190 research outputs found
Strategies to manage tail biting in pigs housed in fully-slatted systems
EU Council Directive (2008/120/EC) prohibits the routine practice of tail docking to
control tail biting in pigs, yet most pigs in Europe are still tail-docked. This is
primarily due to a lack of effective solutions with the least economic impact for the
producers, especially in fully-slatted systems. This PhD project aimed to find
strategies to manage tail biting in pigs housed on fully-slatted floors, using
enrichment and dietary strategies.
The first two experiments started with identifying suitable materials as enrichment
for docked pigs housed in fully-slatted system. Pigs’ enrichment use was compared
between four different wood types; beech (Fagus sylvatica), larch (Larix decidua),
spruce (Picea sitchensis) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and also between wood
types (beech, larch, spruce) and a rubber floor toy. Pigs were consistently observed
interacting with the spruce more frequently than the other wood types in the two
experiments, and the rubber floor toy also generated a similar amount of
interaction from pigs as the spruce post. No carcass damage was found which could
be directly related to using dried wood sourced from a commercial sawmill.
The next experiment used a single enrichment item and different fibre levels in the
diet to rear undocked pigs. In a 2×2×2 design, the pigs had either: A) a standard
(weaner 3.7% finisher 5.9%) or high fibre (weaner 5.3% finisher 11.6%) diet; B) a
spruce post or a rubber floor toy as enrichment in the weaner stage; C) the
same/alternated enrichment given in the finisher stage. During this experiment a
high level of tail biting was recorded (n=26 tail biting outbreaks), and a substantial
number of pigs were removed temporarily or permanently from their home pens
due to tail biting. Pigs fed with a high fibre diet had worse tail damage score and
performed more tail biting. Pigs which had the floor toy in the weaner stage and
wood in the finisher stage had slightly lower tail lesion scores. Pigs receiving the
floor toy interacted with the enrichment more frequently overall. This study
showed that higher dietary fibre in a relatively barren environment did not help
reduce tail biting or tail lesions Moreover, a single enrichment item, which was
preferred by pigs in the previous studies, was not enough in a group of 14 pigs to
control tail biting, and thus the quantity of enrichment may be important factor to
consider.
In the final experiment, a 2 × 3 design was used to further investigate the effect of
A) an enriched/barren environment during farrowing and B) three enrichment
management strategies post-weaning, based on the frequency of replenishment
(“Low”: on Monday/Wednesday/Friday; “Medium”: once daily; “High”: ad libitum).
All pens received the same enrichment (8 items/12 pigs, including an elevated rack
supplied with fresh-cut grass). The average daily gain in the finishing stage was
slightly higher in “High” than “Low” pigs. “Low” pigs also performed more damaging
behaviours (tail/ear biting, belly-nosing, mounting, other biting and aggressive
behaviours) than “High” and “Medium” pigs. No difference in lesion scores was
found between treatments. Although sporadic tail biting outbreaks occurred (n=14,
halved compared to the previous trial), they usually resolved within 2 weeks, and all
but one tail-injured pig were successfully reintroduced back to their home pens
after removals. Thus, this study concluded that by employing appropriate
enrichment management strategies, tail biting can be kept at a level without a
negative impact on the production cost in undocked pigs housed in a fully-slatted
system
Intra-Group Lethal Gang Aggression in Domestic Pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus)
peer-reviewedIntraspecific coalitional aggression is rare among all species, especially within stable social groups. We report here numerous cases of intraspecific lethal gang aggression within stable groups of domestic pigs. The objective was to describe this extreme aggression and to identify potential causes. Management data were collected from farms with (n = 23) and without (n = 19) gang aggression. From one farm, 91 victims were assessed for skin injuries and body condition score. Lethal gang aggression was significantly associated with deep straw bedding, which may be related to various other factors. Gang aggression tended to occur more in winter, and was unrelated to genetic line, breeding company, group size or feed type. It occurred equally in female-only and mixed sex groups (male-only groups were not represented), from around eight weeks of age. Injuries typically covered the whole body and were more severe on the front of the body. Victims who survived had a lower body condition score and fewer injuries than victims found dead. There are still many unknowns as to why this abnormal social behaviour occurs and it deserves further research attention, both for its applied relevance to animal welfare as for the evolutionary background of lethal gang aggression
