Carcass cutting yields and meat quality of market gilts managed with immunological suppression of ovarian function and estrus.

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of immunological suppression of ovarian function and estrus (Improvest®; Zoetis Inc.) on carcass cutting yields and meat quality. A total of 1,080 gilts were allocated by weight and assigned to pens of 27 pigs/pen.

The effect of timing of Improvest administration on growth performance and carcass characteristics in gilts.

Improvest (; Zoetis Inc., Parsippany, NJ) has been approved by the U.S.

A Chimeric Vaccine against Porcine Circovirus Type 2: Meta-Analysis of Comparative Clinical Trials.

This meta-analysis compared the efficacy of a chimeric vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) containing the genotypes PCV2a+b (Fostera Gold PCV MH [FOS-G]), with commonly used vaccines being derived from genotype PCV2a, considering the following parameters: average daily gain (ADG), mortality and market classification as full value and cull. Data from seven hitherto unpublished comparative US field trials with FOS-G (two experimental challenges and five natural environmental studies) were provided by the manufacturer. A complementary literature review revealed a Korean study, which was considered separately in meta-analysis.

Use of Cytopoint in the Allergic Dog.

Allergic dermatitis is the most common type of skin disease in dogs. Of all dogs, 20 to 30% present with some type of allergic dermatitis. Pruritus is one of the most important signs of allergic dermatitis and is often the most challenging to control.

Water intake of pigs consuming tiamulin during the nursery phase.

Mass medication to manage population health can be achieved by providing therapeutics in the drinking water. Young nursery pigs are highly sensitive to the flavor and smell of water. Medications that reduce water palatability often lead to an interruption in water and feed intake.

Exploring heterologous prime-boost vaccination approaches to enhance influenza control in pigs.

Influenza A viruses evolve rapidly to escape host immunity. In swine, this viral evolution has resulted in the emergence of multiple H1 and H3 influenza A virus (IAV) lineages in the United States (US) pig populations. The heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy is a promising way to deal with diverse IAV infection in multiple animal models.

Species-specific variation in RELA underlies differences in NF-κB activity: a potential role in African swine fever pathogenesis.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly infectious disease of domestic pigs, with virulent isolates causing a rapidly fatal hemorrhagic fever. In contrast, the porcine species endogenous to Africa tolerate infection. The ability of the virus to persist in one host while killing another genetically related host implies that disease severity may be, in part, modulated by host genetic variation.

Characterisation of plasma acute phase protein concentrations in a high health boar herd.

Acute phase proteins (APP) are used as markers of inflammation and sub-clinical disease and are considered potential biomarkers for pig health and welfare. However, reference ranges for their baseline concentrations are necessary before their use can be considered in routine herd health. In this study, C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp), pig-major acute-phase protein (Pig-MAP) and transthyretin (TTR) baseline concentrations were determined in boars from a high health commercial herd and differences between seven commercial breeding lines within the herd were investigated.

Traits associated with innate and adaptive immunity in pigs: heritability and associations with performance under different health status conditions.

There is a need for genetic markers or biomarkers that can predict resistance towards a wide range of infectious diseases, especially within a health environment typical of commercial farms. Such markers also need to be heritable under these conditions and ideally correlate with commercial performance traits. In this study, we estimated the heritabilities of a wide range of immune traits, as potential biomarkers, and measured their relationship with performance within both specific pathogen-free (SPF) and non-SPF environments.

Differences in susceptibility to Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs.

In animal breeding programs, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) markers can be used to identify sires that are less susceptible to disease. These DNA markers are typically discovered in populations that display differences in susceptibility. To find those differences, it was hypothesized that sires influence their offspring responses to infection with H.

Ontogeny of systemic cellular immunity in the neonatal pig: correlation with the development of post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome.

The aetiology of porcine post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) is poorly understood. Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) is an essential component of the experimental disease model for PMWS: however, evidence from experimental and field studies indicates that additional factors play a critical role in the aetiopathogenesis of PMWS. Current candidates include (1) immune stimulation (for example, via co-infection or vaccination), and (2) a novel infectious agent.

Innate immune responses to replication of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in isolated Swine alveolar macrophages.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an infectious disease caused by a positive RNA strand arterivirus. PRRS virus (PRRSV) interacts primarily with lung macrophages. Identifying the genetic components involved in host resistance/susceptibility would represent an important step forward in the design of disease control programs.