs. Experiment 1 included 2 studies: 1 was 662 nursery pigs (Triumph 4 x PIC C22; initial BW 12.2 +/- 0.18 kg) allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with TID Lys concentrations ranging from 1.10 to 1.50%; and the second study was 665 nursery pigs (Triumph 4 x PIC C22; initial BW 12.3 +/- 0.18 kg) allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with TID SAA concentration ranging from 0.63 to 0.90%. In Exp. 2, 638 nursery pigs (Triumph 4 x PIC C22; initial BW 13.0 +/- 0.16 kg) were allotted to the same 5 SAA dietary treatments as in Exp. 1. In Exp. 3, 1,232 pigs (Triumph 4 x PIC C22; initial BW 11.0 +/- 0.30 kg) were allotted to 1 of 7 dietary treatments. The basal diet (diet 1) was supplemented with high concentrations of synthetic AA but no Met; this resulted in a dietary concentration of TID Lys of 1.30% and TID SAA of 0.50%. Diets 2 to 7 were the basal diet supplemented with 3 equimolar levels of HMTBA or dl-MET to provide TID SAA concentrations of 0.56, 0.62, and 0.68%, respectively. In Exp. 1, increasing TID Lys from 1.10 to 1.50% increased ADG (quadratic; P < 0.05) and improved G:F (linear; P < 0.002). The pooled data of Exp. 1 (SAA study) and Exp. 2 indicated that increasing TID SAA from 0.63 to 0.90% increased ADG (quadratic; P < 0.01) and improved G:F (quadratic; P < 0.01). Various methods of analyzing the growth response surface indicated that the optimal TID Lys concentration ranged from 1.28 to 1.32% for ADG (Exp. 1), and the optimal TID SAA concentration ranged from 0.73 to 0.77% for ADG and 0.80 to 0.83% for G:F (pooled Exp. 1 and 2), respectively. In Exp. 3, increasing TID SAA concentrations from 0.50 to 0.68% resulted in a linear improvement of ADG (P < 0.001), ADFI (P < 0.05), and G:F (P < 0.001). The best fit comparison of HMTBA

33 CFR 154.2104 - Pigging system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Pigging system. 154.2104 Section... Facilities-Vcs Design and Installation § 154.2104 Pigging system. (a) If a pigging system is used to clear... system (VCS), the pigging system must be designed with the following safety features: (1) A bypass loop...

Evaluation of pig production practices, constraints and opportunities for improvement in smallholder production systems in Kenya.

PubMed

Mbuthia, Jackson Mwenda; Rewe, Thomas Odiwuor; Kahi, Alexander Kigunzu

2015-02-01

This study evaluated pig production practices by smallholder farmers in two distinct production systems geared towards addressing their constraints and prospects for improvement. The production systems evaluated were semi-intensive and extensive and differed in remoteness, market access, resource availability and pig production intensity. Data were collected using structured questionnaires where a total of 102 pig farmers were interviewed. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to define the socioeconomic characteristics of the production systems, understanding the different roles that pigs play, marketing systems and constraints to production. In both systems, regular cash income and insurance against emergencies were ranked as the main reasons for rearing pigs. Marketing of pigs was mainly driven by the type of production operation. Finances, feeds and housing were identified as the major constraints to production. The study provides important parameters and identifies constraints important for consideration in design of sustainable production improvement strategies. Feeding challenges can be improved through understanding the composition and proper utilization of local feed resources. Provision of adequate housing would improve the stocking rates and control mating.

Protein and starch concentrates of air-classified field pea and zero-tannin faba bean for weaned pigs.

PubMed

Gunawardena, C K; Zijlstra, R T; Goonewardene, L A; Beltranena, E

2010-08-01

Air-classified pulse (non-oilseed legume) protein and starch may replace specialty protein and starch feedstuffs in diets for weaned pigs. In Exp. 1, three specialty protein sources (5% soy protein concentrate, 5% corn gluten meal, and 5% menhaden meal in the control diet) were replaced with 16% zero-tannin hulled or dehulled faba bean, or 17.5% field pea protein concentrate. In total, 192 group-housed pigs (2 gilts and 2 barrows per pen; BW = 7.5 +/- 1.4 kg) were fed wheat-based diets (3.60 Mcal/kg of DE and 3.3 g of standardized ileal digestible Lys/Mcal DE) over 28 d for 12 pen observations per each of 4 diets. Overall, protein source did not affect ADFI, ADG, or G:F. Apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of DM, GE, and P was greater (P < 0.05) for dehulled faba bean and field pea protein concentrate diets than the diet with 3 specialty protein sources. In Exp. 2, faba bean and field pea starch concentrates were compared with corn, wheat, tapioca, and potato starch as dietary energy sources. In total, 36 individually housed barrows (BW = 8.0 +/- 1.5 kg) were fed 1 of 6 diets for 15 d. Feces and urine were collected from d 8 to 14, and jugular blood was sampled after overnight fast and refeeding on d 15. Starch source did not affect N retention as a percentage of N intake. For d 0 to 14, ADFI of pigs fed field pea starch was greater (P < 0.05) than pigs fed corn, wheat, potato, and faba bean starch. Pigs fed tapioca, field pea, wheat, or corn starch grew faster (P < 0.05) than those fed faba bean or potato starch. For d 0 to 14, pigs fed corn or wheat starch had a 0.1 greater (P < 0.05) G:F than pigs fed faba bean, field pea, or potato starch. The ATTD of DM, GE, CP, and starch and the DE value of potato starch were much less (P < 0.05) than those of other starch diets. Postprandial plasma glucose was 4.9, 6.3, and 9 mmol/L greater (P < 0.05) for pigs fed tapioca than for pigs fed faba bean, wheat, and potato starch, respectively. However, postprandial plasma

Mercury toxicosis in the pig

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donnelly, W.J.C.

1965-01-01

Research was conducted using 12 pigs assigned in pairs to the following groups: (1) control, (2) 2 mg. mercuric chloride (HgCl/sub 2/) per kilogram ration, (3) 20 mg, HgCl/sub 2/ per kilogram ration, (4) 100 mg. HgCl/sub 2/ per kilogram ration, (5) 200 mg. HgCl/sub 2/ per kilogram ration, and (6) 2 Gm. HgCl/sub 2/ per kilogram ration. Signs of clinical disturbance developed on the 5th day in both animals fed the high level of HgCl/sub 2/. One of the pigs fed 200 mg. per kilogram ration had signs of acute illness on day 19 and died. Clinical signs includedmore » anorexia, staggering gait, emaciation, and diarrhea. None of the remaining pigs became clinically ill. Gross lesions noted in the clinically affected pigs included a paleness of the renal cortex, generalized hemorrhages, and a pseudomembrane formation in the colon. Microscopic lesions included neuronal necrosis and vacuolation, necrosis and regeneration of renal parenchymal tissue, and focal hepatic coagulation necrosis. Individual susceptibility appeared to be an important factor in mercuric chloride toxicosis in the pig, since there was little correlation between the amount of mercuric chloride ingestion per unit of body weight and the degree of toxicosis.« less

M2-F2 on ramp

NASA Image and Video Library

1966-02-24

The M2-F2 Lifting Body is seen here on the ramp at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers -- the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2 -- which looked much like the "F1" -- was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52 used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft was modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation control system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt at Dryden and redesignated the M2-F3, it was modified with an additional third vertical fin -- centered between the tip fins -- to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated the M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.

Fluoride or/and aluminum induced toxicity in guinea pig teeth with the low expression of dentine phosphoprotein.

PubMed

Han, Tianlong; Wang, Min; Cao, Chunfang; Chen, Huacheng; Zhang, Guanghe; Wang, Liping; Wang, Jundong

2017-08-01

This study investigated the damage and expression of dentine phosphoprotein (DPP) in guinea pig teeth by the administration of fluoride (F) or/and aluminum (Al). Fifty-two guinea pigs were divided randomly into four groups (control, F, Al, and F+Al). F (150 mg NaF/L) or/and Al (300 mg AlCl 3 /L) were added in their drinking water for 90 days. The levels of F ion, dentine sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) gene, and DPP protein in incisor and molar were determined, respectively. The results showed that the concentrations of F ion in F and F+Al groups were increased significantly. F induced the mottled enamel and irregular abrasion of teeth, which might occur as a consequence of depressed DSPP mRNA and DPP protein expression. Both the gene and protein expressions showed obvious decrease induced by Al, especially by F. There were no synergistic effects between F and Al, instead, Al inhibited the toxicity of F. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis of porcine MUC4 gene as a candidate gene for prolificacy QTL on SSC13 in an Iberian × Meishan F2 population.

PubMed

Balcells, Ingrid; Castelló, Anna; Mercadé, Anna; Noguera, José L; Fernández-Rodríguez, Amanda; Sànchez, Armand; Tomàs, Anna

2011-10-31

Reproductive traits, such as prolificacy, are of great interest to the pig industry. Better understanding of their genetic architecture should help to increase the efficiency of pig productivity through the implementation of marker assisted selection (MAS) programmes. The Mucin 4 (MUC4) gene has been evaluated as a candidate gene for a prolificacy QTL described in an Iberian × Meishan (Ib × Me) F2 intercross. For association analyses, two previously described SNPs (DQ124298:g.243A>G and DQ124298:g.344A>G) were genotyped in 347 pigs from the Ib × Me population. QTL for the number of piglets born alive (NBA) and for the total number of piglets born (TNB) were confirmed on SSC13 at positions 44 cM and 51 cM, respectively. The MUC4 gene was successfully located within the confidence intervals of both QTL. Only DQ124298:g.344A>G MUC4 polymorphism was significantly associated with both NBA and TNB (P-value < 0.05) with favourable effects coming from the Meishan origin. MUC4 expression level was determined in F2 sows displaying extreme phenotypes for the number of embryos (NE) at 30-32 days of gestation. Differences in the uterine expression of MUC4 were found between high (NE ≥ 13) and low (NE ≤ 11) prolificacy sows. Overall, MUC4 expression in high prolificacy sows was almost two-fold increased compared with low prolificacy sows. Our data suggest that MUC4 could play an important role in the establishment of an optimal uterine environment that would increase embryonic survival during pig gestation.

Estimation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) pig seroprevalence using ELISA and Western blot and comparison between human and pig HEV sequences in Belgium.

PubMed

Thiry, Damien; Mauroy, Axel; Saegerman, Claude; Thomas, Isabelle; Wautier, Magali; Miry, Cora; Czaplicki, Guy; Berkvens, Dirk; Praet, Nicolas; van der Poel, Wim; Cariolet, Roland; Brochier, Bernard; Thiry, Etienne

2014-08-27

Zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is of special concern, particularly in high income countries were waterborne infections are less frequent than in developing countries. High HEV seroprevalences can be found in European pig populations. The aims of this study were to obtain prevalence data on HEV infection in swine in Belgium and to phylogenetically compare Belgian human HEV sequences with those obtained from swine. An ELISA screening prevalence of 73% (95% CI 68.8-77.5) was determined in Belgian pigs and a part of the results were re-evaluated by Western blot (WB). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed and scenarios varying the ELISA specificity relative to WB were analysed. The seroprevalences estimated by the different scenarios ranged between 69 and 81% and are in agreement with the high exposure of the European pig population to HEV. Pig HEV sequences were genetically compared to those detected in humans in Belgium and a predominance of genotype 3 subtype f was shown in both swine and humans. The high HEV seroprevalence in swine and the close phylogenetic relationships between pig and human HEV sequences further support the risk for zoonotic transmission of HEV between humans and pigs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of an Erns-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to distinguish Classical swine fever virus-infected pigs from pigs vaccinated with CP7_E2alf.

PubMed

Pannhorst, Katrin; Fröhlich, Andreas; Staubach, Christoph; Meyer, Denise; Blome, Sandra; Becher, Paul

2015-07-01

Infections with Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) are a major economic threat to pig production. To combat CSF outbreaks and to maintain trade, new marker vaccines were developed that allow differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA principle). The chimeric pestivirus CP7_E2alf was shown to be safe and efficacious. Its DIVA strategy is based on the detection of CSFV E(rns)-specific antibodies that are only developed on infection. However, for the new marker vaccine to be considered a valuable control tool, a validated discriminatory assay is needed. One promising candidate is the already commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, PrioCHECK CSFV E(rns) ELISA (Prionics BV, Lelystad, The Netherlands). Four laboratories of different European Union member states tested 530 serum samples and country-specific field sera from domestic pigs and wild boar. The ELISA displayed a good robustness. However, based on its reproducibility and repeatability, ranges rather than single values for diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were defined. The ELISA displayed a sensitivity of 90-98% with sera from CSFV-infected domestic pigs. A specificity of 89-96% was calculated with sera from domestic pigs vaccinated once with CP7_E2alf. The ELISA detected CSFV infections in vaccinated domestic pigs with a sensitivity of 82-94%. The sensitivity was lower with sera taken ≤21 days post-challenge indicating that the stage of CSFV infection had a considerable influence on testing. Taken together, the PrioCHECK CSFV E(rns) ELISA can be used for detection of CSFV infections in CP7_E2alf-vaccinated and nonvaccinated domestic pig populations, but should only be applied on a herd basis by testing a defined number of animals. © 2015 The Author(s).

Supplemental dietary inulin influences expression of iron and inflammation related genes in young pigs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We have previously shown improved hemoglobin repletion efficiency by supplementing a 50:50 mixture of short (P95) and long-chain (HP) inulin (Synergy 1, BENEO-Orafti, Tienen, Belgium) into a corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD) for young pigs. In the present study, weanling pigs (5 or 6-wk old) were f...

Porcine circovirus-2 DNA concentration distinguishes wasting from nonwasting pigs and is correlated with lesion distribution, severity, and nucleocapsid staining intensity.

PubMed

Harding, John C S; Baker, Crissie D; Tumber, Anju; McIntosh, Kathleen A; Parker, Sarah E; Middleton, Dorothy M; Hill, Janet E; Ellis, John A; Krakowka, Steven

2008-05-01

The emergence of severe porcine circoviral disease in North America is associated with Porcine circovirus-2 genotype b (PCV-2b), which has led to speculation that PCV-2b is more virulent than PCV-2a. The objectives of this study were to 1) correlate the PCV-2 DNA concentration and lesions in wasting (WST) and age-matched healthy (HLTH) pigs from 2 clinically affected farms, and unaffected (UNFCT) pigs from a farm with no prior clinical or diagnostic history of PCVD; and 2) to determine the initial estimates of sensitivity and specificity of PCV-2 quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). PCV-2b was confirmed in all 3 farms. Compared with HLTH pigs, WST pigs demonstrated significantly more prevalent thymic atrophy, failure of normal pulmonary collapse, and ascites (P < 0.017 for all). The HLTH and UNFCT pigs had significantly more pronounced lymphoid germinal centers and proliferative paracortical T-dependent zones, compared with WST pigs (P < 0.017). Across all tissues, PCV-2 DNA concentrations were significantly higher in WST compared with HLTH and UNFCT pigs (P < 0.017 for all). The PCV-2 DNA concentrations were strongly correlated with PCV-2 nucleocapsid staining intensity in lymph node, spleen, Peyer's patches, lung, liver, and kidney (0.60 < or = r < or = 0.84). In the current study, the PCV-2 DNA log10 cutoff concentrations best able to distinguish WST from HLTH and UNFCT pigs were between 7.0 and 8.0 per gram for tissues, and between 4.0 and 5.0 per milliliter for sera. The presence of PCV-2b in UNFCT pigs is evidence that PCV-2b by itself is not sufficient to induce severe disease.

Comparative pathology of pigs infected with Korean H1N1, H1N2, or H3N2 swine influenza A viruses.

PubMed

Lyoo, Kwang-Soo; Kim, Jeong-Ki; Jung, Kwonil; Kang, Bo-Kyu; Song, Daesub

2014-09-24

The predominant subtypes of swine influenza A virus (SIV) in Korea swine population are H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2. The viruses are genetically close to the classical U.S. H1N1 and triple-reassortant H1N2 and H3N2 viruses, respectively. Comparative pathogenesis caused by Korean H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 SIV was evaluated in this study. The H3N2 infected pigs had severe scores of gross and histopathological lesions at post-inoculation days (PID) 2, and this then progressively decreased. Both the H1N1 and H1N2 infected pigs lacked gross lesions at PID 2, but they showed moderate to severe pneumonia on PID 4, 7 and 14. The pigs infected with H1N1 had significant scores of gross and histopathological lesions when compared with the other pigs infected with H1N2, H3N2, and mock at PID 14. Mean SIV antigen-positive scores were rarely detected for pigs infected with H1N2 and H3N2 from PID 7, whereas a significantly increased amount of viral antigens were found in the bronchioles and alveolar epithelium of the H1N1infected pigs at PID 14. We demonstrated that Korean SIV subtypes had different pulmonary pathologic patterns. The Korean H3N2 rapidly induced acute lung lesions such as broncho-interstitial pneumonia, while the Korean H1N1 showed longer course of infection as compared to other strains.

Formation of metal nanoparticles in MgF2, CaF2 and BaF2 crystals under the electron beam irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bochkareva, Elizaveta S.; Sidorov, Alexander I.; Yurina, Uliana V.; Podsvirov, Oleg A.

2017-07-01

It is shown experimentally that electron beam action with electrons energies of 50 and 70 keV on MgF2, CaF2 and BaF2 crystals results in local formation in the crystal near-surface layer of Mg, Ca or Ba nanoparticles which possess plasmon resonance. In the case of MgF2 spheroidal nanoparticles are formed, in the cases of CaF2 and BaF2 - spherical. The formation of metal nanoparticles is confirmed by computer simulation in dipole quasistatic approximation. The dependence of absorption via electron irradiation dose is non-linear. It is caused by the increase of nanoparticles concentration and by the increase of nanoparticles sizes during irradiation. In the irradiated zones of MgF2 crystals, for irradiation doses less than 80 mC/cm2, the intense luminescence in a visible range appears. The practical application of fabricated composite materials for multilevel optical information recording is discussed.

The guinea-pig expresses functional CYP2C and P-glycoprotein: further validation of its usefulness in drug biotransformation/transport studies.

PubMed

Hasibu, Ibrahim; Patoine, Dany; Pilote, Sylvie; Drolet, Benoit; Simard, Chantale

2015-04-01

The guinea-pig is an excellent animal model for studying cardiopulmonary physiology/pharmacology. Interestingly, it also possesses a number of drug-metabolizing enzymes found in humans, such as CYP1A, CYP2D and CYP3A. To evaluate the hypothesis that the guinea-pig also expresses a functional CYP2C drug-metabolizing enzyme and the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) drug transporter in various tissues. cDNAs encoding CYP2C and P-gp were obtained from guinea-pig liver or small intestine and sequenced. Western blotting was performed to confirm the expression of CYP2C and P-gp. The functional enzymatic activity of guinea-pig CYP2C was evaluated with microsomal preparations using diclofenac and tolbutamide as specific drug substrates in HPLC analyses. To further study both P-gp and CYP2C functional activities, the guinea-pig ABCB1/MDR1 and CYP2C genes were cloned. The recombinant plasmids were then transfected in HEK293 (human embryonic kidney) cells and either calcein-acetoxymethyl ester (AM) accumulation assays or 14,15-EET/DHET formation experiments were performed to evaluate either P-gp transport activity or CYP2C epoxygenase activity, respectively. The guinea-pig tissue distribution of P-gp was studied by Western blotting. Functional expression of CYP2C was demonstrated in guinea-pig liver microsomal preparations. CYP2C-mediated biotransformation of diclofenac and tolbutamide were shown. Expression of P-gp protein was detected in guinea-pig liver and small intestine. Functional activity of guinea-pig P-gp was demonstrated in ABCB1/MDR1-transfected cells. GP-CYP2C-transfected cells also showed functional epoxygenase activity. The guinea-pig expresses functional CYP2C and P-gp, thus suggesting its usefulness for further validating data obtained with other animal models in drug biotransformation/transport studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PCO(2) in the large intestine of mice, rats, guinea pigs, and dogs and effects of the dietary substrate.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Henrik; Mirtaheri, Peyman; Dirven, Hubert; Johnsen, Helge; Kvarstein, Gunnvald; Tønnessen, Tor Inge; Midtvedt, Tore

2002-01-01

PCO(2) in the lumen and serosa of cecum and colon was measured in rats, guinea pigs, and dogs to examine the relationship between serosal PCO(2) and the incidence of intestinal necrotic lesions after administration of gas-carrier contrast agents in rodents. The effects of the dietary substrate were tested in a group of mice maintained on a diet based on glucose as the only carbohydrate source. The anesthetic used was a fentanyl-fluanison-midazolam mixture (rodents) and pentobarbital (dogs). PCO(2) was measured in vivo and postmortem, and the kinetics of the postmortem serosal PCO(2) [transmural CO(2) flux (J(CO(2)))] was calculated. PCO(2) in the cecal serosa and lumen, respectively, was 64 +/- 4 and 392 +/- 18 Torr in rats, 67 +/- 3 and 276 +/- 17 Torr in guinea pigs, and 73 +/- 6 and 137 +/- 7 Torr in mice on glucose-based diet. In the colon serosa and lumen of dogs, PCO(2) was 30 +/- 6 and 523 +/- 67 Torr, respectively. Serosal PCO(2) increased rapidly after death in rats and slower in guinea pigs and mice, and the slowest change was observed in dogs. Compared with dogs, serosal PCO(2) and J(CO(2)) of rats and guinea pigs were significantly higher. Serosal PCO(2) of guinea pigs was similar to that of rats, whereas the J(CO(2)) of guinea pigs was significantly lower. These data suggest a causal relationship between the ability of the cecal and colonic wall to act as a barrier to CO(2) diffusion and the presence of characteristic gas-carrier contrast agent-induced intestinal lesions in mice and rats and their absence in guinea pigs, dogs, and other species.

