bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
129 Evaluation of the effect of Bedoukian compound X administered twice on gastrointestinal nematode infection in sheep
Authors: Miller James E , Burke Joan M
Published: July 2019

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) and coccidia have a large financial and health impact on small ruminants. Recent years have seen an increase in anthelminthic/ coccidiostat resistance, and there is a need to develop alternative control methods. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a unique proprietary compound used in the fragrance/flavor industry with an insect repellant application (Compound X; Bedoukian Research) on parasite control in sheep. Previous research by our laboratories showed a short term reduction in fecal egg count (FEC) in sheep orally drenched with the product. In the current study, naturally infected (GIN and coccidia) Katahdin lambs were orally drenched with 15 mL of Compound X and 15 mL mineral oil (CMX; n = 11) or 30 mL mineral oil (CON; n = 9) on d 0 and 21; FEC/fecal oocyst count (FOC) were determined every 7 d for 8 wk, and feces were cultured to examine GIN larvae. Data were analyzed using a mixed model with repeated measures over time, and regression (SAS). The FEC were reduced in CMX compared with CON between d 0 and 21 (P < 0.03, both mixed model and regression), d 21 and 42 (P < 0.001, mixed and regression), and d 0 and 56 (P < 0.001); FEC were influenced by day of study (P < 0.04), and the interaction tended to be significant using regression (P < 0.10). The FOC were negligible and not analyzed. There was no effect on development of nematode larvae in feces. However, there was a shift in population distribution from Haemonchus contortus to Trichostrongylus spp. which indicated a possible effect on female H. contortus fecundity. There was a sign of toxicity in one lamb following the second CMX drench. The value of using such a compound for GIN control may warrant further investigation.
133 Effect of terminal sire breed on grazing performance, parasitism and market grade of crossbred lambs
Authors: Maierle Camren l , Weaver Andrew R , Tuckwiller Reese H , Rohrbaugh Roger T , Garza Javier , Padrino Domingo Mata , Greiner Scott P , Bowdridge Scott A
Published: July 2019

Improvements in growth and carcass conformation through terminal sire crossbreeding systems may improve lamb value in a pasture-based system. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of different terminal sires on parasitism, growth, composition, and marketability of grazing lambs. Suffolk (SU; n = 2) and Texel (TX; n = 2) sires were mated to commercial ewes at the WVU Organic Farm. April-born lambs were managed on pasture as one group until weaning in midJune, then were separated into 3 replicates per sire breed. Lambs were rotationally grazed for 93 d with paddock movement every 10 d. Lambs were supplemented at a rate of 2% of bodyweight with a 16% CP corn-soybean meal supplement. Weights were collected at weaning and then weekly for the duration of the study. Fecal egg counts (FEC) and FAMACHA scores were collected biweekly. Lambs were de-wormed when FAMACHA score was ≥ 3. Ultrasound measures of rib eye area (REA) were obtained at study conclusion and lambs were marketed at a graded auction. Sire breed did not impact weaning weight or growth rate throughout the test. Fecal egg count was slightly higher in TX vs. SU-sired lambs (257 vs 191 eggs/g; P < 0.05). FAMACHA scores were lower in TX vs. SU-sired lambs (1.58 vs. 1.96; P < 0.0001). Fewer deworming treatments were necessary in TX-sired lambs at 10% (4/39) whereas as SU-sired lambs required 55% (22/40) (P < 0.0001). TX-sired lambs had greater REA (11.57 vs 9.42 cm2; P < 0.0001) and graded better at the saleyard. Grading was set to a 6 pt scale with higher equating to higher sale price. Lambs sired by TX rams graded 5.2 and SU-sired lambs graded 3.6 (P < 0.0001). These data demonstrate that Texel-sired lambs required fewer dewormer treatments and were compositionally more desirable when marketed
199 Effects of high heat load conditions on Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix sheep from different regions of the USA
Authors: Tadesse Dereje , Puchala Ryszard , Gipson Terry A , Goetsch Arthur L
Published: July 2019

Forty-six Dorper, 46 Katahdin, and 43 St. Croix female sheep (initial BW of 58, 59, and 46 kg, respectively, SEM = 1.75; 3.3 ± 0.18 yr of age, 2.6 - 3.7) from 45 commercial farms in four regions of the USA (Midwest, Northwest, Southeast, and central Texas) were used to evaluate responses to high heat load index (HLI) conditions in a central facility. The four trials entailed sequential 2-wk periods with target HLI during day/nighttime of 70/70 (thermoneutral zone conditions during the day and night), 85/70, 90/77, and 95/81, with weekly measures at 0700 (before increased daytime HLI), 1300, and 1700 h (preceding lower nighttime HLI). Rectal temperature (ºC) in period 3 (38.64, 38.66, and 38.48 at 0700 h, 39.08, 39.23, and 38.84 at 1300 h, and 39.20, 39.15, and 38.99 at 1700 h) and period 4 (38.71, 38.90, and 38.51 at 0700 h, 39.18, 39.12, and 38.83 at 1300 h, and 39.45, 39.34, and 39.07 at 1700 h for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively) (SEM = 0.054, 0.037, and 0.038 at 0700, 1300, and 1700 h, respectively) ranked St. Croix < Katahdin < Dorper. Nonetheless, there were corresponding differences in respiration rate (breaths/min) in period 3 (63.1, 56.8, and 49.6 at 0700 h, 133.8, 125.8, and 115.7 at 1300 h, and 125.5, 114.7, and 106.8 at 1700 h) and period 4 (81.6, 72.2, and 54.5 at 0700 h, 149.2, 143.6, and 137.3 at 1300 h, and 147.0, 141.4, and 134.2 at 1700 h for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively) (SEM = 3.12, 4.11, and 3.62 at 0700, 1300, and 1700 h, respectively). In conclusion, based on rectal temperature and respiration rate the overall impact of region was minimal and resilience to high HLI was greatest for St. Croix and lowest for Dorper sheep
196 Performance of landrace hair sheep lambs in a forage-based, semi-continuous production system
Authors: Wildeus Stephan , O’Brien Dahlia
Published: July 2019

