Effect of feeding pregnant gilts fermented potato extract protein on the prenatal development and semitendinosus muscle characteristics of newborn piglets

The skeletal muscle, which largely forms meat, constitutes most of the body mass in pigs. Growth and meat quality mainly depend on the relationship between prenatal and postnatal development. Feed additives are used in the diet of pigs to improve production efficiency. In this study, we determined the effect of feeding pregnant pigs fermented potato extract protein on the characteristics of the skeletal muscles of newborn piglets. Ten Danish gilts (Large white x Landrace) were supplemented with or without fermented potato extract protein (5 gilts each) during the gestation period. After parturition, two neonate piglets from each sow were randomly selected, and the birth weight, organ weight, morphometrics, and the characteristics of the semitendinosus muscle, including weight, length, circumference, muscle cross-sectional area (MCSA), number of total muscle fibers, number of primary fibers, number of secondary fibers, and the ratio of secondary to primary (S:P) fibers were recorded. The piglets from sows that were fed fermented potato extract protein showed a significantly higher S:P ratio (p = 0.02) than those from control sows. The weights of the body and visceral organs at birth tended to be higher in the newborn offspring of the treated sows. The supplementation with fermented potato extract protein during gestation in pigs can increase the S:P ratio, which can be used to follow changes in the hyperplasia of secondary fibers in the fetus and might also affect postnatal growth

Genetic characterization of porcine circovirus type 2 in piglets from PMWS-affected and -negative farms in Thailand

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the major swine pathogen associated with Porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD) including post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Currently, there are 4 subtypes of PCV2 (PCV2a, b, c and d) and some epidemiological evidences demonstrated that virulence of PCV2 may relate to its subtypes. Recently, PMWS was observed more frequently in swine farms in Thailand; however, the information regarding to PCV2 subtype involved was limited. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the association between occurrence of PMWS and PCV2 subtypes as well as genetically characterize PCV2 in Thailand. PCV2 DNA was isolated from faecal swabs and whole blood of piglets from PMWS-affected and -negative farms. The full length ORF2 sequences were compared using multiple alignment. The results showed that PCV2 DNA was detected more frequently in PMWS-affected farms. The nucleotide identities of the ORF2 from 9 PCV2 isolates representing each PMWS-affected farm and one from the negative farm ranged from 92.4 to 99.5% suggesting that there is some genetic variation of PCV2 in Thai swine. The 10 PCV2 isolates were classified into 2 clusters, in which the 7 isolates from PMWS-positive farms were in PCV2b cluster 1 A/B. The remaining isolates were separated in the new subtype called PCV2e. The results suggest the presence of new PCV2 subtypes in addition to PCV2a and PCV2b in Asian swine population. However, correlation between subtypes and virulence of PCV2 infection is not conclusive due to limited number of the PCV2 sequences from PMWS negative farms

Chinese-like Strain of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, Thailand

Since late 2007, several outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection have emerged in Thailand. Phylogenetic analysis places all Thai PEDV isolates during the outbreaks in the same clade as the Chinese strain JS-2004-2. This new genotype PEDV is prevailing and currently causing sporadic outbreaks in Thailand

Mycotoxin profiles of animal feeds in the central part of Thailand: 2015-2020

Background and Aim: Mycotoxin contamination in animal feeds is of considerable concern because it can affect animal health systems. As a result of contamination in the food chain, humans can indirectly come into contact with mycotoxins. The present study aimed to present mycotoxin contamination patterns in animal feeds from 2015 to 2020 and elucidate associations between the type of feed and the type of ingredient. Materials and Methods: Data were summarized from the records of the Kamphaeng Saen Veterinary Diagnosis Center from 2015 to 2020, which comprised the analyses of aflatoxin (AFL), zearalenone (ZEA), T-2 toxin (T-2), fumonisin (FUM), and deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in feed ingredients, complete feeds, and unclassified feeds. Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared tests, and Fisher's exact tests were used for data analysis. Results: ZEA was prevalent in animal feeds. The prevalence of each mycotoxin was constant from 2015 to 2020. Approximately 20-30% of samples were positive for AFL and FUM. The highest contamination was ZEA, which was found in 50% of the samples, and the occurrence of T-2 and DON was <10%. AFL significantly contaminated complete feeds more than feed ingredients. Feed ingredients were related to mycotoxin contaminations. The highest levels of AFL, FUM, and DON contamination occurred in 2017. The data in this year consisted mostly of soybean, corn, and rice bran. Conclusion: The number of positive samples of all five mycotoxins was constant from 2015 to 2020, but the occurrence of ZEA was the highest. Mycotoxins in feedstuffs are significantly related to the type of feed and the type of ingredient