Characterization of fetal growth by repeated ultrasound measurements in the wild guinea pig (Cavia aperea).

PubMed

Schumann, K; Guenther, A; Göritz, F; Jewgenow, K

2014-08-01

Fetal growth during pregnancy has previously been studied in the domesticated guinea pig (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) after dissecting pregnant females, but there are no studies describing the fetal growth in their wild progenitor, the wild guinea pig (C aperea). In this study, 50 pregnancies of wild guinea pig sows were investigated using modern ultrasound technique. The two most common fetal growth parameters (biparietal diameter [BPD] and crown-rump-length [CRL]) and uterine position were measured. Data revealed similar fetal growth patterns in the wild guinea pig and domesticated guinea pig in the investigated gestation period, although they differ in reproductive milestones such as gestation length (average duration of pregnancy 68 days), average birth weight, and litter mass. In this study, pregnancy lasted on average 60.2 days with a variance of less than a day (0.96 days). The measured fetal growth parameters are strongly correlated with each (R = 0.91; P < 0.001) other and with gestational age (BPD regression equation y = 0.04x - 0.29; P < 0.001 and CRL regression equation y = 0.17x - 2.21; P < 0.01). Furthermore, fetuses in the most frequent uterine positions did not differ in their growth parameters and were not influenced by the mother ID. Our results imply that ultrasound measurement of a single fetal growth parameter is sufficient to reliably estimate gestational age in the wild guinea pig. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dietary moderately oxidized oil activates the Nrf2 signaling pathway in the liver of pigs.

PubMed

Varady, Juliane; Gessner, Denise K; Most, Erika; Eder, Klaus; Ringseis, Robert

2012-02-24

Previous studies have shown that administration of oxidized oils increases gene expression and activities of various enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and stress response in the liver of rats and guinea pigs. As these genes are controlled by nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2), we investigated the hypothesis that feeding of oxidized fats causes an activation of that transcription factor in the liver which in turn activates the expression of antioxidant, cytoprotective and detoxifying genes. Twenty four crossbred pigs were allocated to two groups of 12 pigs each and fed nutritionally adequate diets with either fresh rapeseed oil (fresh fat group) or oxidized rapeseed oil prepared by heating at a temperature of 175°C for 72 h (oxidized fat group). After 29 days of feeding, pigs of the oxidized fat group had a markedly increased nuclear concentration of the transcription factor Nrf2 and a higher activity of cellular superoxide dismutase and T4-UDP glucuronosyltransferase in liver than the fresh fat group (P < 0.05). In addition, transcript levels of antioxidant and phase II genes in liver, like superoxide dismutase 1, heme oxygenase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1, thioredoxin reductase 1, microsomal glutathione-S-transferase 1, UDP glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 in the liver were higher in the oxidized fat group than in the fresh fat group (P < 0.05). Moreover, pigs of the oxidized fat group had an increased hepatic nuclear concentration of the transcription factor NF-κB which is also an important transcription factor mediating cellular stress response. The present study shows for the first time that administration of an oxidized fat activates the Nrf2 in the liver of pigs which likely reflects an adaptive mechanism to prevent cellular oxidative damage. Activation of the NF-κB pathway might also contribute to this effect of oxidized fat.

Hepatitis E Virus of Subtype 3a in a Pig Farm, South-Eastern France.

PubMed

Colson, P; Saint-Jacques, P; Ferretti, A; Davoust, B

2015-12-01

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has emerged during the past decade as a causative agent of autochthonous hepatitis and is a clinical concern in Western developed countries. It has been increasingly recognized that pigs are a major reservoir of HEV of genotypes 3 and 4 worldwide and pig-derived food items represent a potential source of infections by these viruses in humans. Hepatitis E virus RNA testing was performed here on faeces from rectal swabs sampled in 2012 from 50 3-month-old farm pigs from the same farm located in south-eastern France than in a previous work conducted in 2007. Pig HEV sequences corresponding to genomic fragments of ORF2 and ORF1 genes were obtained after RT-PCR amplification with in-house protocols. Hepatitis E virus genotype was determined by phylogenetic analysis. Prevalence was similar to that determined 5 years earlier (68% versus 62%). Two robust phylogenetic clusters of HEV subtypes 3a and 3f were identified, and these sequences obtained in 2012 largely differ compared with those obtained in 2007. Notably, HEV sequences obtained in 2012 from a majority (62%) of the infected pigs belonged to subtype 3a, which was not previously described in France, including not being found in any of humans, pigs or wild boars. Further studies are needed to assess the circulation of HEV-3a in pigs and humans in this country. In addition, along with previous findings, this study supports the need for increased information to the public on the risk of HEV infection through contacts with pigs or consumption of pig-derived products in France. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The vascular supply of the thymus in the guinea-pig and pig

PubMed Central

Olson, I. A.; Poste, Mary E.

1973-01-01

A study of the blood supply of the thymus using intravascular carbon or silver shows that the pig and guinea-pig possess a more extensive vascular system than the current model taken from work on the mouse. ImagesFIG. 1FIG. 2FIG. 3 PMID:4120933

Determining the optimal isoleucine:lysine ratio for ten- to twenty-two-kilogram and twenty-four- to thirty-nine-kilogram pigs fed diets containing nonexcess levels of leucine.

PubMed

Htoo, J K; Zhu, C L; Huber, L; de Lange, C F M; Quant, A D; Kerr, B J; Cromwell, G L; Lindemann, M D

2014-08-01

Three 21-d experiments were conducted to determine the optimum standardized ileal digestible (SID) Ile:Lys ratio in 10- to 22-kg and 24- to 39-kg pigs. In Exp. 1, 144 Yorkshire pigs (initial BW = 10.2 kg) were assigned to 6 diets with 6 pens per treatment. Diets 1 to 5 were formulated to contain 5 graded SID Ile:Lys (44, 51, 57, 63, and 70%), 1.18% SID Leu, and 0.90% SID Lys (second limiting). Diet 6 (diet 5 with added Lys) was formulated (1.06% SID Lys) as a positive control. Pigs fed diet 6 had higher (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F and lower (P < 0.05) plasma urea N (PUN) than pigs fed diet 5 (P < 0.02), indicating that Lys was limiting in diets 1 to 5. Final BW, ADG, and ADFI increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) while G:F and PUN at d 21 were not affected (P > 0.10) by dietary Ile:Lys. Overall, ADG and ADFI were highest for pigs fed diet 2 (51% SID Ile:Lys). In Exp. 2, 216 Yorkshire pigs (initial BW = 9.6 kg) were assigned to 9 diets with 6 pens per treatment. Diets 1 to 4 contained 0.40, 0.47, 0.54, and 0.61% SID Ile, respectively, and 1.21% SID Lys; diets 5 to 8 contained 0.72, 0.84, 0.96, and 1.08% SID Lys, respectively, and 0.68% SID Ile. Diet 9 was high in both Ile and Lys (0.68% SID Ile and 1.21% SID Lys). All diets contained 1.21% SID Leu. The ADG and G:F increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) as SID Ile:Lys increased (diets 1 to 4 and 9). The ADG and G:F increased (linear, P < 0.05) as SID Lys increased (diets 5 to 9). The PUN at d 21 decreased (linear, P < 0.05) by increasing dietary Ile:Lys. The SID Ile:Lys to optimize ADG was 46% by curvilinear plateau or exponential regression. For G:F, the optimal SID Ile:Lys was 47 and 51% by curvilinear plateau and exponential regressions, respectively. In Exp. 3, 80 pigs (PIC 327 × C23; initial BW = 24.0 kg) were allotted to 5 treatments with 4 pigs per pen. Diets 1 to 5 were formulated to contain 5 graded SID Ile:Lys (39, 46, 53, 61, and 68%), 1.17% SID Leu, and 0.91% SID Lys (second limiting). Final BW and

Comparison of three patterns of feed supplementation with live Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast on postweaning diarrhea, health status, and blood metabolic profile of susceptible weaning pigs orally challenged with Escherichia coli F4ac.

PubMed

Trevisi, P; Colombo, M; Priori, D; Fontanesi, L; Galimberti, G; Calò, G; Motta, V; Latorre, R; Fanelli, F; Mezzullo, M; Pagotto, U; Gherpelli, Y; D'Inca, R; Bosi, P

2015-05-01

The development of effective feeding strategies to reduce the detrimental effect of enterotoxigenic F4ac (ETEC) plays a crucial role in reducing the occurrence of therapeutic intervention with antibiotics in livestock. The ability of CNCM I-4407 (SCC), supplied in different patterns to counteract ETEC infection in weaned pigs, was evaluated. Fifty pigs weaned at 24 d were then divided into 5 groups: control (CO), CO + colistin (AB), CO + 5 × 10(10) cfu of SCC/ kg feed, from d 0 to 21 (PR), CO + 5 × 10(10) cfu of SCC/ kg feed from d 7 to 11 (CM), and CO + 1 shot of 2 × 10(11) cfu of SCC when the first diarrhea appeared (CU). On d 7 postweaning, all the pigs were orally challenged with 10(8) cfu of ETEC. Blood samples were taken from the pigs (d 7, 8, 12, and 21) while the fecal excretion of ETEC was assessed on d 7 and 10. Fecal consistency was scored from 12 h before infection to 144 h postinfection (p.i.). On d 21, the pigs were sacrificed. The in vitro adhesion test on the intestinal villi confirmed individual susceptibility to ETEC, excluding the presence of resistant pigs. Growth performance did not differ between the treatments. Mortality was reduced in the AB group (P< 0.01) and, marginally, in the PR group (P = 0.089) when compared to the CO group. The CO group had a higher fecal score than AB in the period of observation (from P = 0.01 to P< 0.001). Yeast administration reduced the fecal score when compared to the CO group 12 and 48 h p.i. (P = 0.04). Total IgA never differed among the treatments, but the ETEC-specific IgA concentration was lower in the AB group than in CO (P = 0.04) at d 12. Four days p.i., the pigs fed live yeast had reduced ETEC excretion compared with the CO pigs (P = 0.05). Blood concentrations of dodecenoyl-L-carnitine (P < 0.01), glutaryl-L-carnitine/hydroxyhex¬anoyl-L-carnitine, phosphatidylcholine diacyl and phosphatidylcholine diacyl (P = 0.01 and P< 0.01, respectively), and α-amino adipic acid (P < 0.01) were reduced in the

Detection of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) -specific cell-mediated immune responses in guinea pigs during latent HSV-2 genital infection.

PubMed

Perry, Clarice L; Banasik, Brianne N; Gorder, Summer R; Xia, Jingya; Auclair, Sarah; Bourne, Nigel; Milligan, Gregg N

2016-12-01

Genital infections with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) are a source of considerable morbidity and are a health concern for newborns exposed to virus during vaginal delivery. Additionally, HSV-2 infection diminishes the integrity of the vaginal epithelium resulting in increased susceptibility of individuals to infection with other sexually transmitted pathogens. Understanding immune protection against HSV-2 primary infection and immune modulation of virus shedding events following reactivation of the virus from latency is important for the development of effective prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Although the murine model of HSV-2 infection is useful for understanding immunity following immunization, it is limited by the lack of spontaneous reactivation of HSV-2 from latency. Genital infection of guinea pigs with HSV-2 accurately models the disease of humans including the spontaneous reactivation of HSV-2 from latency and provides a unique opportunity to examine virus-host interactions during latency. Although the guinea pig represents an accurate model of many human infections, relatively few reagents are available to study the immunological response to infection. To analyze the cell-mediated immune response of guinea pigs at extended periods of time after establishment of HSV-2 latency, we have modified flow-cytometry based proliferation assays and IFN-γ ELISPOT assays to detect and quantify HSV-specific cell-mediated responses during latent infection of guinea pigs. Here we demonstrate that a combination of proliferation and ELISPOT assays can be used to quantify and characterize effecter function of virus-specific immune memory responses during HSV-latency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of low levels of dietary available phosphorus on phosphorus utilization, bone mineralization, phosphorus transporter mRNA expression and performance in growing pigs.

PubMed

Pokharel, Bishwo B; Regassa, Alemu; Nyachoti, Charles M; Kim, Woo K

2017-06-03

A study was conducted to examine the effects of different dietary levels of available phosphorus (aP) on P excretion, bone mineralization, performance and the mRNA expression of sodium-dependent P transporters in growing pigs. Sixty-day old growing pigs (n = 54) with an average initial BW of 19.50 ± 1.11 kg were randomly allocated to a control diet (C) containing 0.23% available phosphorus (aP), T1 containing 0.17% aP and T2 containing 0.11% aP. There were 6 pens per treatment with 3 pigs per pen. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly. At the end of each week, one pig from each pen was housed in a metabolic crate for 24 h to collect fecal and urine samples and then sacrificed to obtain third metacarpal (MC3) bones and jejunal and kidney samples. Bones were scanned by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Fecal and urine samples were sub-sampled and analyzed for P content. The expression of P transporter mRNA in jejunum and kidney samples was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Data were analyzed using GLM procedure of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS Institute version 9.2). Pigs fed the T2 diet had reduced (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed (G:F) compared to those fed the C diet during week 2. Overall, ADG and G:F were also reduced (P < 0.05) in pigs fed the T2 diet compared to those fed the C and T1 diets. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were reduced (P < 0.05) in pigs fed the T2 diet compared to those fed the C diet throughout the experiment. At week 1, jejunal mRNA expression of Na (+)-dependent phosphate transporter 2 (SLC34A2) was increased (P < 0.01) in pigs fed the T2 diet compared to C diet. Renal mRNA expression of Na(+)-dependent phosphate transporter 1 (SLC34A1) and SLC34A3 were increased (P < 0.05) in pigs fed the T2 diet compared to those fed the C diet at week 2 and was accompanied by lower (P < 0.05) urinary P in pigs fed the T2 diet during week 2

A PCV2 vaccine based on genotype 2b is more effective than a 2a-based vaccine to protect against PCV2b or combined PCV2a/2b viremia in pigs with concurrent PCV2, PRRSV and PPV infection.

PubMed

Opriessnig, Tanja; O'Neill, Kevin; Gerber, Priscilla F; de Castro, Alessandra M M G; Gimenéz-Lirola, Luis G; Beach, Nathan M; Zhou, Lei; Meng, Xiang-Jin; Wang, Chong; Halbur, Patrick G

2013-01-07

The predominant genotype of porcine circovirus (PCV) in the pig population today is PCV2b yet PCV2a-based commercial vaccines are considered effective in protecting against porcine circovirus associated disease. The objective of this study was to compare the ability of PCV2a- and PCV2b-based vaccines to control PCV2b viremia in a challenge model that mimics the U.S. field situation. Sixty-three pigs were randomly assigned to one of eight groups. Sixteen pigs were vaccinated with an experimental live-attenuated chimeric PCV1-2a vaccine based on genotype 2a and another 16 pigs with a chimeric PCV1-2b vaccine based on genotype 2b. Challenge was done 28 days post vaccination (dpv) using PCV2b (or a combination of PCV2a and PCV2b), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and porcine parvovirus (PPV) to mimic what commonly occurs in the field. The experiment was terminated 21 days post challenge (dpc) or 49dpv. Pigs vaccinated with the chimeric PCV1-2b vaccine had significantly higher levels of PCV1-2b viremia and shedding of the PCV1-2b vaccine virus in feces and nasal secretions but also a more robust humoral immune response as evidenced by significantly higher ELISA S/P ratios compared to the PCV1-2a vaccination. Regardless of challenge, the PCV1-2b vaccination significantly reduced the prevalence and amount of PCV2 viremia compared to the PCV1-2a vaccination. Interestingly, in the non-vaccinated pigs concurrent PCV2a infection resulted in clinical disease and increased macroscopic lung lesions compared to pigs challenged with PCV2b alone, further supporting the idea that concurrent PCV2a/PCV2b infection is necessary for optimal PCV2 replication. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of wheat source and particle size in meal and pelleted diets on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and nutrient digestibility.

PubMed

De Jong, J A; DeRouchey, J M; Tokach, M D; Dritz, S S; Goodband, R D; Paulk, C B; Woodworth, J C; Jones, C K; Stark, C R

2016-08-01

Two experiments were conducted to test the effects of wheat source and particle size in meal and pelleted diets on finishing pig performance, carcass characteristics, and diet digestibility. In Exp. 1, pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; = 288; initially 43.8 kg BW) were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 3 treatments with 8 pigs per pen (4 barrows and 4 gilts) and 12 pens per treatment. The 3 dietary treatments were hard red winter wheat ground with a hammer mill to 728, 579, or 326 μm, respectively. From d 0 to 40, decreasing wheat particle size decreased (linear, < 0.033) ADFI but improved (quadratic, < 0.014) G:F. From d 40 to 83, decreasing wheat particle size increased (quadratic, < 0.018) ADG and improved (linear, < 0.002) G:F. Overall from d 0 to 83, reducing wheat particle size improved (linear, < 0.002) G:F. In Exp. 2, pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; = 576; initially 43.4 ± 0.02 kg BW) were used to determine the effects of wheat source and particle size of pelleted diets on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. Pigs were randomly allotted to pens, and pens of pigs were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 12 replications per treatment and 8 pigs/pen. The experimental diets used the same wheat-soybean meal formulation, with the 6 treatments using hard red winter or soft white winter wheat that were processed to 245, 465, and 693 μm and 258, 402, and 710 μm, respectively. All diets were pelleted. Overall, feeding hard red winter wheat increased ( < 0.05) ADG and ADFI when compared with soft white winter wheat. There was a tendency ( < 0.10) for a quadratic particle size × wheat source interaction for ADG, ADFI, and both DM and GE digestibility, as they were decreased for pigs fed 465-μm hard red winter wheat and were greatest for pigs fed 402-μm soft white winter wheat. There were no main or interactive effects of particle size or wheat source on carcass characteristics. In summary, fine

PCV2d-2 is the predominant type of PCV2 DNA in pig samples collected in the U.S. during 2014-2016.

PubMed

Xiao, Chao-Ting; Harmon, Karen M; Halbur, Patrick G; Opriessnig, Tanja

2016-12-25

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccination was introduced in the US in 2006 and since has been adopted by most pig producers. While porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD) outbreaks are now relatively uncommon in the US, PCV2 remains a concern which is emphasized by increasing numbers of PCR and sequencing requests for PCV2. In the present study, randomly selected lung tissues from 586 pigs submitted in 2015 were tested for presence of PCV2 DNA. Positive samples were further characterized by sequencing and combined with available PCV2 open-reading-frame (ORF) 2 sequences from the client data base of the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The prevalence of PCV2 in the randomly selected lung tissues was 23% (135/586) with 11.3% PCV2a, 29% PCV2b and 71.8% for PCV2d subgroup PCV2d-2. A total of 455 ORF2 sequences obtained from 2014 through 2016 were analyzed and PCV2d accounted for 66.7% of the 2014 sequences, 71.8% of the 2015 sequences, and 72% of the 2016 sequences. Interestingly, only 1.9% (9/455) of the sequences belonged to the recently identified PCV2e genotype. The present data indicates that despite an almost 100% PCV2 vaccine coverage in the US, PCV2 DNA can still be detected in almost 1 of 4 randomly selected pig tissues. PCV2d-2 is now the predominant genotype in the USA suggesting that PCV2d-2 may have some advantage over PCV2a and PCV2b in its ability to replicate in pigs under vaccination pressure. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effect of fenbendazole in water on pigs infected with Ascaris suum in finishing pigs under field conditions.