Developing a system of year-round lamb production can address issues of continuous supply and product uniformity. In this project, Barbados Blackbelly (BB) and St. Croix (STX) Landrace hair sheep were used to produce cohorts of lambs in 4 mo intervals. Lambs were born on pasture, weaned at approximately 9 weeks, and returned to pasture after a period of post-weaning transition in pens. Ram lambs were rendered short-scrotum at weaning and grazed with ewe lambs as a single group in a rotational grazing system using cool season perennial grasses, warm and cool season annual forages, hay, and soy hull supplementation based on season and forage availability. Lambs were removed as they reached 35–40 kg or 12 mo of age. Data from two lamb cohorts born in April (n = 45) and August (n = 39), respectively, were analyzed for the effect of breed and sex on BW and ADG at different production stages. Birth weights of the April and August cohorts were similar (3.36 kg), but pre-weaning ADG and weaning weights were higher (P < 0.001) in the April (400 g/d and 15.6 kg) than August cohort (304 g/d and 12.1 kg). In contrast, pasture ADG (to 9 mo of age) was higher (P < 0.001) in the August (114 g/d) than April (73 g/d) cohort. Pasture ADG was higher (P < 0.05) in STX (100 g/d) than BB (88 g/d), and higher males (106 g/d) than females (81 g/d). During joint grazing of the two cohorts (December through March) ADG was initially higher (P < 0.001) in the older April (76 g/d) than August (16 g/d) lambs, but similar as they transitioned to annual forage (310 g/d). Pasture ADG fluctuated greatly in relation to forage quality, and to a lesser degree with breed and sex, and 79% of April and 84% of August cohort lambs reached target weights as yearlings.
50 Effects of post-weaning supplementation of immunomodulatory feed ingredient on body weight and cortisol levels in programmed fed beef heifers
Authors: Danielo Jessica L , Tipton Jessie , Ricks Ralph , McCarty Keelee J , Long Nathan
Published: July 2019

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of an immunomodulatory feed ingredient during post-weaning on growth and cortisol levels of beef heifers. Commercial Angus heifers (n = 72) from two AI sires were blocked (n = 9) by sire and BW and then randomly assigned to one of two pens per block. Each pen (4 heifers/pen) per block was assigned to one of the treatments. Heifers were fed a commercial TMR twice daily from d 0 to 60 to gain 0.75 kg/day. The feed was top-dressed once a day with either 72g of Celmanax (CEL) or 72g of corn germ (CON) per pen. Body weight was collected on d -1, 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 61. Blood samples were collected on d 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60. Sixteen heifers (n = 8 CEL; n = 8 CON) were randomly selected for a corticotropin releasing hormone/ arginine vasopressin (CRH/AVP) challenge after the 60 d period. Two heifers per pen (n = 32) were randomly selected for a transportation challenge to evaluate stress response on d 61 or 62 of the study. Pen was the experimental unit and data was analyzed by ANOVA or repeated measures analysis as appropriate. Feed efficiency and BW gain was increased (P = 0.04) in CEL heifers compared to CON heifers. Serum cortisol concentrations were decreased (P < 0.01) in CEL heifers compared to CON heifers on d 30 to 60 post-weaning. Serum cortisol concentrations were decreased (P < 0.05) in CEL heifers compared to CON heifers during the CRH/AVP challenge from 60 to 150 minutes post infusion. Serum cortisol concentrations were decreased (P < 0.05) in CEL heifers compared to CON heifers throughout the transportation challenge. In summary, supplementation of Celmanax post-weaning increased BW gain and reduced cortisol concentrations in beef heifers.
55 The influence of kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) age on in situ rumen degradation
Authors: Gulizia Joseph , Downs Kevin , Cui Song
Published: July 2019

Early and late season kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) leaves were collected to analyze dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in situ rumen disappearance to assess kudzu quality. Four studies were conducted during different growing seasons [2 repeated early season (ES); 2 repeated late season (LS) to determine age variability effects. Kudzu collected from 7 middle Tennessee counties were incubated in the rumen for designated lengths of time (0.25, 1, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h) to determine total rumen degradation (%) and rate of disappearance (% / h). Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with repeated measures. Regression analysis was used to determine degradation rate. Overall season effects (across incubation times) for dry matter disappearance (DMD) were significantly different (P < 0.0001). Significant season by incubation time interactions were exhibited for total DMD at 12 (P < 0.0001), 24 (P = 0.0004), 36 (P = 0.0055), 48 (P = 0.0209), and 72 h (P = 0.0384) incubation, with an average rumen degradability of ES kudzu being 9.75% higher than LS between 12 and 72 h. Slope regression between 1 and 24 h determined a rumen degradation rate of 2.41% / h across both seasons, with no significant seasonal difference (P = 0.3396). These results are indicative that ES kudzu is more highly rumen degradable than LS, as evidenced by the significant season by incubation time interactions between 12 and 72 h of incubation. Although there are significant seasonal effects on kudzu DMD during certain incubation times, DMD overall for ES and LS is still indicative of high rumen degradability with an average of 81.45% at 72 h across both seasons. Season effects were minimal for NDF, ADF, and CP rumen disappearance.
22 Poor management of breeding herd replacements is a key factor in poor sow lifetime productivity: Gilty as charged
Authors: Foxcroft George , Patterson Jenny
Published: July 2019

