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Dietary linseed with apple pomace and milk thistle improves fatty acids profile of pork and its oxidative status
Meta-Analysis of SNPs Determining Litter Traits in Pigs
Nearly 2000 SNPs associated with pig litter size traits have been reported based on genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The aims of this study were to gather and integrate previously reported associations between SNPs and five litter traits: total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), number of stillborn (SB), litter birth weight (LWT), and corpus luteum number (CLN), in order to evaluate their common genetic background and to perform a meta-analysis (MA) of GWASs for total number born (TNB) recorded for animals from five pig populations. In this study, the genes with the largest number of associations with evaluated litter traits were GABRG3, RBP7, PRKD1, and STXBP6. Only 21 genes out of 233 associated with the evaluated litter traits were reported in more than one population or for more than one trait. Based on this evaluation, the most interesting candidate gene is PRKD1, which has an association with SB and TNB traits. Based on GO term analysis, PRKD1 was shown to be involved in angiogenesis as well. As a result of the MA, two new genomic regions, which have not been previously reported, were found to be associated with the TNB trait. One SNP was located on Sus scrofa chromosome (SSC) 14 in the intron of the FAM13C gene. The second SNP was located on SSC9 within the intron of the AGMO gene. Functional analysis revealed a strong candidate causal gene underlying the QTL on SSC9. The third best hit and the most promising candidate gene for litter size was found within the SOSTDC1 gene, associated with lower male fertility in rats. We showed that litter traits studied across pig populations have only a few genomic regions in common based on candidate gene comparison. PRKD1 could be an interesting candidate gene with a wider association with fertility. The MA identified new genomic regions on SSC9 and SSC14 associated with TNB. Further functional analysis indicated the most promising gene was SOSTDC1, which was confirmed to affect male fertility in other mammals. This is an important finding, as litter traits are by default linked with females rather than males.
Integrating three genetic dimensions relating to piglet birth weight: direct and maternal effects on the mean and genetic control of residual variance
AbstractUniformity of production traits is desired for different traits in livestock species, including the uniformity of within-litter birth weights in piglets. Birth weight (BW) in pigs is associated with increased vitality and survival until weaning. However, as uniformity of BW increases, the importance of initial weight decreases as competition between piglets decreases. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct and maternal genetic components of BW, jointly with the maternal genetic component of the residual variance for within-litter BW, and their genetic correlations. We used two distinct datasets of Swiss Large White pigs: 1) the experimental farm dataset and 2) the commercial farms dataset, comprising 43,135 and 23,313 records of individual piglet birth weight, respectively. For statistical analysis, the heteroscedastic (or canalising selection) model was used. This model assumes that both the mean BW and the residual variance are affected by systematic and random effects, with the residual variance being heterogeneous and partially under genetic control. Despite the best fitting model was the most complex one including both genetic effects for the mean trait, the results indicated that direct genetic effects, or correlations with such effects, are negligible. The genetic environmental variance for BW ranged between 0.071 and 0.131 for experimental farm and 0.037 to 0.094. The genetic correlation between the mean BW and its variability was always positive and ranged between 0.149 and 0.307 for the experimental farm and between 0.220 and 0.589 for the commercial farms. It is thus sufficient to model BW and its variability by including only the maternal genetic effect for both traits. In addition, even though moderate genetic correlations exist between the mean and the variance of BW, focusing selection on BW uniformity within litters would be preferable to creating a selection index for both traits simultaneously.ImplicationsMonitoring within-litter birth weight variability is important for efficient piglet production and welfare. Our findings suggest that maternal genetic effects are sufficient to model birth weight and its variability as genetic components of environmental variance. For both traits, direct genetic variance and its correlations with other components are negligible. However, since there are moderate genetic correlations between the mean and variance of birth weight, it is preferable to focus solely on selecting for within-litter birth weight uniformity rather than combining both traits in the selection index. This approach simplifies breeding strategies while maintaining the goal of improving piglets’ welfare.HighlightsData on individual piglet birth weight were collected on Swiss farms over 18 yearsHeteroscedastic animal models integrated three dimensions of genetic componentsThe direct genetic effect and its correlations are minimal and irrelevant for selectionMaternal genetic effects are crucial for birth weight and its variabilitySelection for uniformity is preferable to selection for both traits simultaneously
Risk factors for the presence of antibodies against Anaplasma spp. in dogs in Poznań
The aim of the study was to identify the incidence of antibodies against Anaplasma spp. in dogs living in Poznań. Canine anaplasmosis is a tick-borne dog disease caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum or A. platys infection. To identify the prevalence of antibodies against Anaplasma spp. in dogs, we analyzed blood samples collected from 349 client-owned dogs living in Poznań (Poland). Using an immunochromatographic rapid test (Caniv-4, VetExpert, Poland), antibodies against Anaplasma spp. were detected in 32 (9.2%) dogs aged over two years. Sex, hair length, and location (region of Poznań) were not identified as statistically significant risk factors for the presence of antibodies against Anaplasma spp. The odds ratio for antibodies against Anaplasma spp. in large breed dogs vs small breed dogs was 3.76. The results of the study suggest a growing presence of Anaplasma spp. in dogs living in big cities in Poland.