PubMed

Lassen, Brian; Oliviero, Claudio; Orro, Toomas; Jukola, Elias; Laurila, Tapio; Haimi-Hakala, Minna; Heinonen, Mari

2017-04-15

The husbandry of pigs for meat production is a constantly developing industry. Most studies on the effects of Ascaris suum infection in pigs and its prevention with anthelmintics are over a decade old. We examined the effect of 2.5mg fenbendazole per kg bodyweight administered in drinking water for two consecutive days on A. suum infection 1 and 6 weeks after pigs arrived to fattening units. We hypothesised that the treatment would reduce the presence of A. suum-infections, improve the average daily weight gain of pigs, reduce the percentage of liver rejections in pens by 50% and increase the lean meat percentage at slaughter by 1%. The study included a placebo group (427 pigs) and a treatment group (420 pigs) spanning four different farms previously reporting ≥15% liver rejection. The treatment was given for 2 consecutive days 1 and 6 weeks after the pigs arrived to the fattening unit. Faecal samples were collected during weeks 1, 6 and 12 from all pigs and examined for A. suum eggs. Blood was collected during weeks 1 and 12 from a subgroup of the pigs and examined for anti-A. suum antibodies and clinical blood parameters. Data on liver rejection and lean meat percentage were collected post-mortem. The proportion of Ascaris seropositive pigs changed from 8.6% to 22.2% and 20.3% to 16.3% in the placebo and treatment group respectively. Fenbendazole reduced the presence of A. suum eggs in faeces the percentage of liver rejections by 69.8%. The treatment did not affect daily weight gain or lean meat percentage. Pigs with A. suum eggs in faeces at week 6 had a lower average daily weight gain of 61.8g/day compared with pigs without parasite eggs. Fenbendazole treatment may be a useful option for farms struggling with persistent A. suum problems and demonstrate a beneficial effect on the weight gain of the animals shedding eggs in faeces and result in fewer condemned livers at slaughter. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prostaglandin D2 effects and DP1 /DP2 receptor distribution in guinea pig urinary bladder out-flow region.

PubMed

Guan, Na N; Svennersten, Karl; de Verdier, Petra J; Wiklund, N Peter; Gustafsson, Lars E

2017-02-01

The proximal urethra and urinary bladder trigone play important roles in continence. We have previously shown that PGD 2 is released from guinea pig bladder urothelium/suburothelium and can inhibit detrusor contractile responses. We presently wished to investigate PGD 2 actions in guinea pig out-flow region and the distribution of DP 1 /DP 2 receptors. The effects of PGD 2 on urothelium-intact trigone and proximal urethra contractility were studied in organ bath experiments. Expression of DP 1 /DP 2 receptor proteins was analysed by western blot. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify distribution of DP 1 /DP 2 receptors. PGD 2 in a dose-dependent manner inhibited trigone contractions induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) and inhibited spontaneous contractions of the proximal urethra. PGD 2 was equally (trigone) or slightly less potent (urethra) compared with PGE 2 . Expression of DP 1 and DP 2 receptors was found in male guinea pig bladder trigone, neck and proximal urethra. In the trigone and proximal urethra, DP 1 receptors were found on the membrane of smooth muscle cells and weak immunoreactivty was observed in the urothelium. DP 2 receptors were distributed more widespread, weakly and evenly in the urothelium and smooth muscles. Inhibitory effects by PGD 2 on motor activity of guinea pig trigone and proximal urethra are consistent with finding DP 1 and DP 2 receptors located in the urothelium and smooth muscle cells of the trigone and proximal urethra, and PGD 2 may therefore be a modulator of the bladder out-flow region, possibly having a function in regulation of micturition and a role in overactive bladder syndrome. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

Continuous straw provision reduces prevalence of oesophago-gastric ulcer in pigs slaughtered at 170 kg (heavy pigs).

PubMed

Di Martino, Guido; Capello, Katia; Scollo, Annalisa; Gottardo, Flaviana; Stefani, Anna Lisa; Rampin, Fabio; Schiavon, Eliana; Marangon, Stefano; Bonfanti, Lebana

2013-12-01

Adopting a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, this study evaluated whether continuous straw provision by racks, tail docking and gender (barrows vs. females) have an effect on the prevalence of lung lesions and oesophago-gastric ulcer (OGU) visually scored at slaughter in 635 Italian heavy pigs (169 ± 4 kg). The lung lesions were very low (72% of pigs with score 0), and were not significantly different among the experimental groups. Overall, OGU was diagnosed in 47% of the pigs. The consumption of small amounts of straw (70 g/day/pig) represented a protective factor against the onset of OGU (OR: 0.27). Barrows were more likely than females to have OGU (OR: 1.52), while no significant differences between docked and undocked pigs were detected. Nevertheless, the presence of straw acted as a protective factor particularly in undocked pigs (OR: 0.16), suggesting that in this group the absence of rooting material may have a stronger effect on welfare. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diabetes and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in E2F1/E2F2 double-mutant mice.

PubMed

Iglesias, Ainhoa; Murga, Matilde; Laresgoiti, Usua; Skoudy, Anouchka; Bernales, Irantzu; Fullaondo, Asier; Moreno, Bernardino; Lloreta, José; Field, Seth J; Real, Francisco X; Zubiaga, Ana M

2004-05-01

E2F transcription factors are thought to be key regulators of cell growth control. Here we use mutant mouse strains to investigate the function of E2F1 and E2F2 in vivo. E2F1/E2F2 compound-mutant mice develop nonautoimmune insulin-deficient diabetes and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction characterized by endocrine and exocrine cell dysplasia, a reduction in the number and size of acini and islets, and their replacement by ductal structures and adipose tissue. Mutant pancreatic cells exhibit increased rates of DNA replication but also of apoptosis, resulting in severe pancreatic atrophy. The expression of genes involved in DNA replication and cell cycle control was upregulated in the E2F1/E2F2 compound-mutant pancreas, suggesting that their expression is repressed by E2F1/E2F2 activities and that the inappropriate cell cycle found in the mutant pancreas is likely the result of the deregulated expression of these genes. Interestingly, the expression of ductal cell and adipocyte differentiation marker genes was also upregulated, whereas expression of pancreatic cell marker genes were downregulated. These results suggest that E2F1/E2F2 activity negatively controls growth of mature pancreatic cells and is necessary for the maintenance of differentiated pancreatic phenotypes in the adult.

Bronchodilator effects of prostacyclin (PGI2) in dogs and guinea pigs.

PubMed

Wasserman, M A; Ducharme, D W; Wendling, M G; Griffin, R L; Degraaf, G L

1980-08-22

prostacyclin (PGI2), a recently discovered unstable product in the biosynthetic conversion of prostaglandin endoperoxides, was examined for bronchopulmonary actions. in anesthetized dogs, PGI2 given i.v. (0.3-30.0 microgram/kg) and by aerosol (0.002-0.2%) inhibited significantly PGF2 alpha-induced increases in pulmonary resistance and decreases in dynamic lung compliance in a dose-related fashion. Intrinsically, PGI2 affected resting bronchopulmonary and cardiac functions minimally, but decreased peripheral and pulmonary vascular pressures. PGI2 (0.1-10 mg/kg, i.p.) afforded protection against histamine-induced asphyxial collapse in normal guinea pigs and ovalbumin-induced anaphylaxis in sensitized animals. Cumulative concentrations of PGI2 (1.0 x 10(-9)--3.0 x 10(-4) M) relaxed contractions of the isolated guine pig trachea produced by carbachol. These bronchodilator and hemodynamic effects could not be ascribed to the stable metabolic product of PGI2, because 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was inactive or markedly less active than PGI2 in these test systems. The results of this investigation suggest that PGI2 possesses considerable bronchodilator and vasodilator activity in experimental animal systems.

Geographic Inventory Framework (GiF) for estimating N2O and CH4 emissions from agriculture in the province of Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimitrov, D. D.; Wang, J.

2016-12-01

A Geographic Information Framework (GiF) has been created to estimate and map agricultural N2O and CH4 emissions of the province of Alberta, Canada. The GiF consists of a modelling component, a GIS component, and application software to communicate between the model, database and census data. For compatibility, GiF follows the IPCC Tier 1 method and contains census data for animal populations, crop areas, and farms for the main IPCC animal and plant types (dairy cows, cattle cows, pigs, sheep, poultry, other animals, grasses, legumes, other crops), and estimated N2O and CH4 emissions from manure management, enteric fermentation, direct soil emissions (with applied manure, synthetic fertilizer, crop residue degradation, biological fixation) and indirect soil emissions (with atmospheric deposition and leaching). Methane emissions from enteric fermentation (609.24 Gg) prevailed over those from manure (44.99 Gg), and nitrous oxide emission from manure (22.01 Gg) prevailed over those from soil (17.73 Gg), with cattle cows emitting most N2O and CH4, followed by plant N2O emissions, and pigs and dairy cows CH4 emissions. The GIS maps showed discernible pattern of N2O and CH4 emissions increasing from North and West to the central Alberta and then slightly declining to South and East, which could be useful to address various mitigation strategies. The framework allows easy replacement of Tier 1 emission factors by Tire 2 or 3 ones from process-based models. Future applying of the latter will allow accounting for CO2 source/sink strength of agricultural ecosystems, hence their complete GHG balance affected by soil, water, and climate.

Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids metabolism pathways in the body of pigs fed diets with different sources of fatty acids.

PubMed

Skiba, Grzegorz; Poławska, Ewa; Sobol, Monika; Raj, Stanisława; Weremko, Dagmara

2015-01-01

This study was carried out on 24 gilts (♀ Polish Large White × ♂ Danish Landrace) grown with body weight (BW) of 60 to 105 kg. The pigs were fed diets designed on the basis of a standard diet (appropriate for age and BW of pigs) where a part of the energy content was replaced by different fat supplements: linseed oil in Diet L, rapeseed oil in Diet R and fish oil in Diet F (6 gilts per dietary treatment). The fat supplements were sources of specific fatty acids (FA): in Diet L α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3, ALA); in Diet R linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6, LA) and in Diet F eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3, EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (C22:5 n-3, DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n-3, DHA). The protein, fat and total FA contents in the body did not differ among groups of pigs. The enhanced total intake of LA and ALA by pigs caused an increased deposition of these FA in the body (p < 0.01) and an increased potential body pool of these acids for further metabolism/conversions. The conversion efficiency of LA and ALA from the feed to the pig's body differed among groups (p < 0.01) and ranged from 64.4% to 67.2% and from 69.4% to 81.7%, respectively. In Groups L and R, the level of de novo synthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated FA was higher than in Group F. From the results, it can be concluded that the efficiency of deposition is greater for omega-3 FA than for omega-6 FA and depends on their dietary amount. The level of LA and ALA intake influences not only their deposition in the body but also the end products of the omega-3 and omega-6 pathways.

The interactive effects of high-fat, high-fiber diets and ractopamine HCl on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat quality.

PubMed

Graham, A B; Goodband, R D; Tokach, M D; Dritz, S S; DeRouchey, J M; Nitikanchana, S

2014-10-01

A total of 576 mixed-sex pigs (PIC 327 × 1,050; initial BW = 55.8 ± 5.5 kg) were used to determine the effects of corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and wheat middlings (midds) withdrawal 24 d before harvest in diets without or with ractopamine HCl (RAC) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat quality. From d 0 to 49, pigs were fed a corn-soybean meal-based diet (CS) or a diet high in unsaturated fat and crude fiber provided by 30% DDGS and 19% wheat midds (HFF) and not balanced for energy. On d 49, pens of pigs previously fed CS diets remained on the CS diet. Half of the HFF-fed pigs were switched to the CS-based diets, which served as the withdrawal regimen. Finally, half of the HFF-fed pigs remained on the same HFF diet. All 3 regimens were fed without or with 10 mg/kg RAC. There were 12 pens per treatment with 8 pigs per pen. No significant diet regimen × RAC interactions were observed. From d 0 to 49, pigs fed the CS diet had increased (P < 0.001) ADG and G:F compared with pigs fed the HFF diet. Overall (d 0 to 73), pigs fed the CS diets throughout had greater (P < 0.001) ADG and G:F than those fed the HFF diets throughout. Pigs fed the withdrawal diets had greater (P = 0.014) ADG, but similar G:F to those fed the HFF diets throughout. Pigs fed the CS diets throughout had greater (P = 0.025) carcass yield compared with pigs fed the HFF diets throughout, with those fed the withdrawal diets intermediate. Pigs fed RAC had greater (P < 0.001) ADG, G:F, and carcass yield (P = 0.061 than pigs not fed RAC. Jowl, backfat, belly, and leaf fat iodine value (IV) were lowest (P < 0.001) for pigs fed the CS diets, highest (P < 0.015) for those fed HFF diets throughout, and intermediate for pigs fed the withdrawal diet. There were no differences in either full or rinsed intestine or organ weights between pigs that were fed CS diets throughout and pigs fed the withdrawal diet; however, pigs fed the HFF diets throughout the study had

Identification of both NK1 and NK2 receptors in guinea-pig airways.

PubMed Central

McKee, K. T.; Millar, L.; Rodger, I. W.; Metters, K. M.

1993-01-01

1. NK1 and NK2 receptors have been characterized in guinea-pig lung membrane preparations by use of [125I-Tyr8]-substance P and [125I]-neurokinin A binding assays in conjunction with tachykinin-receptor selective agonists ([Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P for NK1 and [beta Ala8]neurokinin A (4-10) for NK2) and antagonists (CP-99,994 for NK1 and SR48968 for NK2). 2. The presence of high affinity, G-protein-coupled NK1 receptors in guinea-pig lung parenchymal membranes has been confirmed. The rank order of affinity for competing tachykinins was as predicted for an NK1 receptor: substance P = [Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P > substance P-methyl ester = physalaemin > neurokinin A = neurokinin B >> [beta Ala8]neurokinin A (4-10). The novel NK1 antagonist CP-99,994 has a Ki of 0.4 nM at this NK1 site. 3. In order to characterize [125I]-neurokinin A binding to guinea-pig lung, the number of [125I]-neurokinin A specific binding sites was increased 3-4 fold by purification of the parenchymal membranes over discontinuous sucrose gradients. The rank order of affinity determined for NK1- and NK2-receptor agonists and antagonists in competition for these sites showed that the majority (80%) of [125I]-neurokinin A specific binding was also to the NK1 receptor. 4. Under conditions where the guinea-pig lung parenchymal NK1 receptor was fully occupied by a saturating concentration of either [Sar9Met(O2)11]substance P (1 microM) or CP-99,994 (2.7 microM), residual [125I]-neurokinin A specific binding was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by both [beta Ala8]neurokinin A and SR48968. This result shows that the NK2 receptor is also present in these preparations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:7694756

Batch medication of intestinal infections in nursery pigs-A randomised clinical trial on the efficacy of treatment strategy, type of antibiotic and bacterial load on average daily weight gain.

PubMed

Weber, Nicolai Rosager; Pedersen, Ken Steen; Hansen, Christian Fink; Denwood, Matthew; Hjulsager, Charlotte Kristiane; Nielsen, Jens Peter

2017-02-01

Previous research projects have demonstrated the need for better diagnostic tools to support decisions on medication strategies for infections caused by Escherichia coli F4 (F4) and F18 (F18), Lawsonia intracellularis (LI) and Brachyspira pilosicoli (PILO). This study was carried out as a randomised clinical trial in three Danish pig herds and included 1047 nursery pigs, distributed over 10 batches and 78 pens. The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess the effect of four 5-day treatment strategies (initiated at clinical outbreak of diarrhoea or at fixed time points 14, 21, or 28days after weaning) on average daily weight gain (ADG); (2) to compare the effect of treatment with doxycycline or tylosine on diarrhoea prevalence, pathogenic bacterial load, and ADG; (3) to evaluate PCR testing of faecal pen floor samples as a diagnostic tool for determining the optimal time of treatment. (1) The four treatment strategies had a significant overall effect on ADG (p=0.01). Pigs starting treatment 14days after weaning had a significantly higher ADG (42 g) compared to pigs treated on day 28 (p=0.01). (2) When measured 2days after treatment, doxycycline treatment resulted in fewer LI-positive pens (p=0.004), lower excretion levels of LI (p=0.013), and fewer pens with a high level of LI (p=0.031) compared to pens treated with tylosine. There was no significant difference in F4, F18 and PILO levels after treatment with the two antibiotic compounds. There was a significant difference (p=0.04) of mean diarrhoea prevalence on day 21 of the study between pens treated with tylosine (0.254, 95% CI: 0.184-0.324), and doxycycline (0.167, 95% CI: 0.124-0.210). The type of antibiotic compound was not found to have a significant effect on ADG (p=0.209). (3) Pigs starting treatment on day 14 in pens where F4, F18, LI or PILO were detected by qPCR on the pen floor had a statistically significant increase in ADG (66g) compared to pigs treated on day 14 in pens where no enteric pathogens

Systemic toxoplasmosis and concurrent porcine circovirus-2 infection in a pig.

PubMed

Klein, S; Wendt, M; Baumgärtner, W; Wohlsein, P

2010-01-01

Systemic toxoplasmosis and concurrent infection with porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) was diagnosed in a fattening pig. Clinical examination of the herd showed that up to 30% of the pigs of this weight group suffered from severe respiratory signs including sneezing and coughing, with a mortality rate of up to 5%. Gross necropsy examination revealed severe interstitial pneumonia and generalized lymphadenopathy. On microscopical examination there was necrotizing inflammation of the lung, adrenal glands and lymph nodes, associated with lymphoid depletion, cytoplasmic basophilic botryoid inclusion bodies and protozoal microorganisms. Infection with Toxoplasma gondii was confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Polymerase chain reaction analysis, in-situ hybridization and IHC confirmed systemic PCV-2 infection. These findings, associated with the respiratory signs and lesions in lymphoid tissues, are characteristic for post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). In this case, immunosuppression by PCV-2 may have triggered systemic toxoplasmosis, or immune stimulation caused by coinfection with T. gondii may have caused extensive replication of PCV-2. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A model of type 2 diabetes in the guinea pig using sequential diet-induced glucose intolerance and streptozotocin treatment

PubMed Central

Ackart, David F.; Richardson, Michael A.; DiLisio, James E.; Pulford, Bruce; Basaraba, Randall J.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Type 2 diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among noncommunicable diseases, and additional animal models that more closely replicate the pathogenesis of human type 2 diabetes are needed. The goal of this study was to develop a model of type 2 diabetes in guinea pigs, in which diet-induced glucose intolerance precedes β-cell cytotoxicity, two processes that are crucial to the development of human type 2 diabetes. Guinea pigs developed impaired glucose tolerance after 8 weeks of feeding on a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, as determined by oral glucose challenge. Diet-induced glucose intolerance was accompanied by β-cell hyperplasia, compensatory hyperinsulinemia, and dyslipidemia with hepatocellular steatosis. Streptozotocin (STZ) treatment alone was ineffective at inducing diabetic hyperglycemia in guinea pigs, which failed to develop sustained glucose intolerance or fasting hyperglycemia and returned to euglycemia within 21 days after treatment. However, when high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet-fed guinea pigs were treated with STZ, glucose intolerance and fasting hyperglycemia persisted beyond 21 days post-STZ treatment. Guinea pigs with diet-induced glucose intolerance subsequently treated with STZ demonstrated an insulin-secretory capacity consistent with insulin-independent diabetes. This insulin-independent state was confirmed by response to oral antihyperglycemic drugs, metformin and glipizide, which resolved glucose intolerance and extended survival compared with guinea pigs with uncontrolled diabetes. In this study, we have developed a model of sequential glucose intolerance and β-cell loss, through high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet and extensive optimization of STZ treatment in the guinea pig, which closely resembles human type 2 diabetes. This model will prove useful in the study of insulin-independent diabetes pathogenesis with or without comorbidities, where the guinea pig serves as a relevant model species. PMID:28093504

A model of type 2 diabetes in the guinea pig using sequential diet-induced glucose intolerance and streptozotocin treatment.

PubMed

Podell, Brendan K; Ackart, David F; Richardson, Michael A; DiLisio, James E; Pulford, Bruce; Basaraba, Randall J

2017-02-01

Type 2 diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among noncommunicable diseases, and additional animal models that more closely replicate the pathogenesis of human type 2 diabetes are needed. The goal of this study was to develop a model of type 2 diabetes in guinea pigs, in which diet-induced glucose intolerance precedes β-cell cytotoxicity, two processes that are crucial to the development of human type 2 diabetes. Guinea pigs developed impaired glucose tolerance after 8 weeks of feeding on a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, as determined by oral glucose challenge. Diet-induced glucose intolerance was accompanied by β-cell hyperplasia, compensatory hyperinsulinemia, and dyslipidemia with hepatocellular steatosis. Streptozotocin (STZ) treatment alone was ineffective at inducing diabetic hyperglycemia in guinea pigs, which failed to develop sustained glucose intolerance or fasting hyperglycemia and returned to euglycemia within 21 days after treatment. However, when high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet-fed guinea pigs were treated with STZ, glucose intolerance and fasting hyperglycemia persisted beyond 21 days post-STZ treatment. Guinea pigs with diet-induced glucose intolerance subsequently treated with STZ demonstrated an insulin-secretory capacity consistent with insulin-independent diabetes. This insulin-independent state was confirmed by response to oral antihyperglycemic drugs, metformin and glipizide, which resolved glucose intolerance and extended survival compared with guinea pigs with uncontrolled diabetes. In this study, we have developed a model of sequential glucose intolerance and β-cell loss, through high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet and extensive optimization of STZ treatment in the guinea pig, which closely resembles human type 2 diabetes. This model will prove useful in the study of insulin-independent diabetes pathogenesis with or without comorbidities, where the guinea pig serves as a relevant model species. © 2017. Published by

Antagonist profile of ibodutant at the tachykinin NK2 receptor in guinea pig isolated bronchi.