Recently published research on gilt development using contemporary commercial dam-lines has confirmed: 1) That the growth performance of gilts is rarely below the lifetime growth rate of 0.55 kg.d that would limit the onset of sexual maturity; 2) The majority of gilts provided direct daily contact with mature boars from 160 days of age reach puberty by 200 days of age and represent a normal distribution of “early responders”; 3) Gilts that respond later to boar stimulation have poorer lifetime fertility and tend to be over weight at breeding; 4) Pubertal responses to direct boar contact are significantly higher than responses to fenceline contact with boars; 5) Even if pubertal responses to direct boar contact are delayed in particular cohorts of gilts, good pubertal responses to exogenous, low-dose eCG/hCG treatments (PG600) allow efficient replacement gilt flows to be maintained in most commercial situations; 6) Delaying breeding until second observed estrus, and providing at least 10 days of acclimation to individual stall accommodation, maximizes first litter performance. When gilts were managed in purpose designed facilities that allowed daily records of vulval and behavioral responses to effective boar stimuli to be recorded, the lifetime reproductive performance of know pubertal gilts entering the breeding herd exceeded industry benchmarks. Of 2,374 naturally cyclic and 741 PG600-induced gilts delivered to the breeding herd, 97.6 and 95.7%, respectively, were bred, 94.7 and 92.0%, respectively, farrowed a first litter and 70.6 and 65.3%, respectively, farrowed a fourth litter. In terms of key factors other than reproductive performance that affect retention rate, another recent large-scale study of commercial replacement gilts derived from multiplication sows with a known litter birth weight phenotype confirmed data based on individual gilt birth weight, in that high growth rates linked to heavy weights at breeding were a major risk factor for early removal from the breeding herd. Therefore, poor gilt management must still be viewed as a major factor limiting breeding herd performance.
18 Does crowding in the nursery affect future sow reproductive performance and longevity in the breeding herd?
Authors: Estienne Mark J , Callahan Stuart , Cross Amanda , DeDecker Ashley , Lindemann Merlin D
Published: July 2019

We previously reported that crowding in the nursery decreased growth rate and affected blood chemistry and hematology measures in gilts. In the current experiment, weanling gilts were allowed decreased floor space in the nursery to determine effects of crowding on their future litter sizes and retention as sows. Of 2,537 gilts classified at weaning as large (6.92 kg), medium (4.42 kg), or small (5.60 kg) and reared in nursery pens of 14, 11, or 8 pigs (to allow 0.15, 0.19, or 0.27 m2 floor space/pig, respectively), 1,453 gilts were selected for breeding and distributed among 11 sow farms. As expected, total litter size (12.94, 13.28, and 13.99; SE = 0.13) and born alive (12.21, 12.64, and 13.23; SE = 0.11) increased (P < 0.01) from parity one to three. A tendency (P = 0.08) existed for a quadratic relationship between space and total litter size [13.39, 13.54, and 13.27 (SE = 0.13) for gilts allowed 0.15, 0.19, or 0.27 m2 floor space/pig, respectively]. A linear effect of pig size (P = 0.03) on stillborns was detected (0.64, 0.75, and 0.75, for small, medium, and large, respectively). There was no effect of space on the percentages of gilts completing zero (P = 0.36), one (P = 0.35), two (P = 0.32) or three (P = 0.50) parities. However, the percentage of small gilts completing zero parities was greater (P < 0.01), and the percentage completing one parity was less (P < 0.01) than for large or medium gilts. Abortion rate was greater (P < 0.01) in gilts classified as small (2.51%) or medium (1.36%) compared with large (0.20%). Floor space allowed in the nursery did not remarkably affect litter sizes or retention through three parities in sows. Compared with larger pigs, however, more small pigs entering the breeding herd did not complete a parity and displayed a greater abortion rate.
Protein quality in experimental diets and amino acid digestibility
Authors: Park Chan Sol , Adeola Olayiwola
Published: July 2019

Digestibility of AA in feed ingredients for pigs has been generally determined by feeding semipurified diets containing test ingredients as a sole source of nitrogen. However, malnutrition caused by feeding semi-purified diets may affect the digestibility of AA. Therefore, the hypothesis of this study was that the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are not affected by the addition of casein in experimental diets. In Exp. 1, 20 growing pigs were allotted to dietary treatments including 2 diets containing either 480 g/kg DDGS or 308 g/kg DDGS and 60 g/kg casein. The SID of Lys and Phe for DDGS in the diet containing casein were greater (P < 0.05) than those without casein. Exp. 2 was conducted with 20 growing pigs assigned to dietary treatments containing 0, 55, 110, or 165 g/kg casein while the concentration of DDGS decreased at 466.8, 311.2, 155.6, or 0 g/kg. The SID of most indispensable AA in DDGS linearly (P < 0.05) decreased with increasing concentration of casein. Experiment 3 was conducted to verify that the results of Exp. 1 were affected by the addition of casein or by the concentration of DDGS or both. Twenty growing pigs were assigned to dietary treatments prepared as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with the concentration of DDGS at 466.8 or 155.6 g/kg and casein at 0 or 110 g/kg. The SID of most indispensable AA in DDGS at 466.8 g/kg were greater (P < 0.01) than in DDGS at 155.6 g/kg regardless of dietary casein. Overall, the addition of 60 g/kg casein to experimental diets may increase the SID of AA in low-protein quality ingredients but the addition of higher concentration of casein and low concentration of dietary protein from test ingredients may decrease the SID of AA.
60 Re-ranking of estimated breeding values using different panel densities with ssGBLUP in broiler chickens
Authors: Salvian Mayara , Mourão Gerson Barreto , Moreira Gabriel Costa Monteiro , Ledur Mônica Corrêa , Coutinho Luiz Lehmann , Spangler Matthew L
Published: July 2019