Effect of mastitis incidence on litter size, litter weight, and milk composition of rabbit does
AbstractThis study aimed to examine the effect of mastitis incidence on the litter size, litter birth weight, and milk composition of Hycole does on a commercial rabbit farm during their third and fourth parity. At third parity does were assigned to the “No mastitis” (n = 30) and “Mastitis” (n = 28) groups on the basis of visible abscesses in the mammary gland area. The microbiological analysis revealed the presence of different pathogenic bacteria. At third parity, “Mastitis” females had fewer kits than the “No mastitis” group, and the average birth weight was lower. On day 2 of the third lactation, “Mastitis” does produced significantly less milk daily compared with the “No mastitis” group. A significant effect on the incidence of mastitis on the litter size and litter weight during the growth of kits up to the 35th day was also observed. The effect of the incidence of mastitis on milk chemical composition was limited. At the fourth parity, the litter characteristics and daily milk yield were leveled in “Mastitis” and “No mastitis” females. To conclude, our study showed that mastitis negatively affects litter size, birth weight, and daily milk yield in the current parity. However, early detection and proper treatment allowed to obtain good reproductive results and healthy kits in the next parity.
Multi-Country Study of Stable Isotopes and Mineral Elements in European Pork
European pork production pursues traceability and authenticity to ensure animal welfare, food safety, and support products with geographical indications. This study reports a European survey integrating stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ18O, δ2H) and multi-element profiling using IRMS and ICP-MS, on 612 samples collected across Denmark, Poland, Italy, and Spain, with diverse production systems, breeds, feeding, and slaughter ages. Geographical and climatic gradients influenced δ2H and δ18O, which ranged from −111‰ to −89‰ in samples from Denmark and Spain and from 13.3‰ to 16.0‰ in samples from Italy and Spain, respectively. In selected farms, δ13C ranged from −22.7‰ to −17.0‰ depending on diet composition based on C3 and C4 plants. The wide variability in pig management practices suggested that δ15N (2.50 ÷ 4.96‰) increased with slaughter age and was positively correlated with Fe (3.38 ÷ 8.39 mg/kg) and Zn (9.39 ÷ 23.6 mg/kg). Most mineral components were mainly driven by feed formulation and supplementation. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that samples were grouped based on their origin and husbandry system, confirming the key role of isotopic and elemental markers for the development of a database supporting the pork supply chains across Europe.
Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for litter size in pigs indicates new causal variants
Editorial: Selected keynote lectures of the 75th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (Florence, Italy)
Husbandry practices associated with extensification in European pig production and their effects on pork quality
Attitudes of selected Polish consumer groups towards pork and welfare labels
This study aimed to examine the preferences of Polish consumers when buying pork products and to observe whether there are differences between groups of consumers (farmers, animal sciences/veterinary scientists, animal science/veterinary students, or regular consumers). For this purpose, an electronic survey was sent to collect responses from the 6th of August till the 1st of September 2023. In total, 140 responses were obtained. Our survey was designed to capture a sufficient number of respondents among animal/veterinary scientists/students and pig farmers; thus, those three groups account for 42% of all respondents. Females declared paying attention to the welfare label more often than men (Chi2=16.9, p-value=0.010). People with the most frequent contact with pigs also eat pork most often (Chi2=44.1, p-value=0.010). Scientists, students, and farmers all chose “yes” to a question on the importance of welfare (Chi2=18, p-value=0.035). Our study has, however, a few limitations, which are the online distribution of the survey and the focus on collecting enough questionnaires from specific professional groups.
Effect of dogs characteristics on aggressive behaviour towards humans and other animals in English Cocker Spaniels
Evaluation of the phenotypic and genomic background of variability based on litter size of Large White pigs
Abstract Background The genetic background of trait variability has captured the interest of ecologists and animal breeders because the genes that control it could be involved in buffering various environmental effects. Phenotypic variability of a given trait can be assessed by studying the heterogeneity of the residual variance, and the quantitative trait loci (QTL) that are involved in the control of this variability are described as variance QTL (vQTL). This study focuses on litter size (total number born, TNB) and its variability in a Large White pig population. The variability of TNB was evaluated either using a simple method, i.e. analysis of the log-transformed variance of residuals (LnVar), or the more complex double hierarchical generalized linear model (DHGLM). We also performed a single-SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) genome-wide association study (GWAS). To our knowledge, this is only the second study that reports vQTL for litter size in pigs and the first one that shows GWAS results when using two methods to evaluate variability of TNB: LnVar and DHGLM. Results Based on LnVar, three candidate vQTL regions were detected, on Sus scrofa chromosomes (SSC) 1, 7, and 18, which comprised 18 SNPs. Based on the DHGLM, three candidate vQTL regions were detected, i.e. two on SSC7 and one on SSC11, which comprised 32 SNPs. Only one candidate vQTL region overlapped between the two methods, on SSC7, which also contained the most significant SNP. Within this vQTL region, two candidate genes were identified, ADGRF1, which is involved in neurodevelopment of the brain, and ADGRF5, which is involved in the function of the respiratory system and in vascularization. The correlation between estimated breeding values based on the two methods was 0.86. Three-fold cross-validation indicated that DHGLM yielded EBV that were much more accurate and had better prediction of missing observations than LnVar. Conclusions The results indicated that the LnVar and DHGLM methods resulted in genetically different traits. Based on their validation, we recommend the use of DHGLM over the simpler method of log-transformed variance of residuals. These conclusions can be useful for future studies on the evaluation of the variability of any trait in any species.