PubMed

Santicioli, Paolo; Meini, Stefania; Giuliani, Sandro; Lecci, Alessandro; Maggi, Carlo Alberto

2013-10-24

In this study we have characterized the pharmacological profile of the non-peptide tachykinin NK 2 receptor antagonist ibodutant (MEN15596) in guinea pig isolated main bronchi contractility. The antagonist potency of ibodutant was evaluated using the selective NK 2 receptor agonist [βAla 8 ]NKA(4-10)-mediated contractions of guinea pig isolated main bronchi. In this assay ibodutant (30, 100 and 300nM) induced a concentration-dependent rightward shift of the [βAla 8 ]NKA(4-10) concentration-response curves without affecting the maximal contractile effect. The analysis of the results yielded a Schild-plot linear regression with a slope not different from unity (0.95, 95% c.l. 0.65-1.25), thus indicating a surmountable behaviour. The calculated apparent antagonist potency as pK B value was 8.31±0.05. Ibodutant (0.3-100nM), produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of the nonadrenergic-noncholinergic (NANC) contractile response induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) of intrinsic airway nerves in guinea pig isolated main bronchi. At the highest concentration tested (100nM) ibodutant almost abolished the EFS-induced bronchoconstriction (95±4% inhibition), the calculated IC 50 value was 2.98nM (95% c.l. 1.73-5.16nM). In bronchi from ovalbumin (OVA) sensitized guinea pigs ibodutant (100nM) did not affect the maximal contractile response to OVA, but completely prevented the slowing in the fading of the motor response induced by phosphoramidon pretreatment linked to the endogenous neurokinin A release. Altogether, the present study demonstrate that ibodutant is a potent NK 2 receptor antagonist in guinea pig airways. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Maternal immunity enhances systemic recall immune responses upon oral immunization of piglets with F4 fimbriae.

PubMed

Nguyen, Ut V; Melkebeek, Vesna; Devriendt, Bert; Goetstouwers, Tiphanie; Van Poucke, Mario; Peelman, Luc; Goddeeris, Bruno M; Cox, Eric

2015-06-23

F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause diarrhoea and mortality in piglets leading to severe economic losses. Oral immunization of piglets with F4 fimbriae induces a protective intestinal immune response evidenced by an F4-specific serum and intestinal IgA response. However, successful oral immunization of pigs with F4 fimbriae in the presence of maternal immunity has not been demonstrated yet. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the effect of maternal immunity on the induction of a systemic immune response upon oral immunization of piglets. Whereas F4-specific IgG and IgA could be induced by oral immunization of pigs without maternal antibodies and by intramuscular immunization of pigs with maternal antibodies, no such response was seen in the orally immunized animals with maternal antibodies. Since maternal antibodies can mask an antibody response, we also looked by ELIspot assays for circulating F4-specific antibody secreting cells (ASCs). Enumerating the F4-specific ASCs within the circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the number of F4-specific IgA ASCs within the circulating IgA(+) B-cells revealed an F4-specific immune response in the orally immunized animals with maternal antibodies. Interestingly, results suggest a more robust IgA booster response by oral immunization of pigs with than without maternal antibodies. These results demonstrate that oral immunization of piglets with F4-specific maternal antibodies is feasible and that these maternal antibodies seem to enhance the secondary systemic immune response. Furthermore, our ELIspot assay on enriched IgA(+) B-cells could be used as a screening procedure to optimize mucosal immunization protocols in pigs with maternal immunity.

Single-scan rest/stress imaging: validation in a porcine model with 18F-Flurpiridaz.

PubMed

Guehl, Nicolas J; Normandin, Marc D; Wooten, Dustin W; Rozen, Guy; Sitek, Arkadiusk; Ruskin, Jeremy; Shoup, Timothy M; Ptaszek, Leon M; El Fakhri, Georges; Alpert, Nathaniel M

2017-08-01

18 F-labeled myocardial flow agents are becoming available for clinical application but the ∼2 hour half-life of 18 F complicates their clinical application for rest-stress measurements. The goal of this work is to evaluate in a pig model a single-scan method which provides quantitative rest-stress blood flow in less than 15 minutes. Single-scan rest-stress measurements were made using 18 F-Flurpiridaz. Nine scans were performed in healthy pigs and seven scans were performed in injured pigs. A two-injection, single-scan protocol was used in which an adenosine infusion was started 4 minutes after the first injection of 18 F-Flurpiridaz and followed either 3 or 6 minutes later by a second radiotracer injection. In two pigs, microsphere flow measurements were made at rest and during stress. Dynamic images were reoriented into the short axis view, and regions of interest (ROIs) for the 17 myocardial segments were defined in bull's eye fashion. PET data were fitted with MGH2, a kinetic model with time varying kinetic parameters, in which blood flow changes abruptly with the introduction of adenosine. Rest and stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) were estimated simultaneously. The first 12-14 minutes of rest-stress PET data were fitted in detail by the MGH2 model, yielding MBF measurement with a mean precision of 0.035 ml/min/cc. Mean myocardial blood flow across pigs was 0.61 ± 0.11 mL/min/cc at rest and 1.06 ± 0.19 mL/min/cc at stress in healthy pigs and 0.36 ± 0.20 mL/min/cc at rest and 0.62 ± 0.24 mL/min/cc at stress in the ischemic area. Good agreement was obtained with microsphere flow measurement (slope = 1.061 ± 0.017, intercept = 0.051 ± 0.017, mean difference 0.096 ± 0.18 ml/min/cc). Accurate rest and stress blood flow estimation can be obtained in less than 15 min of PET acquisition. The method is practical and easy to implement suggesting the possibility of clinical translation.

Cross-Fostering Implications for Pig Mortality, Welfare and Performance.

PubMed

Calderón Díaz, Julia A; García Manzanilla, Edgar; Diana, Alessia; Boyle, Laura A

2018-01-01

This study aimed to (1) identify cross-fostering (CF) practices employed on a commercial farm; (2) characterize CF pigs according to litter of origin traits, and (3) investigate the implications of CF practices on pig mortality, performance and welfare. This was an observational study whereby pigs were managed according to normal farming practice. Pigs ( n = 1,016) born within 1 week were classified as non-CF (NCF); CF during the first (CFW1) and second or third (CFW2+) weeks of lactation. Pigs were individually weighed and inspected for the presence of tail (TL), ear (EL) and body lesions (BL) at weaning (7.03 ± 1.61 kg) and at the end of the first (12.9 ± 3.03 kg) and second (31.9 ± 5.50 kg) weaner and grower (66.3 ± 9.12 kg) stages. Mortality was recorded through to slaughter (c. 115 kg). At slaughter, TL were scored and carcass characteristics, presence of pleurisy, enzootic pneumonia, pericarditis and heart condemnations were recorded. 40.8% of CF pigs were CFW1; ANOVA tests revealed these were born to sows with a higher number of piglets born alive than NCF pigs (14.6 ± 2.61 and 12.8 ± 2.68, respectively). The remaining 59.2% of CF pigs were CFW2+; these were, on average, 0.14 kg lighter at birth than NCF pigs. Therefore, a nested case control design was retrospectively applied whereby pigs with complete records to slaughter, were matched for these variables to investigate associations between CF weeks, welfare and performance traits. Growth performance did not differ between CF week ( P > 0.05); however, CFW2+ carcasses were 4.9 kg lighter ( P < 0.05) compared with NCF and CFW1 pigs. EL were more likely in CFW1 compared to NCF and CFW2+ ( P < 0.05) pigs. To investigate the effect of CF week on the risk of mortality, all 1,016 pigs were used. CF pigs were at higher risk of death ( P < 0.05) with similar odds in CFW1 and CFW2+ pigs compared with NCF pigs, although other underlying factors could contribute to this result. Performance and health traits

Vacuum ultraviolet thin films. I - Optical constants of BaF2, CaF2, LaF3, MgF2, Al2O3, HfO2, and SiO2 thin films. II - Vacuum ultraviolet all-dielectric narrowband filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zukic, Muamer; Torr, Douglas G.; Spann, James F.; Torr, Marsha R.

1990-01-01

An iteration process matching calculated and measured reflectance and transmittance values in the 120-230 nm VUV region is presently used to ascertain the optical constants of bulk MgF2, as well as films of BaF2, CaF2, LaF3, MgF2, Al2O3, HfO2, and SiO2 deposited on MgF2 substrates. In the second part of this work, a design concept is demonstrated for two filters, employing rapidly changing extinction coefficients, centered at 135 nm for BaF2 and 141 nm for SiO2. These filters are shown to yield excellent narrowband spectral performance in combination with narrowband reflection filters.

Thermodynamic assessment of the LiF-NaF-BeF2-ThF4-UF4 system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capelli, E.; Beneš, O.; Konings, R. J. M.

2014-06-01

The present study describes the full thermodynamic assessment of the LiF-NaF-BeF2-ThF4-UF4 system which is one of the key systems considered for a molten salt reactor fuel. The work is an extension of the previously assessed LiF-NaF-ThF4-UF4 system with addition of BeF2 which is characterized by very low neutron capture cross section and a relatively low melting point. To extend the database the binary BeF2-ThF4 and BeF2-UF4 systems were optimized and the novel data were used for the thermodynamic assessment of BeF2 containing ternary systems for which experimental data exist in the literature. The obtained database is used to optimize the molten salt reactor fuel composition and to assess its properties with the emphasis on the melting behaviour.

The 'Real Welfare' scheme: benchmarking welfare outcomes for commercially farmed pigs.

PubMed

Pandolfi, F; Stoddart, K; Wainwright, N; Kyriazakis, I; Edwards, S A

2017-10-01

Animal welfare standards have been incorporated in EU legislation and in farm assurance schemes, based on scientific information and aiming to safeguard the welfare of the species concerned. Recently, emphasis has shifted from resource-based measures of welfare to animal-based measures, which are considered to assess more accurately the welfare status. The data used in this analysis were collected from April 2013 to May 2016 through the 'Real Welfare' scheme in order to assess on-farm pig welfare, as required for those finishing pigs under the UK Red Tractor Assurance scheme. The assessment involved five main measures (percentage of pigs requiring hospitalization, percentage of lame pigs, percentage of pigs with severe tail lesions, percentage of pigs with severe body marks and enrichment use ratio) and optional secondary measures (percentage of pigs with mild tail lesions, percentage of pigs with dirty tails, percentage of pigs with mild body marks, percentage of pigs with dirty bodies), with associated information about the environment and the enrichment in the farms. For the complete database, a sample of pens was assessed from 1928 farm units. Repeated measures were taken in the same farm unit over time, giving 112 240 records at pen level. These concerned a total of 13 480 289 pigs present on the farm during the assessments, with 5 463 348 pigs directly assessed using the 'Real Welfare' protocol. The three most common enrichment types were straw, chain and plastic objects. The main substrate was straw which was present in 67.9% of the farms. Compared with 2013, a significant increase of pens with undocked-tail pigs, substrates and objects was observed over time (P0.3). The results from the first 3 years of the scheme demonstrate a reduction of the prevalence of animal-based measures of welfare problems and highlight the value of this initiative.

Occurrence of a pig respiratory disease associated with swine influenza A (H1N2) virus in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

PubMed

Yoneyama, Shuji; Hayashi, Tsuyoshi; Kojima, Hirokazu; Usami, Yoshihide; Kubo, Masanori; Takemae, Nobuhiro; Uchida, Yuko; Saito, Takehiko

2010-04-01

In February 2008, a feeder pig herd of the affected farm in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, showed increasing respiratory symptoms; by April, the situation worsened with 12-16 pigs dying daily. Diagnostic tests revealed the presence of H1N2 subtype of swine influenza virus (SIV) and Pasteurella multocida from nasal swab and lung emulsion. Serological tests by hemagglutination inhibition method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method (ELISA; imported from U.S.A.) indicated the spread of SIV into the pig herds of the affected farm around April 2008. The severe infection and subsequent damage were considered as a result of the combined infection of SIV (H1N2) and bacteria that may have been prevalent in the pig farm. Genetic homology search of sequences for the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of A/swine/Tochigi/1/08 showed high homology to Japanese SIVs (H1N2) isolated in the 2000s. Therefore, we considered that Japanese SIV (H1N2) has established an independent stable lineage and participated in infecting pig populations as one of the factors of the pig respiratory disease complex. Consistent surveillance would contribute to clarifying the prevalence of dominant SIVs.

Economic benefits comparison of two pig breeding cycle modes -- Taking Liaoning Province as an example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Yunan; Wang, Hui; Ma, Yu

2018-01-01

Pig breeding pollution has become one of the important sources of environmental pollution, and the circular economy has provided an effective way to alleviate the pollution of pig breeding. In this paper, the “Three-in-one” and “Four-in-one” mode of circular economy with methane as link were constructed, and taking Liaoning Province as the research area, the economic benefits of different pig breeding modes were compared and analyzed. The results show that: (1) The modes of circular economy use the pig manure waste as raw materials through the digesters, solar greenhouse to generate new resources, compared with the traditional farming methods, created considerable economic benefits and also alleviated the pressure of pollution, is an effective way to control the pollution of pig breeding. (2) The economic benefit of the “Four-in-one” mode in Liaoning was much higher than the “Three-in-one” mode. The economic benefits of biogas digesters were higher than the “Three-in-one” mode of 125 million yuan, while the solar greenhouse would introduce the planting industry into the recycling chain, with a net profit of about 38.64*108 yuan.

Acute and latent infection by bovine herpesvirus type 2 in a guinea pig model.

PubMed

Torres, Fabrício Dias; Cargnelutti, Juliana Felipetto; Masuda, Eduardo Kenji; Weiblen, Rudi; Flores, Eduardo Furtado

2010-02-01

Bovine herpetic mammillits is a self-limiting cutaneous disease of the udder and teats of cows associated with bovine herpesvirus 2 (BoHV-2) whose pathogenesis is poorly understood. This article describes the use of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) to study the pathogenesis of BoHV-2 infection. Twelve weanling female guinea pigs inoculated subcutaneously with BoHV-2 in the genitalia and teats developed local hyperemia, edema, vesicles, ulcers and scabs. Infectious virus was recovered between days 3 and 7 post-infection (pi) from the genital area (9/12) and teats (1/12); and all inoculated animals seroconverted (virus-neutralizing titers of 16-128). Histological examination of lesions revealed lymphoplasmacytic perivascular infiltrates and intranuclear inclusion bodies in keratinocytes. PCR examination of tissues collected at day 35 pi detected latent viral DNA predominantly in lumbosacral spinal segments. In another experiment, eight females inoculated with BoHV-2 in the genitalia and treated with dexamethasone (Dx) at day 35 pi developed mild to moderate local signs, yet no virus could be recovered from lesions. PCR examination of spinal segments from these animals confirmed the presence of latent viral DNA. These results demonstrate that guinea pigs are susceptible to BoHV-2 infection and therefore may be used to study selected aspects of BoHV-2 biology.

Manganese Vanadate Chemistry in Hydrothermal BaF 2 Brines: Ba 3 Mn 2 (V 2 O 7 ) 2 F 2 and Ba 7 Mn 8 O 2 (VO 4 ) 2 F 23

DOE PAGES

Sanjeewa, Liurukara D.; McMillen, Colin D.; McGuire, Michael A.; ...

2016-12-05

We synthesized manganese vanadate fluorides using high-temperature hydrothermal techniques with BaF 2 as a mineralizer. Ba 3Mn 2(V 2O 7) 2F 2 crystallizes in space group C2/c and consists of dimers built from edge-sharing MnO 4F 2 trigonal prisms with linking V 2O 7 groups. Ba 7Mn 8O 2(VO 4) 2F 23 crystallizes in space group Cmmm, with a manganese oxyfluoride network built from edge- and corner-sharing Mn 2+/3+(O,F) 6 octahedra. The resulting octahedra form alternating Mn 2+ and Mn 2+/3+ layers separated by VO 4 tetrahedra. This latter compound exhibits a canted antiferromagnetic order below TN = 25 K.

Urinary levels of estrone sulfate and 11-ketotetranor prostaglandin F metabolite in pregnant guinea pigs given Clophen A50 (polychlorinated biphenyls).

PubMed

Lundkvist, U; Kindahl, H; Madej, A

1987-02-01

The urinary levels of estrone sulfate and 11-ketotetranor prostaglandin F metabolite (11-ketotetranor PGF metabolite) during gestation in guinea pigs were measured by radioimmunoassays. Vehicle and Clophen A50 (polychlorinated biphenyls)-treated animals were compared. Gestation was arbitrarily divided into four periods, and the mean hormone levels during each period were compared between the two treatment groups. The Clophen A50 treatment (100 mg total, during Days 16-60), which causes fetal death, was correlated to significantly higher levels of estrone sulfate (p less than 0.05) and 11-ketotetranor PGF metabolite (p less than 0.01) during Days 47-60 (Period IV) of gestation.

Acute encephalopathy in a 2-year-old pot-bellied pig following accidental intoxication with clonazepam.

PubMed

Setlakwe, Emilie L; Johnson, Amy L

2017-05-01

To describe a case of successful management of clonazepam toxicity causing encephalopathy in a pot-bellied pig. A 2-year-old female pot-bellied pig weighing 13.5 kg was presented for evaluation of clinical signs of acute encephalopathy. Based on the animal's history and clinical signs, a tentative diagnosis of benzodiazepine (BZP) intoxication was made. The results of a urinary drug screening test designed to detect illicit substances in human urine indicated benzodiazepine exposure. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis later confirmed clonazepam (urinary concentration 496 ng/mL) as the intoxicating substance. The pig responded favorably to treatment which included administration of flumazenil, decontamination with enteral activated charcoal, and intravenous isotonic crystalloid administration. The pig had a rapid improvement in mentation 10 minutes following IV flumazenil administration and was considered mentally appropriate following 24 hours of hospitalization. The pig was discharged from the hospital after 48 hours of care, and was reported to be doing well 6 months later. Intoxication with prescription benzodiazepines can occur in companion animals and result in clinical signs of acute encephalopathy. Urinary drug screening tests designed for human use may provide rapid results to indicate drug intoxication and guide therapeutic intervention in veterinary species. Administration of flumazenil resulted in a rapid improvement in mentation following clonazepam intoxication in a pot-bellied pig. © Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2017.

Effect of serial pig passages on the adaptation of an avian H9N2 influenza virus to swine.

PubMed

Mancera Gracia, Jose Carlos; Van den Hoecke, Silvie; Saelens, Xavier; Van Reeth, Kristien

2017-01-01

H9N2 avian influenza viruses are endemic in poultry in Asia and the Middle East. These viruses sporadically cause dead-end infections in pigs and humans raising concerns about their potential to adapt to mammals or reassort with human or swine influenza viruses. We performed ten serial passages with an avian H9N2 virus (A/quail/Hong Kong/G1/1997) in influenza naïve pigs to assess the potential of this virus to adapt to swine. Virus replication in the entire respiratory tract and nasal virus excretion were examined after each passage and we deep sequenced viral genomic RNA of the parental and passage four H9N2 virus isolated from the nasal mucosa and lung. The parental H9N2 virus caused a productive infection in pigs with a predominant tropism for the nasal mucosa, whereas only 50% lung samples were virus-positive. In contrast, inoculation of pigs with passage four virus resulted in viral replication in the entire respiratory tract. Subsequent passages were associated with reduced virus replication in the lungs and infectious virus was no longer detectable in the upper and lower respiratory tract of inoculated pigs at passage ten. The broader tissue tropism after four passages was associated with an amino acid residue substitution at position 225, within the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin. We also compared the parental H9N2, passage four H9N2 and the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus in a direct contact transmission experiment. Whereas only one out of six contact pigs showed nasal virus excretion of the wild-type H9N2 for more than four days, all six contact animals shed the passage four H9N2 virus. Nevertheless, the amount of excreted virus was significantly lower when compared to that of the pH1N1, which readily transmitted and replicated in all six contact animals. Our data demonstrate that serial passaging of H9N2 virus in pigs enhances its replication and transmissibility. However, full adaptation of an avian H9N2 virus to pigs likely requires an

Effect of serial pig passages on the adaptation of an avian H9N2 influenza virus to swine

PubMed Central

Van den Hoecke, Silvie; Saelens, Xavier; Van Reeth, Kristien

2017-01-01

H9N2 avian influenza viruses are endemic in poultry in Asia and the Middle East. These viruses sporadically cause dead-end infections in pigs and humans raising concerns about their potential to adapt to mammals or reassort with human or swine influenza viruses. We performed ten serial passages with an avian H9N2 virus (A/quail/Hong Kong/G1/1997) in influenza naïve pigs to assess the potential of this virus to adapt to swine. Virus replication in the entire respiratory tract and nasal virus excretion were examined after each passage and we deep sequenced viral genomic RNA of the parental and passage four H9N2 virus isolated from the nasal mucosa and lung. The parental H9N2 virus caused a productive infection in pigs with a predominant tropism for the nasal mucosa, whereas only 50% lung samples were virus-positive. In contrast, inoculation of pigs with passage four virus resulted in viral replication in the entire respiratory tract. Subsequent passages were associated with reduced virus replication in the lungs and infectious virus was no longer detectable in the upper and lower respiratory tract of inoculated pigs at passage ten. The broader tissue tropism after four passages was associated with an amino acid residue substitution at position 225, within the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin. We also compared the parental H9N2, passage four H9N2 and the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus in a direct contact transmission experiment. Whereas only one out of six contact pigs showed nasal virus excretion of the wild-type H9N2 for more than four days, all six contact animals shed the passage four H9N2 virus. Nevertheless, the amount of excreted virus was significantly lower when compared to that of the pH1N1, which readily transmitted and replicated in all six contact animals. Our data demonstrate that serial passaging of H9N2 virus in pigs enhances its replication and transmissibility. However, full adaptation of an avian H9N2 virus to pigs likely requires an

β2-microglobulin gene duplication in cetartiodactyla remains intact only in pigs and possibly confers selective advantage to the species.