Enrichment use in finishing pigs and its relationship with damaging behaviours: Comparing three wood species and a rubber floor toy
Environmental enrichment in pig housing is a legal requirement under current EU legislation, but some recommended loose materials may cause obstructions in fully-slatted systems. Wood is an organic material that could be compatible with slatted systems. This study investigated enrichment use in finishing pigs (three wood species and a rubber floor toy) and explored the relationship between use and damaging behaviours, and physiological and physical measures of stress and injury. Individual variation in enrichment use within pen was also investigated. Pigs (12 weeks old; week 0) were housed in 40 pens of seven pigs (n = 280). One of four different enrichment items (one spruce, larch, or beech wooden post, or rubber floor toy) was randomly assigned to each pen (10 pens/treatment). The behaviour of each individually marked pig was observed continuously from video recordings taken on six different occasions (twice during week 2, 4 and 7; 1 h per occasion). Individual tail/ear lesion and tear staining scores were recorded every 2 weeks. Saliva samples for cortisol analysis were obtained from three focal pigs per pen every 2 weeks. These focal pigs were selected based on the latency to approach the experimenter on the first sampling day and classified as ‘Approach’, ‘Neutral’ or ‘Avoid’. Carcasses were inspected for tail lesions and potential oral damage. Time spent using enrichment was higher in pigs with spruce and rubber toy than with larch and beech (P < 0.001). Spruce was used up the most quickly and was the softest of the wood species (P < 0.001). High use of spruce was not due to consistent high use by certain pigs. No treatment effect on any other behaviour was recorded, but enrichment use was positively correlated with damaging behaviours at pen level (P < 0.001). Spruce pigs had slightly more severe tail lesion scores than Beech (P < 0.05). Salivary cortisol did not differ between treatments but was higher in ‘Avoid’ than ‘Approach’ pigs (P = 0.04). No clear oral damage that could be attributed to using wood was found. By investigating enrichment use at both pen and individual level, a more complete picture was obtained of how pigs used the enrichment. Wood appears to be a safe material to use as environmental enrichment for pigs and a softer wood species was preferred by pigs with equal preference for the rubber floor toy.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Irelan
Can increased dietary fibre level and a single enrichment device reduce the risk of tail biting in undocked growing-finishing pigs in fully slatted systems?
peer-reviewedThis study evaluated the effectiveness of combined dietary and enrichment strategies to
manage tail biting in pigs with intact tails in a conventional fully-slatted floor housing system.
A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design was used. Pigs had either a high fibre (weaner 5.3% and finisher
11.6% of crude fibre) or standard fibre diet (weaner 3.7% and finisher 5.9% of crude fibre).
In the weaner stage, pigs had either a spruce wooden post (supplied in a wall-mounted dispenser) or a rubber floor toy as a enrichment device, and in the finisher stage, they had
either the same or alternate enrichment item. Six hundred and seventy-two pigs were
assigned to 48 pens of 14 pigs and followed from weaning until slaughter. Individual tail
lesion scores and pen level behaviours were directly recorded every 2 weeks. Twenty-six
pens had tail biting outbreaks and 161 injured pigs needed removal for treatment. Pigs fed
with the high fibre diet performed more tail biting (p < 0.05) and tended to have a worse tail
damage scores than those fed the standard fibre diet (p = 0.08). Pigs which had the floor toy
as weaners and wood as finishers tended to have fewer tail lesions in the finisher stage than
their counterparts (p = 0.06). Pigs receiving the floor toy as enrichment interacted with the
enrichment more frequently overall (p < 0.001) and performed fewer harmful behaviours in
the weaner stage (p < 0.05). Overall, higher fibre in the diet in a relatively barren environment did not help reduce tail biting or tail lesions. Altering the fibre level in the pigs’ diet and
providing a single enrichment device to undocked pigs on fully slatted floors resulted in a
high level of tail biting and a large proportion of pigs with partial tail amputation.Teagas
Rearing Undocked Pigs on Fully Slatted Floors Using Multiple Types and Variations of Enrichment