The aim of this study was to compare the rank of estimated breeding values (EBV) for organs (heart, liver, lungs and gizzard) and carcass (breast, thigh and drumstick) traits using pedigree-based BLUP (PBLUP) and single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) models. A total of 1,453 chickens (703 males and 750 females) from a paternal broiler (TT) reference population belonging to the Poultry Breeding Program from Embrapa Swine and Poultry were genotyped with the Axiom® Genome-Wide Chicken Genotyping Array (Affymetrix) 600K SNP panel. Samples with a call rate lower than 90% were removed. A SNP quality control was applied for removing SNP with call rate lower than 98%, MAF lower than 2% and significant deviations from HWE (p-value < 10–7) leaving 370,608 SNP for further analysis. Estimated breeding values were predicted using the blupf90 family of programs whereby a series of bi-variate animal models that included sex and hatching as fixed effects were fitted. Heritability estimates for carcass and organ traits obtained through PBLUP varied from low (0.16) for lungs to moderate (0.34 to 0.47) for heart, liver, gizzard, breast, thigh and drumstick. The genomic heritability estimates through ssGBLUP varied from low (0.14) for lungs to moderate (0.30 to .041) for all other traits. Five subsets (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80% of SNP) were randomly selected from the full SNP set to determine the impact, in terms of EBV rank, of using reduced subsets of SNP to inform relationships among individuals. Although the 5% subset of SNP consistently had the lowest correlation with the full set of SNP, all correlations were greater than 0.995. Results suggest that a relatively limited proportion of SNP could be used to reliably predict EBV via ssGBLUP in this population.
82 Glucocorticoid receptor agonist (GRA): an alternative to in-feed antibiotics (ANT) for newly weaned pigs
Authors: Wooten Hailey , McGlone John J , Garcia Arlene , Rakhshandeh Amanda R , Rakhshandeh Anoosh
Published: July 2019

Previously we found that GRA reduces systemic inflammation in newly weaned pigs. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of GRA on growth performance and blood chemistry in newly weaned pigs, since inflammation impacts growth. A total of 209 pigs (BW 7.4 ±1.27 kg) were weaned at 26 ±1.5-d of age and assigned to a factorial CRD, with sex and treatment as main effects. Treatments included control (CON), GRA, ANT, and ANT+GRA (ANGA). Dexamethasone (0.2 mg/kg BW; i.m. injections) and Tylan 40 (0.12% of diet) were used as GRA and ANT, respectively. Pigs had free access to conventional corn-soybean diets according to a phase-feeding program. Feed intake, BW, ADG, measures of blood chemistry and hematocrit were determined over the 28-d post-weaning period. The repeated measures ANOVA (PROC MIXED) in SAS was used for statistical analysis. Interaction effects of sex and treatments were observed on BW and ADG (P = 0.03), but not on the gain-to-feed ratio (G:F). BW (kg) was higher in GRA gilts (10 ±0.08) than ANT gilts (9.7 ±0.06) and barrows (9.6 ±0.05), and CON barrows (9.4 ±0.09; P = 0.01). GRA gilts tended to be heavier than CON gilts (9.8 ±0.10; P = 0.06). ADG (kg) was higher in GRA gilts (0.40 ±0.014) than ANT gilts (0.34 ±0.019), CON barrows (0.29 ±0.016) and ANT barrows (0.36 ±0.012; P = 0.05). Overall G:F was higher in GRA pigs than CON pigs (0.63 vs. 0.56 ±0.020; P = 0.01) and tended to be higher than ANT pigs (P = 0.09). Creatinine levels tended to be lower in GRA pigs than ANT pigs (1.18 vs. 1.30 ±0.046 mg/dl; P = 0.07). Treatments had no effects on other measures of blood chemistry. Collectively, treatment with GRA effectively improves the growth performance of nursery pigs, especially gilts, during the nursery phase. GRA can be considered as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics for mitigating the adverse effects of weaning stress. USDA-NIFA-2017-68008-26304.
111 Common nutritional and infectious health challenges in nursery pigs
Authors: Burrough Eric R , Gabler Nicholas K
Published: July 2019

Poor starting nursery pigs are a common source of frustration for pork producers due to suboptimal lean tissue production and failure to thrive. This is generally a multifactorial issue with potential nutritional, infectious and management contributors. Commonly encountered respiratory and enteric pathogens include porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), influenza A virus (IAV), porcine enteric coronaviruses (TGEV/PEDV/PDCV), and group A, B, and C rotaviruses, as well as Salmonella typhimurium, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Streptococcus suis, and Haemophilus parasuis. Infection with one or more of these agents can ultimately antagonize pig health and performance. However, while these specific pathogens may be causing an observed disease symptom, pigs may have been predisposed to infection due to various management, nutritional, and environmental risk factors. As many of these potential pathogens are endemic in production systems, it is important to remember that simply detecting a potential pathogen within a population is often not sufficient to assign cause for poor growth and production. To help fully interpret the impact of a detected agent, diagnostic efforts should focus on providing proof that the agent is actually causing disease. Molecular detection methods, such as PCR, are increasingly available for common pathogens and have high diagnostic sensitivity but lower diagnostic specificity. This paper will discuss the clinical signs and gross and microscopic lesions associated with common nursery pig pathogens, as well as proper sampling and diagnostic testing necessary to detect and confirm disease following infection with these agents.
126 Energy (ME)-releasing efficacy of graded levels of 6-phytase, Natuphos® E, and a NSPase, Natugrain® TS, in 35 kg pigs fed corn/soy diets
Authors: Coelho Michael , Jones Robert , Parks Frank
Published: July 2019