PubMed

Le, Thong Minh; Le, Quy Van Chanh; Truong, Dung Minh; Lee, Hye-Jeong; Choi, Min-Kyeung; Cho, Hyesun; Chung, Hak-Jae; Kim, Jin-Hoi; Do, Jeong-Tae; Song, Hyuk; Park, Chankyu

2017-01-01

Several β2-microglobulin (B2M) -bound protein complexes undertake key roles in various immune system pathways, including the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), cluster of differentiation 1 (CD1) protein, non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and well-known MHC class I molecules. Therefore, the duplication of B2M may lead to an increase in the biological competence of organisms to the environment. Based on the pig genome assembly SSC10.2, a segmental duplication of ~45.5 kb, encoding the entire B2M protein, was identified in pig chromosome 1. Through experimental validation, we confirmed the functional duplication of the B2M gene with a completely identical coding sequence between two copies in pigs. Considering the importance of B2M in the immune system, we performed the phylogenetic analysis of B2M duplication in ten mammalian species, confirming the presence of B2M duplication in cetartioldactyls, like cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and whales, but non-cetartiodactyl species, like mice, cats, dogs, horses, and humans. The density of long interspersed nuclear element (LINE) at the edges of duplicated blocks (39 to 66%) was found to be 2 to 3-fold higher than the average (20.12%) of the pig genome, suggesting its role in the duplication event. The B2M mRNA expression level in pigs was 12.71 and 7.57 times (2-ΔΔCt values) higher than humans and mice, respectively. However, we were unable to experimentally demonstrate the difference in the level of B2M protein because species specific anti-B2M antibodies are not available. We reported, for the first time, the functional duplication of the B2M gene in animals. The identification of partially remaining duplicated B2M sequences in the genomes of only cetartiodactyls indicates that the event was lineage specific. B2M duplication could be beneficial to the immune system of pigs by increasing the availability of MHC class I light chain protein, B2M, to complex with the proteins encoded by the relatively large

Efficiency of fat deposition from non-starch polysaccharides, starch and unsaturated fat in pigs.

PubMed

Halas, Veronika; Babinszky, László; Dijkstra, Jan; Verstegen, Martin W A; Gerrits, Walter J J

2010-01-01

The aim was to evaluate under protein-limiting conditions the effect of different supplemental energy sources: fermentable NSP (fNSP), digestible starch (dStarch) and digestible unsaturated fat (dUFA), on marginal efficiency of fat deposition and distribution. A further aim was to determine whether the extra fat deposition from different energy sources, and its distribution in the body, depends on feeding level. A total of fifty-eight individually housed pigs (48 (SD 4) kg) were used in a 3 x 2 factorial design study, with three energy sources (0.2 MJ digestible energy (DE)/kg(0.75) per d of fNSP, dStarch and dUFA added to a control diet) at two feeding levels. Ten pigs were slaughtered at 48 (SD 4) kg body weight and treatment pigs at 106 (SD 3) kg body weight. Bodies were dissected and the chemical composition of each body fraction was determined. The effect of energy sources on fat and protein deposition was expressed relative to the control treatments within both energy intake levels based on a total of thirty-two observations in six treatments, and these marginal differences were subsequently treated as dependent variables. Results showed that preferential deposition of the supplemental energy intake in various fat depots did not depend on the energy source, and the extra fat deposition was similar at each feeding level. The marginal energetic transformation (energy retention; ER) of fNSP, dStarch and dUFA for fat retention (ERfat:DE) was 44, 52 and 49 % (P>0.05), respectively. Feeding level affected fat distribution, but source of energy did not change the relative partitioning of fat deposition. The present results do not support values of energetic efficiencies currently used in net energy-based systems.

Discovery of Antinuclear Antibodies in Pigs Infected with Porcine Circovirus Type 2

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Introduction. Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) causes post-weaning-multisystemic-wasting-syndrome (PMWS), a swine disease first observed in Canada in 1991 (1). It is characterized by general wasting, respiratory disease, jaundice and pallor in young pigs resulting in production losses and variable...

M2-F2 cockpit instrument panels

NASA Image and Video Library

1966-03-27

This photo shows the right side cockpit instrumentation panel of the M2-F2 Lifting Body. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers -- the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2 -- which looked much like the "F1" -- was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52 used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft was modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation control system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt at Dryden and redesignated the M2-F3, it was modified with an additional third vertical fin -- centered between the tip fins -- to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated the M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.

M2-F2 cockpit instrument panels

NASA Image and Video Library

1966-03-27

This photo shows the left side cockpit instrumentation panel of the M2-F2 Lifting Body. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers -- the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2 -- which looked much like the "F1" -- was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52 used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft was modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation control system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt at Dryden and redesignated the M2-F3, it was modified with an additional third vertical fin -- centered between the tip fins -- to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated the M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.

Purification and characterization of a polyisoprenyl phosphate phosphatase from pig brain. Possible dual specificity.

PubMed

Frank, D W; Waechter, C J

1998-05-08

Microsomal fractions from pig and calf brain catalyze the enzymatic dephosphorylation of endogenous and exogenous dolichyl monophosphate (Dol-P) (Sumbilla, C. A., and Waechter, C. J. (1985) Methods Enzymol. 111, 471-482). The Dol-P phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.51) has been solubilized by extracting pig brain microsomes with the nonionic detergent Nonidet P-40 and purified approximately 1,107-fold by a combination of anion exchange chromatography, polyethylene glycol fractionation, dye-ligand chromatography, and wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography. Treatment of the enzyme with neuraminidase prevented binding to wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose, indicating the presence of one or more N-acetylneuraminyl residues per molecule of enzyme. When the highly purified polyisoprenyl phosphate phosphatase was analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a major 33-kDa polypeptide was observed. Enzymatic dephosphorylation of Dol-P by the purified phosphatase was 1) optimal at pH 7; 2) potently inhibited by F-, orthovanadate, and Zn2+ > Co2+ > Mn2+ but unaffected by Mg2+; 3) exhibited an approximate Km for C95-Dol-P of 45 microM; and 4) was sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide, phenylglyoxal, and diethylpyrocarbonate. The pig brain phosphatase did not dephosphorylate glucose 6-phosphate, mannose 6-phosphate, 5'-AMP, or p-nitrophenylphosphate, but it dephosphorylated dioleoyl-phosphatidic acid at initial rates similar to those determined for Dol-P. Based on the virtually identical sensitivity of Dol-P and phosphatidic acid dephosphorylation by the highly purified enzyme to N-ethylmaleimide, F-, phenylglyoxal, and diethylpyrocarbonate, both substrates appear to be hydrolyzed by a single enzyme with an apparent dual specificity. This is the first report of the purification of a neutral Dol-P phosphatase from mammalian tissues. Although the enzyme is Mg2+-independent and capable of dephosphorylating Dol-P and PA, several enzymological properties distinguish this lipid

mcr-1−Harboring Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Sequence Type 34 in Pigs, China

PubMed Central

Yi, Linxian; Wang, Jing; Gao, Yanling; Liu, Yiyun; Doi, Yohei; Wu, Renjie; Zeng, Zhenling; Liang, Zisen

2017-01-01

We detected the mcr-1 gene in 21 (14.8%) Salmonella isolates from pigs at slaughter; 19 were serovar Typhimurium sequence type 34. The gene was located on IncHI2-like plasmids that also harbored IncF replicons and lacked a conjugative transfer region. These findings highlight the need to prevent further spread of colistin resistance in animals and humans. PMID:28098547

Effects of dietary humic and butyric acid on growth performance and response to lipopolysaccharide in young pigs.

PubMed

Weber, T E; van Sambeek, D M; Gabler, N K; Kerr, B J; Moreland, S; Johal, S; Edmonds, M S

2014-09-01

Humic acid (MFG) and fat-protected butyric acid (BA) has been shown to modulate energy metabolism and inflammation. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the effects of MFG and BA, alone and in combination, on growth performance and response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in young pigs. An experiment was conducted using 448 crossbred weanling pigs, which were stratified by gender and BW and were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of control and MFG with or without BA. The pigs were housed at a density of 8 pigs/pen and with 14 pens/dietary treatment. Growth performance and feed intake were assessed for 35 d. To assess the inflammation-related properties of MFG and BA, on d 36 a subset of 48 pigs from each treatment was intramuscular injected with either sterile saline or Escherichia coli LPS (20 μg/kg BW; E. coli serotype O55:B5) for 4 h in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (± LPS, ± MFG and ± BA; n = 6 pigs/treatment group) to assess their febrile response as well as serum, liver, and muscle cytokine responses. Results from this study showed that neither BA nor MFG alone or in combination altered pig ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Moreover, in the presence of LPS, the combination of MFG and BA resulted in a 62% decrease (P = 0.08) in serum cortisol compared to when neither compound was added to the diet. In contrast, serum IGF-I was increased (P < 0.01) by 59% from the use of both MFG and BA, as opposed to when neither was added, with pigs subjected to LPS. However, both MFG and BA inclusion appear to have a complex role in modulating different aspects of the immune response to LPS, particularly when both are fed in combination. Humic acid also appeared to play a role in decreasing oxidative stress.

WILD PIGS: BIOLOGY, DAMAGE, CONTROL TECHINQUES AND MANAGEMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mayer, John; Brisbin, I. Lehr

The existence of problems with wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is nothing new to the Western Hemisphere. Damage by these introduced animals was reported as far back as 1505 by the early Spanish colonies in the Caribbean, where wild pigs were killing the colonists cattle. Droves of these animals also ravaged cultivated crops of maize and sugarcane on islands in the West Indies during this same time period. These wild pigs reportedly were very aggressive and often attacked Spanish soldiers hunting rebellious Indians or escaped slaves on these islands, especially when these animals were cornered. The documentation of such impacts bymore » introduced populations of this species in the United States has subsequently increased in recent years, and continued up through the present (Towne and Wentworth. 1950, Wood and Barrett 1979, Mayer and Brisbin 1991, Dickson et al. 2001). In spite of a fairly constant history in this country since the early 1900s, wild pigs have had a dramatic recent increase in both distribution and numbers in the United States. Between 1989 and 2009, the number of states reporting the presence of introduced wild pigs went from 19 up to as many as 44. This increase, in part natural, but largely manmade, has caused an increased workload and cost for land and resource managers in areas where these new populations are found. This is the direct result of the damage that these introduced animals do. The cost of both these impacts and control efforts has been estimated to exceed a billion dollars annually (Pimentel 2007). The complexity of this problem has been further complicated by the widespread appeal and economic potential of these animals as a big game species (Tisdell 1982, Degner 1989). Wild pigs are a controversial problem that is not going away and will likely only get worse with time. Not only do they cause damage, but wild pigs are also survivors. They reproduce at a rate faster than any other mammal of comparable size, native or introduced; they can

Estimation of body composition of pigs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferrell, C.L.; Cornelius, S.G.

A study was conducted to evaluate the use of deuterium oxide (D2O) for in vivo estimation of body composition of diverse types of pigs. Obese (Ob, 30) and contemporary Hampshire X Yorkshire (C, 30) types of pigs used in the study were managed and fed under typical management regimens. Indwelling catheters were placed in a jugular vein of 6 Ob and 6 C pigs at 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 wk of age. The D2O was infused (.5 g/kg body weight) as a .9% NaCl solution into the jugular catheter. Blood samples were taken immediately before and at .25,more » 1, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h after the D2O infusion and D2O concentration in blood water was determined. Pigs were subsequently killed by euthanasia injection. Contents of the gastrointestinal tract were removed and the empty body was then frozen and later ground and sampled for subsequent analyses. Ground body tissue samples were analyzed for water, fat, N, fat-free organic matter and ash. Pig type, age and the type X age interaction were significant sources of variation in live weight, D2O pool size and all empty body components, as well as all fat-free empty body components. Relationships between age and live weight or weight of empty body components, and between live weight, empty body weight, empty body water or D2O space and weight of empty components were highly significant but influenced, in most cases, by pig type. The results of this study suggested that, although relationships between D2O space and body component weights were highly significant, they were influenced by pig type and were little better than live weight for the estimation of body composition.« less

Immunogenicity, Protective Efficacy, and Non-Replicative Status of the HSV-2 Vaccine Candidate HSV529 in Mice and Guinea Pigs

PubMed Central

Bernard, Marie-Clotilde; Barban, Véronique; Pradezynski, Fabrine; de Montfort, Aymeric; Ryall, Robert; Caillet, Catherine; Londono-Hayes, Patricia

2015-01-01

HSV-2 vaccine is needed to prevent genital disease, latent infection, and virus transmission. A replication-deficient mutant virus (dl5-29) has demonstrated promising efficacy in animal models of genital herpes. However, the immunogenicity, protective efficacy, and non-replicative status of the highly purified clinical vaccine candidate (HSV529) derived from dl5-29 have not been evaluated. Humoral and cellular immune responses were measured in mice and guinea pigs immunized with HSV529. Protection against acute and recurrent genital herpes, mortality, latent infection, and viral shedding after vaginal HSV-2 infection was determined in mice or in naïve and HSV-1 seropositive guinea pigs. HSV529 replication and pathogenicity were investigated in three sensitive models of virus replication: severe combined immunodeficient (SCID/Beige) mice inoculated by the intramuscular route, suckling mice inoculated by the intracranial route, and vaginally-inoculated guinea pigs. HSV529 immunization induced HSV-2-neutralizing antibody production in mice and guinea pigs. In mice, it induced production of specific HSV-2 antibodies and splenocytes secreting IFNγ or IL-5. Immunization effectively prevented HSV-2 infection in all three animal models by reducing mortality, acute genital disease severity and frequency, and viral shedding. It also reduced ganglionic viral latency and recurrent disease in naïve and HSV-1 seropositive guinea pigs. HSV529 replication/propagation was not detected in the muscles of SCID/Beige mice, in the brains of suckling mice, or in vaginal secretions of inoculated guinea pigs. These results confirm the non-replicative status, as well as its immunogenicity and efficacy in mice and guinea pigs, including HSV-1 seropositive guinea pigs. In mice, HSV529 produced Th1/Th2 characteristic immune response thought to be necessary for an effective vaccine. These results further support the clinical investigation of HSV529 in human subjects as a prophylactic vaccine

Genotypic diversity of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and genotype shift to PCV2d in Korean pig population.

PubMed

Kwon, Taeyong; Lee, Dong-Uk; Yoo, Sung J; Je, Sang H; Shin, Jeong Y; Lyoo, Young S

2017-01-15

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a causative agent of PCV2-associated disease (PCVAD), which leads to enormous economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. A high nucleotide substitution rate allows for the continuous evolution of PCV2 and the emergence of novel PCV2 strains. However, the distribution of emerging PCV2 genotypes and the co-existence of multiple genotypes in Korea have not been elucidated. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of PCV2 in Korean pig herds between 2009 and 2016. The overall prevalence of PCV2, from various samples originating from commercial pigs, was 53.8% (325/604). Two cases of a genotype shift to PCV2d at the farm level showed that the genotype shift started before 2012. In addition, genotype-specific PCR, on pen-based oral fluid samples for nationwide PCV2 surveillance in 2016, indicated that the infection pattern of PCV2 genotypes at the farm level was as follows; none (6/69), PCV2a (6/69), PCV2b (2/69), PCV2d (33/69), PCV2a/b (2/69), PCV2a/d (4/69), PCV2b/d (11/69), and PCV2a/b/d (2/69), respectively. This suggests that the genotype shift to PCV2d occurred on a nationwide scale and that the co-existence of different genotypes is common in Korean pig herds. In addition, seven sites on the capsid protein of Korean PCV2 were identified as being under positive selection pressure, all of which are related to the epitope region and neutralization activity. These data provide evidence of increased genetic diversity and shifts among Korean PCV2 isolates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Behavioural genetic differences between Chinese and European pigs.

PubMed

Chu, Qingpo; Liang, Tingting; Fu, Lingling; Li, Huizhi; Zhou, Bo

2017-09-01

Aggression is a heritable trait and genetically related to neurotransmitter-related genes. Behavioural characteristics of some pig breeds are different. To compare the genetic differences between breeds, backtest and aggressive behaviour assessments, and genotyped using Sequenom iPLEX platform were performed in 50 Chinese indigenous Mi pigs and 100 landrace-large white (LLW) cross pigs with 32 SNPs localized in 11 neurotransmitter-related genes. The genetic polymorphisms of 26 SNPs had notable differences (P < 0.05) between Mi and LLW. The most frequent haplotypes were different in DBH, HTR2A, GAD1, HTR2B,MAOA and MAOB genes between Mi and LLW. The mean of backtest scores was significantly lower (P < 0.001) for Mi than LLW pigs. Skin lesion scores were greater (P < 0.01) in LLW pigs than Mi pigs. In this study, we have confirmed that Chinese Mi pigs are less active and less aggressive than European LLW pigs, and the genetic polymorphisms of neurotransmitter-related genes, which have been proved previously associated with aggressive behaviour, have considerable differences between Mi and LLW pigs.

Genetic relatedness of Brucella suis biovar 2 isolates from hares, wild boars and domestic pigs.

PubMed

Kreizinger, Zsuzsa; Foster, Jeffrey T; Rónai, Zsuzsanna; Sulyok, Kinga M; Wehmann, Enikő; Jánosi, Szilárd; Gyuranecz, Miklós

2014-08-27

Porcine brucellosis generally manifests as disorders in reproductive organs potentially leading to serious losses in the swine industry. Brucella suis biovar 2 is endemic in European wild boar (Sus scrofa) and hare (Lepus europeus, Lepus capensis) populations, thus these species may play a significant role in disease spread and serve as potential sources of infection for domestic pigs. The aim of this study was an epidemiologic analysis of porcine brucellosis in Hungary and a comparative analysis of B. suis bv. 2 strains from Europe using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). MLVA-16 and its MLVA-11 subset were used to determine the genotypes of 68 B. suis bv. 2 isolates from Hungary and results were then compared to European MLVA genotypes. The analyses indicated relatively high genetic diversity of B. suis bv. 2 in Hungary. Strains isolated from hares and wild boars from Hungary showed substantial genetic divergence, suggesting separate lineages in each host and no instances of cross species infections. The closest relatives of strains from Hungarian wild boars and domestic pigs were mainly in the isolates from German and Croatian boars and pigs. The assessment of the European MLVA genotypes of wild boar isolates generally showed clustering based on geographic origin. The hare strains were relatively closely related to one another and did not cluster based on geographic origin. The limited relationships between geographic origin and genotype in isolates from hares might be the result of cross-border live animal translocation. The results could also suggest that certain B. suis strains are more adapted to hares. Across Europe, isolates from domestic pigs were closely related to isolates originating from both hares and wild boars, supporting the idea that wild animals are a source of brucellosis in domestic pigs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

α-adrenergic agonist brimonidine control of experimentally induced myopia in guinea pigs: A pilot study

PubMed Central

Liu, Yan; Wang, Yuexin; Lv, Huibin; Jiang, Xiaodan; Zhang, Mingzhou

2017-01-01

Purpose To investigate the efficacy of α-adrenergic agonist brimonidine either alone or combined with pirenzepine for inhibiting progressing myopia in guinea pig lens–myopia-induced models. Methods Thirty-six guinea pigs were randomly divided into six groups: Group A received 2% pirenzepine, Group B received 0.2% brimonidine, Group C received 0.1% brimonidine, Group D received 2% pirenzepine + 0.2% brimonidine, Group E received 2% pirenzepine + 0.1% brimonidine, and Group F received the medium. Myopia was induced in the right eyes of all guinea pigs using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) lenses for 3 weeks. Eye drops were administered accordingly. Intraocular pressure was measured every day. Refractive error and axial length measurements were performed once a week. The enucleated eyeballs were removed for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Van Gieson (VG) staining at the end of the study. Results The lens-induced myopia model was established after 3 weeks. Treatment with 0.1% brimonidine alone and 0.2% brimonidine alone was capable of inhibiting progressing myopia, as shown by the better refractive error (p=0.024; p=0.006) and shorter axial length (p=0.005; p=0.0017). Treatment with 0.1% brimonidine and 0.2% brimonidine combined with 2% pirenzepine was also effective in suppressing progressing refractive error (p=0.016; p=0.0006) and axial length (p=0.017; p=0.0004). The thickness of the sclera was kept stable in all groups except group F; the sclera was much thinner in the lens-induced myopia eyes compared to the control eyes. Conclusions Treatment with 0.1% brimonidine alone and 0.2% brimonidine alone, as well as combined with 2% pirenzepine, was effective in inhibiting progressing myopia. The result indicates that intraocular pressure elevation is possibly a promising mechanism and potential treatment for progressing myopia. PMID:29204068

α-adrenergic agonist brimonidine control of experimentally induced myopia in guinea pigs: A pilot study.

PubMed

Liu, Yan; Wang, Yuexin; Lv, Huibin; Jiang, Xiaodan; Zhang, Mingzhou; Li, Xuemin

2017-01-01

To investigate the efficacy of α-adrenergic agonist brimonidine either alone or combined with pirenzepine for inhibiting progressing myopia in guinea pig lens-myopia-induced models. Thirty-six guinea pigs were randomly divided into six groups: Group A received 2% pirenzepine, Group B received 0.2% brimonidine, Group C received 0.1% brimonidine, Group D received 2% pirenzepine + 0.2% brimonidine, Group E received 2% pirenzepine + 0.1% brimonidine, and Group F received the medium. Myopia was induced in the right eyes of all guinea pigs using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) lenses for 3 weeks. Eye drops were administered accordingly. Intraocular pressure was measured every day. Refractive error and axial length measurements were performed once a week. The enucleated eyeballs were removed for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Van Gieson (VG) staining at the end of the study. The lens-induced myopia model was established after 3 weeks. Treatment with 0.1% brimonidine alone and 0.2% brimonidine alone was capable of inhibiting progressing myopia, as shown by the better refractive error (p=0.024; p=0.006) and shorter axial length (p=0.005; p=0.0017). Treatment with 0.1% brimonidine and 0.2% brimonidine combined with 2% pirenzepine was also effective in suppressing progressing refractive error (p=0.016; p=0.0006) and axial length (p=0.017; p=0.0004). The thickness of the sclera was kept stable in all groups except group F; the sclera was much thinner in the lens-induced myopia eyes compared to the control eyes. Treatment with 0.1% brimonidine alone and 0.2% brimonidine alone, as well as combined with 2% pirenzepine, was effective in inhibiting progressing myopia. The result indicates that intraocular pressure elevation is possibly a promising mechanism and potential treatment for progressing myopia.

Effects of dietary L-carnitine and ractopamine HCl on the metabolic response to handling in finishing pigs.

PubMed

James, B W; Tokach, M D; Goodband, R D; Nelssen, J L; Dritz, S S; Owen, K Q; Woodworth, J C; Sulabo, R C

2013-09-01

Two experiments (384 pigs; C22 × L326; PIC) were conducted to determine the interactive effect of dietary L-carnitine and ractopamine HCl (RAC) on the metabolic response of pigs to handling. Experiments were arranged as split-split plots with handling as the main plot and diets as subplots (4 pens per treatment). Dietary L-carnitine (0 or 50 mg/kg) was fed from 36.0 kg to the end of the experiments (118 kg), and RAC (0 or 20 mg/kg) was fed the last 4 wk of each experiment. At the end of each experiment, 4 pigs per pen were assigned to 1 of 2 handling treatments. Gently handled pigs were moved at a moderate walking pace 3 times through a 50-m course and up and down a 15° loading ramp. Aggressively handled pigs were moved as fast as possible 3 times through the same course, but up and down a 30° ramp, and shocked 3 times with an electrical prod. Blood was collected immediately before and after handling in Exp. 1 and immediately after and 1 h after handling in Exp. 2. Feeding RAC increased (P < 0.01) ADG and G:F, but there was no effect (P > 0.10) of L-carnitine on growth performance. In Exp. 1 and 2, aggressive handling increased (P < 0.01) blood lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactate, cortisol, and rectal temperature and decreased blood pH. In Exp. 1, there was a RAC × handling interaction (P < 0.06) for the difference in pre- and posthandling blood pH and rectal temperature. Aggressively handled pigs fed RAC had decreased blood pH and increased rectal temperature compared with gently handled pigs, demonstrating the validity of the handling model. Pigs fed RAC had increased (P < 0.01) LDH compared with pigs not fed RAC. Pigs fed L-carnitine had increased (P < 0.03) lactate compared with pigs not fed L-carnitine. In Exp. 2, pigs fed RAC had lower (P < 0.02) blood pH immediately after handling, but pH returned to control levels by 1 h posthandling. Lactate, LDH, cortisol, and rectal temperature changes from immediately posthandling to 1 h posthandling were not

Effects of Anti-diarrhoeal Herbs on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Meat Quality in Pigs

PubMed Central

Cho, J. H.; Zhang, S.; Kim, I. H.

2012-01-01

Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of anti-diarrhoeal herbs on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and meat quality in pigs. In Exp 1, 150 weanling-growing piglets (average BW = 7.5±0.24 kg, average age = 27±1 d) were allotted into one of the five dietary treatments, including: i) CON, basal diet, ii) DP, basal diet+1 g/kg date pits, iii) JH, basal diet+0.5 g/kg Japanese-honeysuckle, iv) HCT, basal diet+1 g/kg houttuynia cordata thunb, and v) LE, basal diet+1 g/kg laquer tree extract. From wk 0 to 5, the JH, HCT and LE groups presented higher (p<0.05) ADFI, ADG and gain/feed ratio (G/F) than CON and DP groups. During wk 5 to 10, Pigs fed JH, HCT and LE diets indicated higher (p<0.05) ADG and ADFI than the pigs fed CON and DP diets. During the entire experimental period, a significant increase of ADG appeared in JH, HCT and LE (p<0.05). Pigs fed JH, HCT and LE diets got a higher (p<0.05) ADFI than the pigs fed CON and DP diets. Pigs fed diets with supplementations of herb additives revealled lower (p<0.05) score of diarrhea pigs during d 2 to d 6 compared with pigs fed CON diet. In Exp 2, 60 growing-finishing barrows and gilts (average BW = 54.10±1.20 kg, average age = 54±3 d) were allotted to three treatments: i) CON, basal diet; ii) YG, basal diet+1 g/kg yellow ginger and iii) HR, basal dietary+1 g/kg hoantchy root, respectively. From wk 0 to 5, Dietary supplementation of YG and HR enhanced (p<0.05) ADG. No difference was found between YG and HR treatments. During, wk 5 to 10, ADG also was observed higher in YG and HR treatments than CON group (p<0.05). Additional, YG had the highest ADG (p<0.05) among treatments. There was always an increase of ADG in YG and HR (p<0.05) through all periods. HR treatment showed a lower (p<0.05) score of diarrhoeal pigs on d 1and d 2 compared with CON treatment. Pigs fed YG and HR diets had a higher (p<0.05) longissimus muscle area (LMA) than pigs fed CON diet. In conclusion, anti-diarrhoeal herbs can

Mimicking physiological O2 tension in the female reproductive tract improves Assisted Reproduction outcomes in pig.

PubMed

García-Martínez, S; Sánchez-Hurtado, M A; Gutiérrez, H; Sánchez-Margallo, F M; Romar, R; Latorre, R; Coy, P; López-Albors, O

2018-02-27

Is O2 tension in the pig oviduct and uterus affected by the estrous cycle stage and the animal's age, and can the outcome of in vitro embryo development be improved by mimicking these physiological values? O2 tension within the pig reproductive organs is affected by the animal's age, and values close to those measured in vivo have a positive impact on embryo development and quality when used during IVF and embryo culture (EC). To obtain a healthy embryo in vitro, it is necessary to adopt a culture microenvironment that approximates physiological conditions. Despite advances in surgical procedures and sensitive probes that allow accurate assessment of in vivo O2 tension, few such studies have been conducted recently in mammals. In addition, no reference values of physiological O2 tension in the reproductive tract exist for large animal models such as pig, and the effect of O2 tension on ART outcomes is unknown. This study was conducted in pigs. We measured oviductal and uterine O2 tension (n = 29 and 13 respectively) and then examined how the use of the physiological values in pig IVF and EC affected pig ART output (n = 1447 oocytes). The oviductal and uterine O2 tension at the different stages of the estrous cycle was monitored using a laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) assisted approach along with a flexible and thin miniaturized luminescent probe. Two groups of pigs, Large-white x Landrace breed, were used: for the first group, 16 pre-pubertal gilts (5 months old and 95 kg) were induced to ovulate with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG); in the second group 13 mature sows (24-48 months and 185 kg) were used. IVF and EC were performed at two different O2 tensions: Atmospheric O2 (20%) and the mean in vivo value measured (7%). At 18-20 hours post-insemination (hpi), a small sample of presumptive zygotes were fixed, stained, and examined under epifluorescence microscopy to assess the fertilization rates. At

NiF2/NaF:CaF2/Ca Solid-State High-Temperature Battery Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, William; Whitacre, Jay; DelCastillo, Linda

2009-01-01

Experiments and theoretical study have demonstrated the promise of all-solid-state, high-temperature electrochemical battery cells based on NiF2 as the active cathode material, CaF2 doped with NaF as the electrolyte material, and Ca as the active anode material. These and other all-solid-state cells have been investigated in a continuing effort to develop batteries for instruments that must operate in environments much hotter than can be withstood by ordinary commercially available batteries. Batteries of this type are needed for exploration of Venus (where the mean surface temperature is about 450 C), and could be used on Earth for such applications as measuring physical and chemical conditions in geothermal wells and oil wells. All-solid-state high-temperature power cells are sought as alternatives to other high-temperature power cells based, variously, on molten anodes and cathodes or molten eutectic salt electrolytes. Among the all-solid-state predecessors of the present NiF2/NaF:CaF2/Ca cells are those described in "Solid-State High-Temperature Power Cells" (NPO-44396), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 5 (May 2008), page 40. In those cells, the active cathode material is FeS2, the electrolyte material is a crystalline solid solution of equimolar amounts of Li3PO4 and LiSiO4, and the active anode material is Li contained within an alloy that remains solid in the intended high operational temperature range.

[Genetic diversity based on swine leukocyte antigen complex mi-crosatellites(SLA-MS) in five pig populations].

PubMed

Yu, Hui; Liu, Rong-Hui; Li, Hua; Zuo, Qi-Zhen; Li, Yan; Wu, Zhen-Fang

2012-11-01

The genetic diversity of swine leukocyte antigen complex (SLA) was studied among Guangdong local pigs, Huanan wild boars (S.s. chirodontus) and introduced pigs, which aimed at providing a theoretical foundation for further pig anti-disease resistance breeding. Pietrain pigs, Duroc pigs, Large black-white pigs, Lantang pigs, and Huanan wild boars were genotyped by employing 18 microsatellites in swine leukocyte antigen complex (SLA-MS). The result showed that the average diversity in SLA II was higher (He=0.628, PIC=0.581) than that in SLA I (He=0.530, PIC=0.474) and in SLA III (He=0.526, PIC=0.458). The molecular diversity indices (MDI) of Huanan wild boars was the highest(0.716), followed by Lantang pigs (0.614), Large black-white pigs (0.559), Pietrain pigs (0.550) and Duroc pigs (0.507). As a whole, the genetic diversity of Huanan wild boars was the highest over Guangdong native pigs and introduced pigs. Large black-white pigs and Duroc pigs had ever happened a severe bottleneck by comparison with the Garza-Williamson index (GWI) in Huanan wild boar. From the genetic distance, one clade was that Lantang pigs were first clustered with Huanan wild boar, and then grouped together with Large black-white pigs; another clade was that Pietrain pigs were independently clustered with Duroc pigs in the NJ tree. The results would establish the foundation for pig conservation of germplasm resource, disease resistance breeding, and multiplicative strains.

Production of transgenic-cloned pigs expressing large quantities of recombinant human lysozyme in milk.

PubMed

Lu, Dan; Liu, Shen; Shang, Shengzhe; Wu, Fangfang; Wen, Xiao; Li, Zhiyuan; Li, Yan; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Zhao, Yaofeng; Li, Qiuyan; Li, Ning

2015-01-01

Human lysozyme is a natural non-specific immune factor in human milk that plays an important role in the defense of breastfed infants against pathogen infection. Although lysozyme is abundant in human milk, there is only trace quantities in pig milk. Here, we successfully generated transgenic cloned pigs with the expression vector pBAC-hLF-hLZ-Neo and their first generation hybrids (F1). The highest concentration of recombinant human lysozyme (rhLZ) with in vitro bioactivity was 2759.6 ± 265.0 mg/L in the milk of F0 sows. Compared with wild-type milk, rhLZ milk inhibited growth of Escherichia coli K88 during the exponential growth phase. Moreover, rhLZ in milk from transgenic sows was directly absorbed by the intestine of piglets with no observable anaphylactic reaction. Our strategy may provide a powerful tool for large-scale production of this important human protein in pigs to improve resistance to pathogen infection.

Adaptation of H9N2 AIV in guinea pigs enables efficient transmission by direct contact and inefficient transmission by respiratory droplets

PubMed Central

Sang, Xiaoyu; Wang, Airong; Ding, Jie; Kong, Huihui; Gao, Xiaolong; Li, Lin; Chai, Tongjie; Li, Yuanguo; Zhang, Kun; Wang, Chengyu; Wan, Zhonghai; Huang, Geng; Wang, Tiecheng; Feng, Na; Zheng, Xuexing; Wang, Hualei; Zhao, Yongkun; Yang, Songtao; Qian, Jun; Hu, Guixue; Gao, Yuwei; Xia, Xianzhu

2015-01-01

H9N2 avian influenza viruses circulate worldwide in poultry and have sporadically infected humans, raising concern whether H9N2 viruses have pandemic potential. Here, we use a guinea pig model to examine whether serial passage results in adaptive viral changes that confer a transmissible phenotype to a wild-type H9N2 virus. After nine serial passages of an H9N2 virus through guinea pigs, productive transmission by direct contact occurred in 2/3 guinea pig pairs. The efficiency of transmission by direct contact increased following the fifteenth passage and occurred in 3/3 guinea pig pairs. In contrast, airborne transmission of the passaged virus was less efficient and occurred in 1/6 guinea pig pairs and 0/6 ferret pairs after the fifteenth passage. Three amino acid substitutions, HA1-Q227P, HA2-D46E, and NP-E434K, were sufficient for contact transmission in guinea pigs (2/3 pairs). The two HA amino acid substitutions enhanced receptor binding to α2,3-linked sialic acid receptors. Additionally, the HA2-D46E substitution increased virus thermostability whereas the NP-E434K mutation enhanced viral RNA polymerase activity in vitro. Our findings suggest that adaptive changes that enhance viral receptor binding, thermostability, and replicative capacity in mammalian cells can collectively enhance the transmissibility of H9N2 AIVs by direct contact in the guinea pig model. PMID:26552719

Screening the working environment in outdoor pig systems.

PubMed

Geng, Q; Torén, A; Salomon, E

2009-07-01

This study investigated how well organic growing-fattening pig systems provided a safe and healthy working environment and identified areas where improvements are needed. The study formed part of a larger project aimed at identifying strategies for creating a good animal and working environment and resource-efficient nutrient management in outdoor pig systems. Field studies were carried out at six Swedish farms in two types of outdoor pig systems (mobile and stationary). A method known as WEST (Work Environment Screening Tool) and a modified version of WEST, called WEST-agriculture (WEST-AG), were utilized for screening. Together, the two methods covered six factors of the working environment. The results were expressed in WEST-AG points and WEST points, an economic measure of the risk of impacts on health and productivity expressed as Swedish Krona (SEK) per thousand working hours. The results demonstrated that the risk of injury and ergonomic load during manual feeding and watering was much higher than during semi-automatic feeding and watering at farms with the mobile system. The study also identified other health-risk areas and provided valuable information for further improvement of the working environment in different outdoor pig systems.

Feeding modality affects muscle protein deposition by influencing protein synthesis, but not degradation in muscle of neonatal pigs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Neonatal pigs can serve as dual-use models for nutrition research in animal agriculture and biomedical fields. To determine how feeding modality by either intermittent bolus or continuous schedule affects protein anabolism and catabolism, neonatal pigs (n = 6/group, 9-d-old) were overnight fasted (F...

Existence of three subtypes of bradykinin B2 receptors in guinea pig.

PubMed

Seguin, L; Widdowson, P S; Giesen-Crouse, E

1992-12-01

We describe the binding of [3H]bradykinin to homogenates of guinea pig brain, lung, and ileum. Analysis of [3H]bradykinin binding kinetics in guinea pig brain, lung, and ileum suggests the existence of two binding sites in each tissue. The finding of two binding sites for [3H]bradykinin in ileum, lung, and brain was further supported by Scatchard analysis of equilibrium binding in each tissue. [3H]Bradykinin binds to a high-affinity site in brain, lung, and ileum (KD = 70-200 pM), which constitutes approximately 20% of the bradykinin binding, and to a second, lower-affinity site (0.63-0.95 nM), which constitutes the remaining 80% of binding. Displacement studies with various bradykinin analogues led us to subdivide the high- and lower-affinity sites in each tissue and to suggest the existence of three subtypes of B2 receptors in the guinea pig, which we classify as B2a, B2b, and B2c. Binding of [3H]bradykinin is largely to a B2b receptor subtype, which constitutes the majority of binding in brain, lung, and ileum and represents the lower-affinity site in our binding studies. Receptor subtype B2c constitutes approximately 20% of binding sites in the brain and lung and is equivalent to the high-affinity site in brain and lung. We suggest that a third subtype of B2 receptor (high-affinity site in ileum), B2a, is found only in the ileum. All three subtypes of B2 receptors display a high affinity for bradykinin, whereas they show different affinities for various bradykinin analogues displaying agonist or antagonist activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effects of deoxynivalenol-contaminated corn dried distillers grains with solubles in nursery pig diets and potential for mitigation by commercially available feed additives.

PubMed

Frobose, H L; Fruge, E D; Tokach, M D; Hansen, E L; DeRouchey, J M; Dritz, S S; Goodband, R D; Nelssen, J L

2015-03-01

Four experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) from naturally contaminated dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and the efficacy of feed additives in nursery pig diets. In Exp. 1, 180 pigs (10.3 ± 0.2 kg BW) were fed 1 of 5 diets for 21 d. Diets were 1) Positive Control (PC; < 0.5 mg/kg DON), 2) Negative Control (NC; 4 mg/kg DON), 3) NC + 0.10% Biofix (Biomin Inc., Herzogenburg, Austria), 4) NC + 0.15% Cel-can (VAST Inc., Mason City, IA) and 0.50% bentonite clay, and 5) NC + 0.25% Defusion Plus (Cargill Animal Nutrition, Minneapolis, MN). Pigs fed the NC diet had poorer ( < 0.01) ADG than those fed the PC. Pigs fed Defusion Plus had improved ( < 0.03) ADG over those fed NC, whereas pigs fed Biofix or Cel-can with bentonite clay had reduced ADG ( < 0.01) compared with those fed PC. In Exp. 2, 340 pigs (11.7 ± 0.1 kg BW) were fed 1 of 8 diets for 21 d. Diets were 1) PC (< 0.5 mg/kg DON), 2) Low NC (1.5 mg/kg DON), 3) Low NC + 0.15% Biofix, 4) Low NC + 0.30% Biofix, 5) High NC (3.0 mg/kg DON), 6) High NC + 0.30% Biofix, 7) High NC + 0.45% Biofix, and 8) Diet 7 with 5% added water. Increasing the DON level reduced (linear; < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and pig BW, and Biofix did not improve performance. In Exp. 3, 1,008 pigs (12.5 ± 0.3 kg BW) were fed 6 treatments for 24 d. Diets were 1) PC ( < 0.5 mg/kg DON), 2) NC (3 mg/kg DON), 3) NC + 0.25% Defusion, 4) NC + 0.50% Defusion, 5) Diet 3 with supplemental nutrients, and 6) Diet 5, pelleted. Pigs fed the NC had decreased ( < 0.01) ADG and ADFI, but adding Defusion improved (linear; < 0.04) ADG and ADFI over pigs fed NC. Pelleting improved ( < 0.01) both ADG and G:F, resulting in ADG above PC pigs. In Exp. 4, 980 pigs (12.0 ± 0.3 kg BW) were fed 1 of 7 diets in a 28-d trial in a 2 × 3 + 1 factorial arrangement. The 7 treatments were based on 3 diets fed in meal or pellet form: 1) PC (< 0.5 mg/kg DON), 2) NC (3 mg/kg DON), and 3) NC + 0.25% Defusion. Treatment 7 was Diet 3 with

Comparison of serum pools and oral fluid samples for detection of porcine circovirus type 2 by quantitative real-time PCR in finisher pigs.