This study evaluated the metabolizable (ME) release of graded levels of phytase when fed to 35 kg pigs on mash corn/soy diets formulated to meet or exceed current NRC (2012) recommendations. A total of 280 male (PIC 337 x Camborough) pigs were used in a randomized complete block design with pen as the experimental unit, treatment as the fixed effect, and block as the random effect (4 pig/pen x 8 treatments x 10 replications). Pigs were blocked by sex and weight. Treatments groups consisted of PC, NC1=PC- 0.17% Ca, - 0.15% aP, -0.02% Na, -200 kcal/kg, T1=NC +1000 FTU/kg phytase+0.15 g/kg NSPase, T2=NC+1500 FTU/kg phytase+0.15 g/kg NSPase, T3=NC+2000 FTU/kg phytase+0.15 g/kg NSPase, T4=NC+2500 FTU/kg phytase+0.15 g/kg NSPase and T5=NC+3000 FTU/kg phytase +0.15 g/kg NSPase. TiO2 was used as the undigestible marker. Feed, rectum grabbed fecal samples were collected at 35 kg pigs. ME was 3407, 3213, 3301, 3329, 3345, 3354 and 3358 Kcal/kg, P < 0.05, respectively. The NC reduced the ME by 194 Kcal/kg versus the PC. 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 FTU/kg released 87, 116, 132, 141 and 145 Kcal/kg, respectively. Least cost formulation reduced net feed costs by $8.63, $9.22, $11.10, $11.90 and $12.39/ton, respectively. In conclusion, Natuphos E by breaking down phytic acid and Natugrain TS by breaking down NSPs released up to 145 Kcal/kg ME in pigs.
128 Effects of a Bacillus-based probiotic and prebiotics on nursery pig performance, fecal consistency, and fecal microflora
Authors: Menegat Mariana Boscato , Braun Michaela B , DeRouchey Joel M , Woodworth Jason C , Bryte Jim , Tokach Mike D , Dritz Steve S , Goodband Robert D
Published: July 2019

This study evaluated the progeny of sows fed a control or probiotic diet with Bacillus subtilis C-3102 (Calsporin®, Calpis Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) at 500,000 and 1,000,000 CFU/g diet in gestation and lactation, respectively. A total of 358 weaned pigs (DNA 241 × 600) were used in a 42-d trial with 4–5 pigs/pen and 18–19 pens/treatment. Pens were allotted to treatments in a completely randomized design based on BW at weaning. Treatments were a 2×2 factorial with main effects of sow diet (control vs. probiotic) and nursery diet (control vs. probiotic). In the nursery probiotic diet, a product based on probiotic Bacillus subtilis C-3102 at 500,000 CFU/g diet and prebiotics β-glucans and mannan oligosaccharides was included at 0.05% (BacPack ABF™, Quality Technology International, Inc., Elgin, IL). Diets were corn-soybean meal-based. Growth performance and fecal consistency on a 1-to-5 scale were evaluated weekly. Fecal samples were collected for microbial analysis by culture method and bacterial quantification of Bacillus subtilis C-3102, total Bacillus sp., Lactobacillus sp., Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp., Enterococcus sp., Enterobacteriaceae, total aerobes, and total anaerobes. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model (PROC GLIMMIX, SAS®) with pen as experimental unit. There was no evidence for effect of sow diet, nursery diet, or interactions (P > 0.10) on overall nursery growth performance and fecal consistency. However, growth performance from d 21 to 42 and final BW were greater (P < 0.05) in progeny of control-fed sows compared to probiotic-fed sows. Microbial analysis revealed an increase (P < 0.01) in Bacillus subtilis C-3102 and, consequently, total Bacillus sp. in fecal microflora of probiotic-fed pigs. In conclusion, probiotic inclusion to sow diets lowered growth performance of the progeny in late nursery. The probiotic diet provided to sows or nursery pigs did not influence fecal consistency, but altered the fecal microbial population in nursery pigs by increasing total Bacillus sp.
130 Young Scholar Presentation: Can exogenous carbohydrase supplementation to higher-fiber diets improve gut function, microbiota, and growth performance of weaned pigs?
Authors: Li Qingyun , Gabler Nicholas K , Burrough Eric R , Loving Crystal L , Schmitz-Esser Stephan , Patience John F , Peng Xiyu
Published: July 2019

There is increasing interest in feeding higher-fiber coproducts to weaned pigs due to their potential benefits on gut function and microbiota. However, young pigs are not efficient at utilizing fibrous coproducts. Exogenous carbohydrases can be used to improve nutrient utilization and growth of pigs fed higher levels of coproducts. Previous results regarding the impact of carbohydrases on performance in pigs have been inconsistent, thus a better understanding of associated mechanisms is needed. Using 460 weaned pigs (6.4 ± 0.1 kg), our first study showed that a carbohydrase enzyme blend (EB) improved ADG of weaned pigs fed higher-fiber diets (with added DDGS and wheat middlings) over a 28-d experimental period (P < 0.05). Pigs fed EB-supplemented diets had lower urinary lactulose:mannitol ratio, decreased plasma IL-8 concentration, and greater ileal CLDN3 (claudin 3) mRNA abundance, compared with those fed diets without EB (P < 0.05). These changes may partly explain the improved growth, providing mode of action evidence for carbohydrase in improving performance of weaned pigs. Carbohydrases may also exert prebiotic effects through release of oligosaccharides from fiber degradation. Thus, carbohydrases and dietary fiber may improve disease resilience of young pigs against bacterial infections, for example, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) induced post-weaning diarrhea. Our second study evaluated the impact of soluble versus insoluble fiber with or without carbohydrases in newly weaned pigs (n = 60; 6.9 ± 0.07 kg) challenged with F18 ETEC. A diet containing a soluble and highly fermentable fiber from sugar beet pulp with added carbohydrases improved (P < 0.05) ADG, tended to increase (P < 0.10) ileal OCLN (occludin) mRNA, increased (P < 0.05) colonic OCLN mRNA, and tended to decrease (P < 0.10) ileal Escherichia-Shigella compared with ETEC-challenged control. Collectively, appropriate use of exogenous carbohydrases in higher-fiber diets (with the right type and amount of enzyme substrate) is promising in improving gut health and growth performance in weaned pigs.
137 Effects of micro-encapsulated formula of organic acids and essential oils on performance and gut integrity of weaned piglets challenged with ETEC K88
Authors: Xu Yetong , Lahaye Ludovic , He Zhengxiao , Zhang Jinxiao , Yang Chengbo , Piao Xiangshu , Bodin Jean-Christophe
Published: July 2019