PubMed

Nielsen, Gitte Blach; Nielsen, Jens Peter; Haugegaard, John; Leth, Sanne Christiansen; Larsen, Lars E; Kristensen, Charlotte Sonne; Pedersen, Ken Steen; Stege, Helle; Hjulsager, Charlotte K; Houe, Hans

2018-01-01

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) diagnostics in live pigs often involves pooled serum and/or oral fluid samples for group-level determination of viral load by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The purpose of the study was to compare the PCV2 viral load determined by qPCR of paired samples at the pen level of pools of sera (SP) from 4 to 5 pigs and the collective oral fluid (OF) from around 30 pigs corresponding to one rope put in the same pen. Pigs in pens of 2 finishing herds were sampled by cross-sectional (Herd 1) and cross-sectional with follow-up (Herd 2) study designs. In Herd 1, 50 sample pairs consisting of SP from 4 to 5 pigs and OF from around 23 pigs were collected. In Herd 2, 65 sample pairs consisting of 4 (SP) and around 30 (OF) pigs were collected 4 times at 3-week intervals. A higher proportion of PCV2-positive pens (86% vs. 80% and 100% vs. 91%) and higher viral loads (mean difference: 2.10 and 1.83 log(10) PCV2 copies per ml) were found in OF versus SP in both herds. The OF cut-off value corresponding to a positive SP (>3 log(10) PCV2 copies per ml) was estimated to 6.5 and 7.36 log(10) PCV2 copies per ml for Herds 1 and 2, respectively. Significant correlations between SP and OF results were found in Herd 1 (rho = 0.69) and the first sampling in Herd 2 (rho = 0.39), but not for the subsequent consecutive 3 samplings in Herd 2. The proportion and viral loads of PCV2 positive pens were higher in collective OF (including up to 30 pigs) compared to SP (including 4-5 pigs) of the same pens. Also, OF seemed to detect the PCV2 infection earlier with OF values just below 6.5 (Herd 1) and 7.36 (Herd 2) log(10) being associated with a negative SP for the same pen. Nevertheless, a statistically significant correlation between SP and OF could not be found for all sampling time points, probably due to a high within-pen variation in individual pig viral load becoming very evident in SP of only four or five pigs. Consequently, the

CO(2) Laser Fascia to Dura Soldering for Pig Dural Defect Reconstruction.

PubMed

Forer, Boaz; Vasileyev, Tamar; Gil, Ziv; Brosh, Tamar; Kariv, Naam; Katzir, Abraham; Fliss, Dan M

2007-02-01

The purposes of this study were to demonstrate that laser soldering is safe and effective for tissue bonding in dural reconstruction and to compare this new reconstruction technique to an established one. A temperature-controlled fiberoptic CO(2) laser system or fibrin glue were used for in vitro dural defect reconstruction in two groups of pigs. The CO(2) laser technique was also used for dural reconstruction in live pigs. The burst pressure of the reconstructed dura by the laser system was significantly higher than that of fibrin glue (mean pressure 258.5 +/- 117.3 cm H(2)O and 76.8 +/- 47.2 cm H(2)O, respectively). There were no postoperative complications and no signs of thermal damage to the dura, fascia, or underlying tissue on histological analysis following the in vivo CO(2) laser experiments. Temperature-controlled laser soldering is an effective technique for dural repair. It creates a strong tissue bonding with no thermal damage to the tissue. The burst pressure of the reconstructed dura done with laser soldering is significantly higher than that of fibrin glue.

Prolactin family of the guinea pig, Cavia porcellus.

PubMed

Alam, S M Khorshed; Konno, Toshihiro; Rumi, M A Karim; Dong, Yafeng; Weiner, Carl P; Soares, Michael J

2010-08-01

Prolactin (PRL) is a multifunctional hormone with prominent roles in regulating growth and reproduction. The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) has been extensively used in endocrine and reproduction research. Thus far, the PRL cDNA and protein have not been isolated from the guinea pig. In the present study, we used information derived from the public guinea pig genome database as a tool for identifying guinea pig PRL and PRL-related proteins. Guinea pig PRL exhibits prominent nucleotide and amino acid sequence differences when compared with PRLs of other eutherian mammals. In contrast, guinea pig GH is highly conserved. Expression of PRL and GH in the guinea pig is prominent in the anterior pituitary, similar to known expression patterns of PRL and GH for other species. Two additional guinea pig cDNAs were identified and termed PRL-related proteins (PRLRP1, PRLRP2). They exhibited a more distant relationship to PRL and their expression was restricted to the placenta. Recombinant guinea pig PRL protein was generated and shown to be biologically active in the PRL-responsive Nb2 lymphoma cell bioassay. In contrast, recombinant guinea pig PRLRP1 protein did not exhibit PRL-like bioactivity. In summary, we have developed a new set of research tools for investigating the biology of the PRL family in an important animal model, the guinea pig.

Assignment of the SLA alleles and reproductive potential of selective breeding Duroc pig lines.

PubMed

Soe, Ok Kar; Ohba, Yasunori; Imaeda, Noriaki; Nishii, Naohito; Takasu, Masaki; Yoshioka, Gou; Kawata, Hisako; Shigenari, Atsuko; Uenishi, Hirohide; Inoko, Hidetoshi; Ando, Asako; Kitagawa, Hitoshi

2008-01-01

Pigs with defined swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) haplotypes and their detailed information are useful for transplantation and immunological studies. We developed two herds of SLA homozygous Duroc pigs with novel SLA haplotypes and characterized their reproductive potential. For selective inbreeding, a pair of Duroc pigs was chosen as initial breeders, and substantial breeding within progenies was carried out for eight generations. In the selective breeding Duroc pigs, SLA haplotypes were assigned by nucleotide sequence determination of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products of three SLA classical class I genes and two class II genes. Based on this sequence information, we developed a rapid and simple SLA class II DNA typing method by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) technique. As a complementary method for the characterization of the SLA haplotypes, genetic polymorphisms of 36 microsatellite (MS) markers within the SLA region were also analyzed in the selective breeding pigs with SLA homozygous/heterozygous haplotypes. Among the selective breeding pigs from the third to fifth generations, only two SLA haplotypes were identified by the RT-PCR based SLA typing method; Hp-27.30 (SLA-1*08an03, SLA-1*06an04, SLA-2*0102, SLA-3*0101 DRB1*1101 and DQB1*0503) and Hp-60.13 (SLA-1*an02, SLA-2*1002, SLA-3*0502, DRB1*0403 and DQB1*0303). In these two SLA haplotypes, two class I haplotypes, Hp-27.0 and Hp-60.0, are novel. Furthermore, two class II haplotypes, Hp-0.30 and Hp-0.13, which were previously reported in Korean native pigs and pigs of Hanford breed, respectively, were also assigned by a simple assay using a PCR-SSP technique in the entire selective breeding stock. Moreover, two haplotype specific MS patterns were observed across the entire SLA region in the selective breeding (homozygous/heterozygous) pigs. No morphological abnormalities were observed in selective breeding pigs. The theoretical inbreeding coefficient

Absorption of the nerve agent VX (O-ethyl-S-[2(di-isopropylamino)ethyl] methyl phosphonothioate) through pig, human and guinea pig skin in vitro.

PubMed

Dalton, Christopher H; Hattersley, Ian J; Rutter, Stephen J; Chilcott, Robert P

2006-12-01

The physico-chemical properties of VX make the skin the most likely route of absorption into the human body. The development of effective medical countermeasures against such percutaneous threat agents relies on the use of appropriate animal models, as the inherent toxicity of nerve agents precludes the use of human volunteers. Previous studies have characterised the mechanism of nerve agent toxicity in rodent models, however, it is generally accepted that one of the most appropriate animal models for human skin absorption is the domestic pig. The purpose of the present study was to measure and compare the skin absorption kinetics of VX in vitro using pig, human and guinea pig skin to highlight any potential species differences in skin permeability. When undiluted VX was applied directly to the skin, the permeability of guinea pig skin was approximately 7-fold greater than human skin. There was no significant difference in the permeability of pig and human skin. When VX diluted with isopropyl alcohol was applied to the skin, the permeability of guinea pig skin was approximately 4-fold greater than human skin. There was no significant difference in the permeability of pig and human skin. From this data it may be inferred that dermatomed, abdominal pig skin is an appropriate model for the human skin absorption of VX.

A reassortant H9N2 influenza virus containing 2009 pandemic H1N1 internal-protein genes acquired enhanced pig-to-pig transmission after serial passages in swine.

PubMed

Mancera Gracia, José Carlos; Van den Hoecke, Silvie; Richt, Juergen A; Ma, Wenjun; Saelens, Xavier; Van Reeth, Kristien

2017-05-02

Avian H9N2 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza viruses can infect pigs and humans, raising the concern that H9N2:pH1N1 reassortant viruses could emerge. Such reassortants demonstrated increased replication and transmissibility in pig, but were still inefficient when compared to pH1N1. Here, we evaluated if a reassortant virus containing the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of A/quail/Hong Kong/G1/1997 (H9N2) in the A/California/04/2009 (pH1N1) backbone could become better adapted to pigs by serial passaging. The tropism of the original H9N2:pH1N1 (P0) virus was restricted to the nasal mucosa, with no virus detected in the trachea or lungs. Nevertheless, after seven passages the H9N2:pH1N1 (P7) virus replicated in the entire respiratory tract. We also compared the transmissibility of H9N2:pH1N1 (P0), H9N2:pH1N1 (P7) and pH1N1. While only 2/6 direct-contact pigs showed nasal virus excretion of H9N2:pH1N1 (P0) ≥five days, 4/6 direct-contact animals shed the H9N2:pH1N1 (P7). Interestingly, those four animals shed virus with titers similar to those of the pH1N1, which readily transmitted to all six contact animals. The broader tissue tropism and the increased post-transmission replication after seven passages were associated with the HA-D225G substitution. Our data demonstrate that the pH1N1 internal-protein genes together with the serial passages favour H9N2 virus adaptation to pigs.

Influence of fluid and volume state on PaO2 oscillations in mechanically ventilated pigs.

PubMed

Bodenstein, Marc; Bierschock, Stephan; Boehme, Stefan; Wang, Hemei; Vogt, Andreas; Kwiecien, Robert; David, Matthias; Markstaller, Klaus

2013-03-01

Varying pulmonary shunt fractions during the respiratory cycle cause oxygen oscillations during mechanical ventilation. In artificially damaged lungs, cyclical recruitment of atelectasis is responsible for varying shunt according to published evidence. We introduce a complimentary hypothesis that cyclically varying shunt in healthy lungs is caused by cyclical redistribution of pulmonary perfusion. Administration of crystalloid or colloid infusions would decrease oxygen oscillations if our hypothesis was right. Therefore, n=14 mechanically ventilated healthy pigs were investigated in 2 groups: crystalloid (fluid) versus no-fluid administration. Additional volume interventions (colloid infusion, blood withdrawal) were carried out in each pig. Intra-aortal PaO2 oscillations were recorded using fluorescence quenching technique. Phase shift of oxygen oscillations during altered inspiratory to expiratory (I:E) ventilation ratio and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) served as control methods to exclude that recruitment of atelectasis is responsible for oxygen oscillations. In hypovolemia relevant oxygen oscillations could be recorded. Fluid and volume state changed PaO2 oscillations according to our hypothesis. Fluid administration led to a mean decline of 105.3 mmHg of the PaO2 oscillations amplitude (P<0.001). The difference of the amplitudes between colloid administration and blood withdrawal was 62.4 mmHg in pigs not having received fluids (P=0.0059). Fluid and volume state also changed the oscillation phase during altered I:E ratio. EIT excluded changes of regional ventilation (i.e., recruitment of atelectasis) to be responsible for these oscillations. In healthy pigs, cyclical redistribution of pulmonary perfusion can explain the size of respiratory-dependent PaO2 oscillations.

Survey of quantitative antimicrobial consumption in two different pig finishing systems.

PubMed

Moreno, M A

2012-09-29

The primary objectives of this study were to: (a) collect on-farm antimicrobial use (AMU) data in fattener pigs employing two questionnaire-based surveys; (b) assess different quantitative measures for quantifying AMU in fattener pigs; (c) compare AMU in fattener pigs between two different management systems producing finishers: farrow-to-finish (FtF) farms versus finisher farms. Two questionnaires were designed both containing five groups of questions focused on the responder, the farm and AMU (eg, in-feed, in-drinking water and parenteral); both surveys were carried out by means of personal face-to-face interviews. Both surveys started with a sample size of 108 potentially eligible farms per survey; nevertheless, finally 67 finisher farms and 49 FtF farms were recruited. Overall percentages of animals exposed to antimicrobials (AM) were high (90 per cent in finisher farms and 54 per cent FtF farms); colistin (61 per cent and 33 per cent) and doxycycline (62 per cent and 23 per cent) were the most common AMs, followed by amoxicillin (51 per cent and 19 per cent) and lincomycin (49 per cent), respectively. Questionnaire-based surveys using face-to-face interviews are useful for capturing information regarding AMU at the farm level. Farm-level data per administration route can be used for comparative AMU analysis between farms. Nevertheless, for the analysis of the putative relationships between AMU and AM resistance, measures based on exposed animals or exposure events are needed.

End-tidal CO2-guided automated robot CPR system in the pig. Preliminary communication.

PubMed

Suh, Gil Joon; Park, Jaeheung; Lee, Jung Chan; Na, Sang Hoon; Kwon, Woon Yong; Kim, Kyung Su; Kim, Taegyun; Jung, Yoon Sun; Ko, Jung-In; Shin, So Mi; You, Kyoung Min

2018-06-01

Our aim was to compare the efficacy of the end-tidal CO 2 -guided automated robot CPR (robot CPR) system with manual CPR and mechanical device CPR. We developed the algorithm of the robot CPR system which automatically finds the optimal compression position under the guidance of end-tidal CO 2 feedback in swine models of cardiac arrest. Then, 18 pigs after 11 min of cardiac arrest were randomly assigned to one of three groups, robot CPR, LUCAS CPR, and manual CPR groups (n = 6 each group). Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and Neurological Deficit Score 48 h after ROSC were compared. A ROSC was achieved in 5 pigs, 4 pigs, and 3 pigs in the robot CPR, LUCAS CPR, and manual CPR groups, respectively (p = 0.47). Robot CPR showed a significant difference in Neurological Deficit Score 48 h after ROSC compared to manual CPR, whereas LUCAS CPR showed no significant difference over manual CPR. (p = 0.01; Robot versus Manual adjusted p = 0.04, Robot versus LUCAS adjusted p = 0.07, Manual versus LUCAS adjusted p = 1.00). The end-tidal CO 2 -guided automated robot CPR system did not significantly improve ROSC rate in a swine model of cardiac arrest. However, robot CPR showed significant improvement of Neurological Deficit Score 48 h after ROSC compared to Manual CPR while LUCAS CPR showed no significant improvement compared to Manual CPR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fluoride ion donor properties of cis-OsO(2)F(4): synthesis, raman spectroscopic study, and X-ray crystal structure of [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)].

PubMed

Hughes, Michael J; Mercier, Hélène P A; Schrobilgen, Gary J

2010-01-04

The salt, [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)], has been synthesized by dissolution of cis-OsO(2)F(4) in liquid SbF(5), followed by removal of excess SbF(5) at 0 degrees C to yield orange, crystalline [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)]. The X-ray crystal structure (-173 degrees C) consists of an OsO(2)F(3)(+) cation fluorine bridged to an Sb(2)F(11)(-) anion. The light atoms of OsO(2)F(3)(+) and the bridging fluorine atom form a distorted octahedron around osmium in which the osmium atom is displaced from its center toward an oxygen atom and away from the trans-fluorine bridge atom. As in other transition metal dioxofluorides, the oxygen ligands are cis to one another and the fluorine bridge atom is trans to an oxygen ligand and cis to the remaining oxygen ligand. The Raman spectrum (-150 degrees C) of solid [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)] was assigned on the basis of the ion pair observed in the low-temperature crystal structure. Under dynamic vacuum, [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)] loses SbF(5), yielding the known [mu-F(OsO(2)F(3))(2)][Sb(2)F(11)] salt with no evidence for [OsO(2)F(3)][SbF(6)] formation. Attempts to synthesize [OsO(2)F(3)][SbF(6)] by the reaction of [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)] with an equimolar amount of cis-OsO(2)F(4) or by a 1:1 stoichiometric reaction of cis-OsO(2)F(4) with SbF(5) in anhydrous HF yielded only [mu-F(OsO(2)F(3))(2)][Sb(2)F(11)]. Quantum-chemical calculations at the SVWN and B3LYP levels of theory and natural bond orbital analyses were used to calculate the gas-phase geometries, vibrational frequencies, natural population analysis charges, bond orders, and valencies of OsO(2)F(3)(+), [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)], [OsO(2)F(3)][SbF(6)], and Sb(2)F(11)(-). The relative thermochemical stabilities of [OsO(2)F(3)][SbF(6)], [OsO(2)F(3)][Sb(2)F(11)], [OsO(2)F(3)][AsF(6)], [mu-F(OsO(2)F(3))(2)][SbF(6)], [mu-F(OsO(2)F(3))(2)][Sb(2)F(11)], and [mu-F(OsO(2)F(3))(2)][AsF(6)] were assessed using the appropriate Born-Haber cycles to account for the preference for [mu-F(OsO(2)F(3))(2

Comparison of effects of glass fibre and glass powder on guinea-pig lungs

PubMed Central

Botham, Susan K.; Holt, P. F.

1973-01-01

Botham, Susan K., and Holt, P. F. (1973).British Journal of Industrial Medicine,30, 232-236. Comparison of effects of glass fibre and glass powder on guinea-pig lungs. Following 24 hours inhalation by guinea-pigs of powdered glass dust, the pulmonary effects over the succeeding month differed from those previously observed to follow inhalation of glass fibre in that (1) fewer erythrocytes escaped from the capillaries, (2) very few giant cells were produced, (3) erythrocytes and intracellular glass particles were cleared more readily because junctions between respiratory and terminal bronchioles were not blocked by giant cells, (4) intracellular granules containing Perls-positive material did not appreciably increase in number or intensity of staining during the month, and (5) particles were not coated with Perls-positive material during the time that pseudo-asbestos bodies would be formed from glass fibres. The difference between the effects of chemically similar glass powder and fibre during a month in a guinea-pig lung is considered to be due to the morphology of the inhaled particle. Images PMID:4124978

Divalent europium doped CaF 2 and BaF 2 nanocrystals from ionic liquids

DOE PAGES

Anghel, Sergiu; Golbert, Sebastian; Meijerink, Andries; ...

2016-10-11

A new, facile and quick synthesis method for Eu 2+ doped the alkaline earth fluorides was developed using ionic liquids as solvent, precursor and capping agent. Reductive atmosphere and very high temperatures were avoided, while still attaining the desired structure, small particle sizes and divalent oxidation state of the lanthanide. Here, this opens the door for the development of new Ln 2+ doped nanomaterials. Here, the successful Eu 2+ incorporation was proven by optical spectroscopic measurements which showed the spin and parity allowed f-d transitions of Eu 2+ in CaF 2:Eu 2+/BaF 2:Eu 2+. 4f 7-4f 7 transitions could bemore » observed at low temperatures (7 K).« less

Fatal disease associated with Swine Hepatitis E virus and Porcine circovirus 2 co-infection in four weaned pigs in China.

PubMed

Yang, Yifei; Shi, Ruihan; She, Ruiping; Mao, Jingjing; Zhao, Yue; Du, Fang; Liu, Can; Liu, Jianchai; Cheng, Minheng; Zhu, Rining; Li, Wei; Wang, Xiaoyang; Soomro, Majid Hussain

2015-03-26

In recent decades, Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) infection has been recognized as the causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, and has become a threat to the swine industry. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is another high prevalent pathogen in swine in many regions of the world. PCV2 and HEV are both highly prevalent in pig farms in China. In this study, we characterized the HEV and PCV2 co-infection in 2-3 month-old piglets, based on pathogen identification and the pathological changes observed, in Hebei Province, China. The pathological changes were severe, and general hyperemia, hemorrhage, inflammatory cell infiltration, and necrosis were evident in the tissues of dead swine. PCR was used to identify the pathogen and we tested for eight viruses (HEV, Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, PCV2, Classical swine fever virus, Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, Transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus, Porcine parvovirus and Pseudorabies virus) that are prevalent in Chinese pig farms. The livers, kidneys, spleens, and other organs of the necropsied swine were positive for HEV and/or PCV2. Immunohistochemical staining showed HEV- and PCV2-antigen-positive signals in the livers, kidneys, lungs, lymph nodes, and intestine. HEV and PCV2 co-infection in piglets was detected in four out of seven dead pigs from two pig farms in Hebei, China, producing severe pathological changes. The natural co-infection of HEV and PCV2 in pigs in China has rarely been reported. We speculate that co-infection with PCV2 and HEV may bring some negative effect on pig production and recommend that more attention should be paid to this phenomenon.