Control of post-weaning scours is a major concern in pig production. This study intended to evaluate the effects of a selected formula of micro-encapsulated organic acids and essential oils [P(OA+EO)] on performance and intestinal integrity of weaned piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC-K88). A three-wk cage study was conducted using 30 crossbred (Duroc×Landrace×Large-White) 28 days old weaned barrows with initial body weight of 7.41 kg individually housed in metabolic cages with six replications randomly assigned to one of the following five treatments: PC) non-challenged control; NC) ETEC-K88-challenged control; FA): NC + 50 mg/kg kitasamycin + 100 ppm olaquindox + 5 kg/t Free acids; P1): NC + 50 mg/kg kitasamycin + 100 ppm olaquindox + 1 kg/t P(OA+EO) (Jefo, Canada); and P2): NC + 50 mg/kg kitasamycin + 100 ppm olaquindox + 2 kg/t P(OA+EO). Pigs of groups NC, FA, P1 and P2 received an oral dose of 10 mL of ETEC-K88 culture (1×109 CFU/mL) at d 7. Data were subjected to statistical analyses (GLM procedure, SAS). Differences among treatments were separated using Student-Newman-Keul’s range test with a level of significance at P ≤ 0.05. Supplementation of FA and P(OA+EO) tended (P = 0.06) to improve ADG over NC in the two weeks after challenge (424, 486 and 529 g for FA, P1 and P2 respectively vs 390 g for NC). P1 significantly (P < 0.05) improved G:F over NC and FA. One week after challenge, P1 had significantly (P < 0.05) higher ileal occludin protein expression compared to NC, FA and P2. Ileal Zonula occludens-1 expression was decreased (P < 0.05) in NC, while there was no difference between PC and P1 (Table 1). In conclusion, the formula of [P(OA+EO)] could improve growth performance and intestinal integrity of weaned piglets facing E. coli challenge.
139 Bioavailability of valine in a fermentation biomass product relative to the bioavailability in crystalline L-valine when fed to weanling pigs
Authors: Faria de Oliveira Maryane S , Htoo John K , González-Vega Caroline J , Thomson John E , Stein Hans H
Published: July 2019

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that Val from a Val-containing fermentation biomass product (Val-FB; 64.4% L-Val) has a bioavailability of 100% relative to L-Val (98% Val) when fed to weanling pigs. A Val-deficient basal diet containing 0.63% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Val was formulated. Six additional diets were prepared by supplementing the basal diet with 0.08, 0.16, or 0.24% L-Val or 0.12, 0.25, or 0.37% Val-FB to create experimental diets containing 0.71, 0.79, or 0.87% SID Val. A total of 224 weanling pigs (6.87 ± 0.64 kg) were allotted to a randomized complete block design with 7 diets and 8 replicate pens per diet. Diets were fed for 21 d and growth performance was measured on a pen basis. Orthogonal-polynomial contrasts were used to determine linear and quadratic effects of L-Val and Val-FB levels on performance and the effect of Val sources. A linear regression model based on performance was used to estimate the relative bioavailability (RBV) of Val in Val-FB relative to L-Val. The final body-weight (BW) and average-daily-gain (ADG) were greater (P < 0.01) for pigs fed diets supplemented with Val-FB than pigs fed diets supplemented with L-Val (Table 1). The average-daily-feed-intake (ADFI) decreased linearly (P < 0.01), whereas gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) increased (P < 0.01) by supplementing graded levels of both Val sources to the diets. The RBV of Val in Val-FB as determined by ADG, G:F, and final BW was 146, 135, and 143%, respectively, with 95% confidence intervals of 99 to 191%, 83 to 187%, and 70 to 217%, respectively. In conclusion, the linear regression estimated a RBV of at least 100% for Val-FB relative to L-Val, and pigs fed diets supplemented with Val-FB had greater ADG and final BW than pigs fed diets supplemented with the same amount of L-Val.
145 Effects of titrated levels of water soluble zinc amino acid complex on growth performance of nursery pigs
Authors: Aparachita Pornpim , Carter Scott , Sawyer Afton , Harshman Jared , Rambo Zach , Ward Terry
Published: July 2019