Optical properties of Ni2+ and radiation defects in MgF sub 2 and MnF sub 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feuerhelm, L. N.

1980-03-01

The radiation defects in pure MgF2 were made by observating the polarized absorption, luminescence, and excitation spectra in electron-irradiated MgF2. Additionally, studies of the absorption, emission, excitation, and temperature dependence of the lifetimes of transitions in nickel-doped MgF2 and MnF2 were accomplished, as well as the observation of radiation effects on these crystals. The absorption band at about 320 nm in irradiated MgF2 is identified to be due to the F2(D2b) center, and to have an emission at about 450 nm. Analysis of the temperature dependence of this band indicates a dominant phonon mode of 255 cm(-1) for the excited state. The F2(C1) center is identified with an absorption of about 360 nm and an emission of 410 nm. An absorption peak at 300 nm, for which no corresponding emission was found, is tentatively identified to be the F3-center, and to have a dominant phonon mode of 255 cm(-1). The temperature dependence of the lifetimes of transitions in nickel-doped MgF2 is analyzed by the quantum mechanical single configuration coordinate model of Struck and Fonger, and a complete configuration coordinate model is made for this crystal. Similar studies are made in MnF2:Ni.

Evaluation of a method estimating real-time individual lysine requirements in two lines of growing-finishing pigs.

PubMed

Cloutier, L; Pomar, C; Létourneau Montminy, M P; Bernier, J F; Pomar, J

2015-04-01

The implementation of precision feeding in growing-finishing facilities requires accurate estimates of the animals' nutrient requirements. The objectives of the current study was to validate a method for estimating the real-time individual standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine (Lys) requirements of growing-finishing pigs and the ability of this method to estimate the Lys requirements of pigs with different feed intake and growth patterns. Seventy-five pigs from a terminal cross and 72 pigs from a maternal cross were used in two 28-day experimental phases beginning at 25.8 (±2.5) and 73.3 (±5.2) kg BW, respectively. Treatments were randomly assigned to pigs within each experimental phase according to a 2×4 factorial design in which the two genetic lines and four dietary SID Lys levels (70%, 85%, 100% and 115% of the requirements estimated by the factorial method developed for precision feeding) were the main factors. Individual pigs' Lys requirements were estimated daily using a factorial approach based on their feed intake, BW and weight gain patterns. From 25 to 50 kg BW, this method slightly underestimated the pigs' SID Lys requirements, given that maximum protein deposition and weight gain were achieved at 115% of SID Lys requirements. However, the best gain-to-feed ratio (G : F) was obtained at a level of 85% or more of the estimated Lys requirement. From 70 to 100 kg, the method adequately estimated the pigs' individual requirements, given that maximum performance was achieved at 100% of Lys requirements. Terminal line pigs ate more (P=0.04) during the first experimental phase and tended to eat more (P=0.10) during the second phase than the maternal line pigs but both genetic lines had similar ADG and protein deposition rates during the two phases. The factorial method used in this study to estimate individual daily SID Lys requirements was able to accommodate the small genetic differences in feed intake, and it was concluded that this method can be

Outbreak of swine influenza in Argentina reveals a non-contemporary human H3N2 virus highly transmissible among pigs.

PubMed

Cappuccio, Javier A; Pena, Lindomar; Dibárbora, Marina; Rimondi, Agustina; Piñeyro, Pablo; Insarralde, Lucas; Quiroga, María A; Machuca, Mariana; Craig, Maria I; Olivera, Valeria; Chockalingam, Ashok; Perfumo, Carlos J; Perez, Daniel R; Pereda, Ariel

2011-12-01

Sporadic outbreaks of human H3N2 influenza A virus (IAV) infections in swine populations have been reported in Asia, Europe and North America since 1970. In South America, serological surveys in pigs indicate that IAVs of the H3 and H1 subtypes are currently in circulation; however, neither virus isolation nor characterization has been reported. In November 2008, an outbreak of respiratory disease in pigs consistent with swine influenza virus (SIV) infection was detected in Argentina. The current study describes the clinical epidemiology, pathology, and molecular and biological characteristics of the virus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the virus isolate shared nucleotide identities of 96-98 % with H3N2 IAVs that circulated in humans from 2000 to 2003. Antigenically, sera from experimentally inoculated animals cross-reacted mainly with non-contemporary human-origin H3N2 influenza viruses. In an experimental infection in a commercial swine breed, the virus was of low virulence but was transmitted efficiently to contact pigs and caused severe disease when an infected animal acquired a secondary bacterial infection. This is the first report of a wholly human H3N2 IAV associated with clinical disease in pigs in South America. These studies highlight the importance of two-way transmission of IAVs and SIVs between pigs and humans, and call for enhanced influenza surveillance in the pig population worldwide.

Genetic characterization of H1N2 influenza a virus isolated from sick pigs in Southern China in 2010.

PubMed

Kong, Wei Li; Huang, Liang Zong; Qi, Hai Tao; Cao, Nan; Zhang, Liang Quan; Wang, Heng; Guan, Shang Song; Qi, Wen Bao; Jiao, Pei Rong; Liao, Ming; Zhang, Gui Hong

2011-10-13

In China H3N2 and H1N1 swine influenza viruses have been circulating for many years. In January 2010, before swine were infected with foot and mouth disease in Guangdong, some pigs have shown flu-like symptoms: cough, sneeze, runny nose and fever. We collected the nasopharyngeal swab of all sick pigs as much as possible. One subtype H1N2 influenza viruses were isolated from the pig population. The complete genome of one isolate, designated A/swine/Guangdong/1/2010(H1N2), was sequenced and compared with sequences available in GenBank. The nucleotide sequences of all eight viral RNA segments were determined, and then phylogenetic analysis was performed using the neighbor-joining method. HA, NP, M and NS were shown to be closely to swine origin. PB2 and PA were close to avian origin, but NA and PB1were close to human origin. It is a result of a multiple reassortment event. In conclusion, our finding provides further evidence about the interspecies transmission of avian influenza viruses to pigs and emphasizes the importance of reinforcing swine influenza virus (SIV) surveillance, especially before the emergence of highly pathogenic FMDs in pigs in Guangdong.

E2F1 and E2F2 prevent replicative stress and subsequent p53-dependent organ involution.

PubMed

Iglesias-Ara, A; Zenarruzabeitia, O; Buelta, L; Merino, J; Zubiaga, A M

2015-10-01

Tissue homeostasis requires tight regulation of cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. E2F1 and E2F2 transcription factors share a critical role in tissue homeostasis, since their combined inactivation results in overall organ involution, specially affecting the pancreatic gland, which subsequently triggers diabetes. We have examined the mechanism by which these E2Fs regulate tissue homeostasis. We show that pancreas atrophy in E2F1/E2F2 double-knockout (DKO) mice is associated with mitochondrial apoptosis and activation of the p53 pathway in young animals, before the development of diabetes. A deregulated expression of E2F target genes was detected in pancreatic cells of young DKO animals, along with unscheduled DNA replication and activation of a DNA damage response. Importantly, suppression of DNA replication in vivo with aphidicolin led to a significant inhibition of the p53 pathway in DKO pancreas, implying a causal link between DNA replication stress and p53 activation in this model. We further show that activation of the p53 pathway has a key role in the aberrant phenotype of DKO mice, since targeted inactivation of p53 gene abrogated cellular apoptosis and prevented organ involution and insulin-dependent diabetes in mice lacking E2F1/E2F2. Unexpectedly, p53 inactivation unmasked oncogenic features of E2F1/E2F2-depleted cells, as evidenced by an accelerated tumor development in triple-knockout mice compared with p53(-/-) mice. Collectively, our data reveal a role for E2F1 and E2F2 as suppressors of replicative stress in differentiating cells, and uncover the existence of a robust E2F-p53 regulatory axis to enable tissue homeostasis and prevent tumorigenesis. These findings have implications in the design of approaches targeting E2F for cancer therapy.

Comparison of cloned Kir2 channels with native inward rectifier K+ channels from guinea-pig cardiomyocytes

PubMed Central

Xin Liu, Gong; Derst, Christian; Schlichthörl, Günter; Heinen, Steffen; Seebohm, Guiscard; Brüggemann, Andrea; Kummer, Wolfgang; Veh, Rüdiger W; Daut, Jürgen; Preisig-Müller, Regina

2001-01-01

The aim of the study was to compare the properties of cloned Kir2 channels with the properties of native rectifier channels in guinea-pig (gp) cardiac muscle. The cDNAs of gpKir2.1, gpKir2.2, gpKir2.3 and gpKir2.4 were obtained by screening a cDNA library from guinea-pig cardiac ventricle. A partial genomic structure of all gpKir2 genes was deduced by comparison of the cDNAs with the nucleotide sequences derived from a guinea-pig genomic library. The cell-specific expression of Kir2 channel subunits was studied in isolated cardiomyocytes using a multi-cell RT-PCR approach. It was found that gpKir2.1, gpKir2.2 and gpKir2.3, but not gpKir2.4, are expressed in cardiomyocytes. Immunocytochemical analysis with polyclonal antibodies showed that expression of Kir2.4 is restricted to neuronal cells in the heart. After transfection in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) the mean single-channel conductance with symmetrical K+ was found to be 30.6 pS for gpKir2.1, 40.0 pS for gpKir2.2 and 14.2 pS for Kir2.3. Cell-attached measurements in isolated guinea-pig cardiomyocytes (n = 351) revealed three populations of inwardly rectifying K+ channels with mean conductances of 34.0, 23.8 and 10.7 pS. Expression of the gpKir2 subunits in Xenopus oocytes showed inwardly rectifying currents. The Ba2+ concentrations required for half-maximum block at -100 mV were 3.24 μm for gpKir2.1, 0.51 μm for gpKir2.2, 10.26 μm for gpKir2.3 and 235 μm for gpKir2.4. Ba2+ block of inward rectifier channels of cardiomyocytes was studied in cell-attached recordings. The concentration and voltage dependence of Ba2+ block of the large-conductance inward rectifier channels was virtually identical to that of gpKir2.2 expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Our results suggest that the large-conductance inward rectifier channels found in guinea-pig cardiomyocytes (34.0 pS) correspond to gpKir2.2. The intermediate-conductance (23.8 pS) and low-conductance (10.7 pS) channels described here may correspond to gpKir2

Phenotype and genotype of Escherichia coli isolated from pigs with postweaning diarrhea in Hungary.

PubMed Central

Nagy, B; Casey, T A; Moon, H W

1990-01-01

A total of 205 Escherichia coli isolates from 88 diarrheal weanling (4- to 10-week-old) pigs from 59 farms were tested by slide agglutination for K88, K99, F41, and 987P antigens. K88 antigen was detected in 61% of the isolates representing 60% of the pigs and 56% of the farms. K88 antigen was associated with serogroup O149 and 91% of the K88+ isolates. K99, F41, and 987P were not detected. Of the K88- isolates, 70 were additionally tested by colony hybridization with DNA probes for adherence factors K88, K99, 987P, and F41 and for enterotoxin genes STaP, STaH, STb, and LT and by Vero cell assay for verotoxins (VT). The 70 K88- isolates could be divided into three categories: LT-, VT-, STaP+, and/or STb+ (34 isolates); LT-, STaP+, STb+, and/or VT+ (17 isolates); and nontoxigenic (19 isolates). Only one of the K88- isolates carried a known adherence factor (987P) detectable with DNA probes. Most of the STaP+ and STb+ isolates belonged to O groups O141, O147, and O157. All but 1 of the 17 VT+ isolates belonged to O groups O138, O139, O141, and O149. Only three of the VT+ strains were isolated from pigs with edema disease. We concluded that 73% of the K88- isolates had the capability to produce enterotoxins or VT that could have contributed to weanling pig diarrhea. PMID:1970575

Effect of feed supplementation with live yeast on the intestinal transcriptome profile of weaning pigs orally challenged with Escherichia coli F4.

PubMed

Trevisi, P; Latorre, R; Priori, D; Luise, D; Archetti, I; Mazzoni, M; D'Inca, R; Bosi, P

2017-01-01

The ability of live yeasts to modulate pig intestinal cell signals in response to infection with Escherichia coli F4ac (ETEC) has not been studied in-depth. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-4407 (Sc), supplied at different times, on the transcriptome profile of the jejunal mucosa of pigs 24 h after infection with ETEC. In total, 20 piglets selected to be ETEC-susceptible were weaned at 24 days of age (day 0) and allotted by litter to one of following groups: control (CO), CO+colistin (AB), CO+5×1010 colony-forming unit (CFU) Sc/kg feed, from day 0 (PR) and CO+5×1010 CFU Sc/kg feed from day 7 (CM). On day 7, the pigs were orally challenged with ETEC and were slaughtered 24 h later after blood sampling for haptoglobin (Hp) and C-reactive protein (CRP) determination. The jejunal mucosa was sampled (1) for morphometry; (2) for quantification of proliferation, apoptosis and zonula occludens (ZO-1); (3) to carry out the microarray analysis. A functional analysis was carried out using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. The normalized enrichment score (NES) was calculated for each gene set, and statistical significance was defined when the False Discovery Rate % was <25 and P-values of NES were <0.05. The blood concentration of CRP and Hp, and the score for ZO-1 integrity on the jejunal villi did not differ between groups. The intestinal crypts were deeper in the AB (P=0.05) and the yeast groups (P<0.05) than in the CO group. Antibiotic treatment increased the number of mitotic cells in intestinal villi as compared with the control group (P<0.05). The PR group tended to increase the mitotic cells in villi and crypts and tended to reduce the cells in apoptosis as compared with the CM group. The transcriptome profiles of the AB and PR groups were similar. In both groups, the gene sets involved in mitosis and in mitochondria development ranked the highest, whereas in the CO group, the gene sets related to cell junction and anion

Mycotoxic nephropathy in pigs*

PubMed Central

Elling, F.; Møller, T.

1973-01-01

In Denmark a nephropathy in pigs characterized by tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis has been identified frequently during the last 5 decades in the course of meat inspection in slaughterhouses. The disease was first described by Larsen, who recognized the connexion between feeding mouldy rye to pigs and the development of the nephropathy. In this study kidneys were examined from 19 pigs coming from a farm with an outbreak of nephropathy. The barley fed to the pigs was contaminated with the mycotoxin ochratoxin A. Histological examination revealed different degrees of change ranging from slight regressive changes in the tubular epithelium and periglomerular and interstitial fibrosis to tubular atrophy, thickened basement membranes, glomerular sclerosis, and marked fibrosis. These differences were considered to be due to differences in the length of time of exposure to the mouldy barley and differences in the amount of mycotoxin consumed by the individual pig. However, it will be necessary to carry out experiments using crystalline ochratoxin A in order to prove such a relationship. Mycotoxins have also been suggested as etiological factors in Balkan nephropathy in man, which in the initial stages is characterized by tubular lesions similar to those seen in mycotoxic nephropathy in pigs. ImagesFig. 1Fig. 2Fig. 7Fig. 8Fig. 9Fig. 3Fig. 4Fig. 5Fig. 6Fig. 10Fig. 11 PMID:4546872

Serum antibody responses in pigs trickle-infected with Ascaris and Trichuris: Heritabilities and associations with parasitological findings.

PubMed

Kringel, Helene; Thamsborg, Stig Milan; Petersen, Heidi Huus; Göring, Harald Heinz Herbert; Skallerup, Per; Nejsum, Peter

2015-07-30

A humoral immune response following helminth infection in pigs is well documented. However, it has been difficult to confirm the existence of antibody mediated resistance against the large roundworm, Ascaris suum, and whipworm, Trichuris suis, in experimental settings by correlating worm burdens or egg excretion with specific antibody levels. We set out to investigate the association between worm load and T. suis and A. suum specific serum antibody levels (IgG1, IgG2 and IgA) against excretory-secretory products of adults and third stage larvae, respectively, measured at 0, 7 and 14 weeks p.i. in a trickle-infected F1-resource-population of crossbred pigs (n=195). Furthermore, we wanted to determine the heritability of these antibody isotypes during the course of infection. Most pigs remained infected with A. suum throughout the experiment while they expelled T. suis between 7 and 14 weeks post infection (p.i.). Parasite specific IgG1 and IgA were significantly (P<0.001) elevated after 7 and 14 weeks of infection, whereas parasite specific IgG2 levels only changed slightly at 14 weeks p.i.. However, the observed association between specific antibody isotype levels and faecal egg counts and macroscopic worm load was weak. The relative heritabilities of the different parasite specific isotypes were assessed and resulted in significant heritability estimates for parasite specific IgG1 and IgA. The highest heritabilities were found for A. suum specific IgG1 (h(2)=0.41 and 0.46 at 7 and 14 weeks p.i., respectively). Thus, the present study demonstrates that host genetic factors influence the IgG1 and IgA antibody isotype responses specific to two of the most common gastrointestinal nematodes of swine whereas specific antibody levels were poorly associated with egg excretion and the presence of macroscopic worms. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The beta2- and beta3-adrenoceptor-mediated relaxation induced by fenoterol in guinea pig taenia caecum.

PubMed

Akimoto, Yurie; Horinouchi, Takahiro; Tanaka, Yoshio; Koike, Katsuo

2002-10-01

Fenoterol, a beta2-adrenoceptor selective agonist, belongs to the arylethanolamine class. To understand the receptor subtypes responsible for beta-adrenoceptor-mediated relaxation of guinea pig taenia caecum, we investigated the effect of fenoterol. Fenoterol caused concentration-dependent relaxation of the guinea pig taenia caecum. Propranolol, bupranolol and butoxamine produced shifts of the concentration-response curve for fenoterol. Schild regression analyses carried out for propranolol, butoxamine and bupranolol against fenoterol gave pA2 values of 8.41, 6.33 and 8.44, respectively. However, in the presence of 3 x 10(-4) M atenolol, 10(-4) M butoxamine and 10(-6) M phentolamine to block the beta1-, beta2- and a-adrenoceptor effects, respectively, Schild regression analysis carried out for bupranolol against fenoterol gave pA2 values of 5.80. These results suggest that the relaxant response to fenoterol in the guinea pig taenia caecum is mediated by both the beta2- and the beta3-adrenoceptors.

SH-2F LAMPS Instructional Systems Development: Phase II. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbons, Andrew S.; Hymes, Jonah P.

This project was one of four aircrew training development projects in a continuing study of the methodology, effectiveness, and resource requirements of the Instructional Systems Development (ISD) process. This report covers the Phase II activities of a two-phase project for the development of aircrew training for SH-2F anti-submarine warfare…

Impact of ractopamine hydrochloride on growth, efficiency, and carcass traits of finishing pigs in a three-phase marketing strategy.

PubMed

Gerlemann, G D; Allee, G L; Rincker, P J; Ritter, M J; Boler, D D; Carr, S N

2014-03-01

The objectives were to determine the effects of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) in a 3-phase marketing strategy. One thousand seven hundred forty pigs were used in 80 single-sex pens in 2 blocks. Each pen housed approximately 22 pigs. Sixteen percent of the total population of pigs was sold during the first marketing period, 18% was sold during the second marketing period, and the remaining 66% was sold during the third marketing period. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design of 2 treatments. Pigs in the second marketing group had greater growth performance indicators than pigs in the first marketing group. Over the entire feeding period, pigs fed RAC were 2.73 kg heavier (P < 0.0001), had 0.11 kg/d greater (P < 0.0001) ADG, and had 0.04 greater (P < 0.0001) G:F than pigs not fed RAC. Hot carcass weights were 3.3% greater (P < 0.0001), carcass yields were 0.68 (% units) greater (P < 0.0001), fat depth was 7.2% less (P < 0.0001), loin depth was 5.6% greater (P < 0.0001), and estimated carcass lean was 0.97% units greater (P < 0.0001) in RAC-fed pigs when compared with pigs not fed RAC. By the end of the first marketing period carcasses from pigs fed RAC (89.73 kg) were 2.1% heavier (P = 0.04) and gained 0.19 kg/d more (P = 0.03) carcass weight than carcasses from pigs not fed RAC (87.89 kg). By the end of the second marketing period carcasses from pigs fed RAC (99.00 kg) were 3.1% heavier (P < 0.001) and gained 0.14 kg/d more (P < 0.001) carcass weight than carcasses from pigs not fed RAC (96.02 kg). By the end of the third marketing period carcasses from pigs fed RAC (102.75 kg) were 3.7% heavier (P < 0.0001) and gained 0.10 kg/d more (P < 0.0001) carcass weight than carcasses from pigs not fed RAC (99.06 kg). Although carcass gain per day decreased with extended RAC feeding duration, HCW advantages continued to increase as feeding duration was increased from 7 d to 35 d. Growth benefits were evident during the initial marketing period, but as

Experimental pig-to-pig transmission dynamics for African swine fever virus, Georgia 2007/1 strain.

PubMed

Guinat, C; Gubbins, S; Vergne, T; Gonzales, J L; Dixon, L; Pfeiffer, D U

2016-01-01