Previously, we reported that supplementing a water soluble zinc via drinking water (0 to 80 mg/L) to nursery pigs improved ADG and G:F. To evaluate the efficacy of higher titrated levels of this water soluble zinc amino acid complex (ProPath®Zn LQ, Zinpro Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN) on growth performance, 280 crossbred pigs (5.5 kg BW; 19 d of age) were randomly allotted to four water treatments (7 pens/treatment; 10 pigs/pen). The water treatments were 0, 40, 80 and 160 mg Zn/L of water. Pigs were fed in 4 dietary phases with complex, nutrient-dense, corn-soybean meal-based diets: Phase 1 and 2 (2,500 and 1,750 mg Zn as ZnO/kg; d 1–7 and 7–14, respectively) and Phase 3 and 4 (200 mg Cu as CuSO4/kg; d 14–23 and 23–42, respectively). Pigs and feeders were weighed weekly to determine ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Water meters were used to record and calculate water disappearance and zinc intake. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design. Orthogonal polynomial contrasts were used to determine linear and curvilinear effects. Water and total zinc intake increased linearly (P < 0.001) with increasing water zinc concentration. From d 0–14 when high dietary zinc was fed, there were no differences (P > 0.10) in ADG, ADFI, or G:F. However, from d 14–42 when basal levels of zinc were fed, quadratic improvements in ADG (0.545, 0.561, 0.578, 0.546 kg; P < 0.05) and G:F (0.686, 0.706, 0.723, 0.702; P < 0.01) were observed with increasing zinc via water. Similarly for d 0–42, ADG (0.435, 0.440, 0.454; 0.434 kg; P = 0.07), G:F (0.726, 0.740, 0.763, 0.749; P = 0.05) and average ending wt (23.73, 23.97, 24.55, 23.70 kg; P = 0.07) improved quadratically with increasing zinc. In conclusion, supplementing ProPath®Zn LQ via water resulted in improvements in ADG and G:F for nursery pigs.
198 An in vivo model to investigate the effects of host stress and Salmonella typhimurium infection on nursery pigs
Authors: Helm Emma T , Burrough Eric R , Gabler Nicholas K
Published: July 2019

In animals, the sympathoadrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis release chemicals that can act on and alter host microbiota. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate if host stress (via adrenocorticotropin and catecholamine challenge) would increase the severity of a salmonella typhimurium infection. A total of 32 nursery pigs (7.6 ± 1.5 kg BW) were selected and split into treatment groups using a 2 x 2 factorial design to examine the impacts of stress hormone challenge, S. Typhimurium challenge, and their interaction. The resulting treatment groups (n = 8 pigs/treatment) were: 1) non-challenged controls (CON), 2) stress challenged, S. Typhimurium negative (CAT), 3) stress challenge negative, S. Typhimurium challenged (SAL), and 4) stress challenged, S. Typhimurium challenged (CAT+SAL). On days post inoculation (dpi) -1, the stress challenge was initiated and continued daily until dpi 4. The stress challenge consisted of an adrenocorticotropin injection (intramuscular, 0.2 IU/kg BW), a norepinephrine injection (intramuscular, 45 μg/kg BW), and an oral drench of L-DOPA (50 mg/kg BW). On dpi 0, pigs were inoculated with a field strain of S. Typhimurium. On dpi 5, plasma was collected and all pigs were necropsied for tissue collection. Plasma and colon samples were assayed for cortisol, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine. Colon contents and the ileocecal lymph node were cultured for S. Typhimurium. At dpi 5, plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine concentrations were increased (P < 0.05) and plasma cortisol tended to be increased (P = 0.077) due to stress challenge. However, only colon dopamine concentrations were increased (P = 0.050) due to stress challenge. Further, CAT+SAL pigs didn’t have increased colon colonization of S. typhimurium or increased translocation to the ileocecal lymph node compared with SAL pigs. This suggests that host driven stress may not specifically exacerbate the severity of an S. Typhimurium infection.
205 Neuroendocrine pathways and the nutritional control of puberty in heifers
Authors: Cardoso Rodolfo C , Williams Gary L
Published: July 2019

Approximately 5 million beef heifers enter the U.S. cow herd annually, and their lifetime productivity is heavily-dependent upon their ability to attain puberty and produce a calf by 24 mo of age. However, a significant proportion of heifers within existing U.S. production systems fail to achieve these objectives. Therefore, approaches are needed that facilitate nutritional programming of the reproductive neuroendocrine axis, while minimizing feeding costs and optimizing the consistent establishment of puberty by 14–15 mo of age. Accelerated rates of BW gain during early calfhood, particularly between 4 and 9 mo of age, facilitate pubertal development by programming hypothalamic centers that regulate GnRH secretion. Among the different metabolic hormones, leptin plays a critical role in conveying nutritional information to the brain and controlling pubertal progression. Two hypothalamic neuronal populations that express the orexigenic peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the anorexigenic peptide alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH) are key components of afferent pathways that convey inhibitory (NPY) and excitatory (αMSH) inputs to GnRH neurons. Our studies have demonstrated that short-term increases in dietary energy intake during juvenile development result in epigenetic, structural, and functional modifications in these hypothalamic pathways to promote high-frequency, episodic release of GnRH/LH. However, integrating the foundational knowledge of metabolic imprinting of the brain for early puberty with issues related to lifetime performance is complex. One approach has been to employ a novel stair-step nutritional regimen involving alternating periods of dietary energy-restriction and re-feeding during juvenile development. This approach is designed to support early onset of puberty by imprinting genomic, biochemical and morphologic alterations in the hypothalamus during key periods of brain development while optimizing other aspects of growth and performance. Finally, our recent findings suggest that maternal nutrition during gestation can also induce neuroendocrine changes that are likely to persist long after puberty and influence reproductive performance throughout adulthood in cattle.
212 Ovarian ultrasound of sows by parity and season to determine effects of induced ovulation and single PCAI on farrowing rate and litter size
Authors: Arend Lidia S , Knox Robert V , Minton Amanda M , Schwab Clint R , Shull Caleb M , Buysse Steve , Johnston Mike E , Roaten Catherine M , Webel Stephen K
Published: July 2019

Increasing the distribution of semen from genetically superior sires accelerates the rate of improvement of economically important traits. Using a single fixed time post-cervical AI (SFTI) with ovulation control, the number of inseminations per ejaculate can be doubled. The objective of the study was to determine whether ovarian ultrasound could help identify parity (P1, 2, 3-6, ≥ 7) and seasonal (May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct) effects on fertility following induced ovulation and SFTI. Sows received OvuGel® (n = 914) on Days 3-5 after weaning and a SFTI 24 h later. Control sows (n = 881) that expressed estrus on Days 3-6 received a post-cervical AI on each day standing. Ovaries of a sub-population of sows (n = 436) were scanned by ultrasound to assess follicle size and insemination to ovulation interval. Interval from insemination to ovulation > 24 h tended (P = 0.09) to reduce farrowing rate (FR, 74.1 ± 2.8%) compared to inseminations £ 24 h (83.4 ± 2.8%), regardless of treatment. In addition, sows that ovulated by Day 6 after weaning had greater (P = 0.03) total born (TB, 12.9 ± 0.5) than those ovulating ≥ 7 d (11.5 ± 0.5). Follicle number (16.3 ± 0.7) and size (7.0 ± 0.5 mm) on Day 4 did not differ between treatments. OvuGel increased (P = 0.002) the proportion of sows ovulating (88.9%) versus Controls (78.6%), but for both treatments, fewer P1 sows ovulated (75.0%) when compared to P3-6 (90.4%). Treatments did not differ in FR (78.5%), but seasonal interactions were observed (P = 0.05), most notably in Sep-Oct. Parity affected FR (P = 0.02), and was lower in P1 (66.1%) compared to 3 P2 (82.2%). Also, OvuGel and Control did not differ in TB (13.0) but parity ≥ 7 had the lowest TB (11.8) compared to younger parity females. In summary, OvuGel increased the proportion of sows ovulating by 10.3%, resulting in similar FR and TB compared to Control sows inseminated multiple times based on estrus.
214 Epigenetic marks within the swine placenta are differentially expressed due to factors associated with season
Authors: Rempel Lea A , Miles Jeremy R
Published: July 2019

Seasonal reproductive inefficiency is still observed in modern swine facilities. We previously reported global placental methylation activity was reduced from summer breedings and tended to be less from semen collected during cooler periods. Our objective was to evaluate chromatin modification marks within swine placenta in relationship to breeding season, semen collection season, and semen storage. White composite gilts were artificially inseminated in August or January using single-sire semen that was collected during warm or cool periods and stored as either cryopreserved or cooled-extended. Gilts were harvested 45 d post-breeding and placental samples from the smallest, average, and largest fetus in each litter were collected and stored at -80C until RNA extraction. An RT2 Profiler assay featuring 84 known chromatin modification enzyme targets was performed using placental RNA pooled by litter. Real-time quantitative PCR results were analyzed using the MIXED procedure and p-values were Hochberg corrected using the MULTTEST procedure in SAS. The complete model included the fixed effects of: breeding season (winter or summer), semen collection season (cool or warm), semen storage (cooled-extended or cryopreserved), interactions; boar as repeated effect; and plate as random effect. If interactions were not significant, only main effects were tested. The genes; ATF2, AURKA, and KDM5 were different (P < 0.05) by interaction of breeding season, semen collection season, and semen storage. In general, the greatest (P < 0.05) expression was in placentas derived from summer breedings. Expression of AURKA was also influenced by semen collection and storage. Expression of placental KDM5 from winter breedings was also greater (P < 0.05) from semen collected during cool periods. Placental expression of; ASH2L, DNMT3B, ESCO1, HDAC2, ING3, KDM6B, MYSM1, and SMYD3 were greater (P < 0.05) from summer breedings. Increased expression of known chromatin modification genes, from placentas derived from summer breedings, are likely responsible for reduced global methylation activity.
224 Impact of bunk management strategy on animal performance, carcass characteristics, and hydrogen sulfide gas concentrations in steers fed modified distillers grains with solubles
Authors: Lekatz Leslie , Neville Bryan
Published: July 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of bunk management on animal performance, carcass characteristic, and hydrogen sulfide gas concentrations in beef steers fed modified distillers grains with solubles (MDGS; DM basis). One hundred and thirty-nine steers (initial BW = 240 ± 5.17 kg) were allocated into 16 pens and assigned to one of two treatments: 1) Control-managed bunks: bunks devoid of feed prior to feeding; and 2) Long-managed bunks: bunks with approximately 2.54cm of feed remaining at the time feeding. Treatments were applied during a 28-d adaptation period, during which time, steers were adapted to a common finishing ration containing 25% MDGS (DM basis). Ruminal hydrogen sulfide gas was collected by rumenocentesis from two steers from each of three pens per treatment on d 0, 7, 14, and 28, which correspond to days of diet transition. Animal performance data were collected throughout the study and carcass characteristic data were collected when steers reached market weight. There were no differences (P < 0.13) in BW, ADG, or F:G between treatments during the adaptation period or throughout the entire study. Steers managed with long bunks had greater (P = 0.001) intake during adaptation; however, overall DMI was not different (P = 0.14) between treatments. Hydrogen sulfide gas concentrations were not affected by the day x treatment interaction (P = 0.30) but were affected by day (P = 0.003) with hydrogen sulfide concentrations increasing throughout adaptation. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations tended (P = 0.07) to be greater in steers with long-managed bunks vs. control-managed bunks. There were no differences (P > 0.53) in carcass characteristics. In summary, bunk management had no effect on performance or carcass characteristics and only tended to impact hydrogen sulfide gas concentrations.