In fully slatted systems, tail biting is difficult to manage when pigs’ tails are not docked because loose enrichment material can obstruct slurry systems. This pilot study sought to determine: a) whether intact-tailed pigs can be reared with a manageable level of tail biting by using multiple slat-compatible enrichment; b) whether a variation of enrichment has an effect; and c) whether pigs show a preference in enrichment use. Ninety-six undocked pigs were given the same enrichment items from one week after birth until weaning. At weaning, four different combinations of 8 enrichment items were utilized based on predefined characteristics. These were randomly assigned to 8 pens (n = 12 pigs/pen). Four pens had the same combination (SAME) from assignment and four pens switched combinations every two weeks (SWITCH). Individual lesion scores, interactions with the enrichment, and harmful behaviours were recorded. The average tail score during the experiment was low (0.93 ± 0.02). Only one pig in a SAME pen had a severely bitten tail (partly amputated). The overall level of interaction with enrichment did not decline over time. Pigs interacted with a rack of loose material most frequently (p < 0.001). The study showed promising results for rearing undocked pigs on fully slatted floors using slat-compatible enrichment
Abdominal Tuberculosis in Adult: 10-Year Experience in a Teaching Hospital in Central Taiwan
Background/PurposeTuberculosis (TB) is an important communicable disease worldwide. The clinical presentation of abdominal TB often mimics various gastrointestinal disorders and may delay accurate diagnosis. In this study, we conducted a 10-year retrospective study to investigate the clinical manifestations, treatment responses and outcomes of abdominal TB.MethodsThis retrospective study recruited patients presenting between January 1998 and December 2007; all patients ≥ 18 years of age with a diagnosis of abdominal TB were enrolled. Patient charts were thoroughly reviewed and clinical specimens were processed in the laboratory using the BBL MycoPrep System and BACTEC MGIT 960 Mycobacterial Detection System. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was confirmed by acid fast stain and the BD ProbeTec ET System.ResultsDuring the study period, 34 patients were diagnosed with abdominal TB. The mean age was 55+18 years. Fourteen patients (41%) had no risk factors; however, 20 patients (59%) had at least one risk factor. Abdominal pain (94.1%), abdominal fullness (91.2%), anorexia (88.2%) and ascites (76.5%) were the most common presenting symptoms. The peritoneum (88%) was the most commonly involved site. Patients with risk factors such as liver cirrhosis, end-stage renal disease and diabetes mellitus had a higher positive rate of acid-fast stain and mycobacterial culture from abdominal specimens (p = 0.02 and 0.05, respectively). The crude mortality rate was 9% and the attributed mortality rate was 3%.ConclusionIn an endemic area like Taiwan, regardless of whether a patient has risk factors for TB, abdominal TB should be seriously considered as a differential diagnosis when a patient presents with gastrointestinal symptoms and unexplained ascites
Extract of Antrodia camphorata
In this study, the neuroprotective effect of an extract of Antrodia camphorata (A. camphorata), a fungus commonly used in Chinese folk medicine for treatment of viral hepatitis and cancer, alone or in combination with aspirin was investigated in a rat embolic stroke model. An ischemic stroke was induced in rats by a selective occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) with whole blood clots and then orally treated with A. camphorata (0.25 and 0.75 g/kg/day) alone and combined with aspirin (5 mg/kg/day). Sixty days later, the brains were removed, sectioned, and stained with triphenyltetrazolium chloride and analysed by a commercial image processing software program. Brain infarct volume, neurobehavioral score, cerebral blood perfusion, and subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage incidence were perceived. In addition, potential bleeding side effect of the combinative therapy was assessed by measuring hemoglobin (Hb) content during intracerebral hemorrhage and gastric bleeding, prothrombin time (PT), and occlusion time (OT) after oral administration. Posttreatment with high dose A. camphorata significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurobehavioral score (P < 0.05). Since A. camphorata alone or with aspirin did not alter the Hb level, this treatment is safe and does not cause hemorrhagic incident. Remarkably, the combination of A. camphorata and aspirin did not show a significant effect on the bleeding time, PT and OT increase suggesting that A. camphorata may have the neuroprotective effect without the prolongation of bleeding time or coagulation time. From these observations, we suggest that combinative therapy of A. camphorata and aspirin might offer enhanced neuroprotective efficacies without increasing side effects
Neuron Regeneration and Proliferation Effects of Danshen and Tanshinone IIA
This study evaluates the proliferative effects of danshen and its monomer extract, tanshinone IIA, on Schwann cell proliferation. A piece of silicone rubber was guided across a 15-mm gap in the sciatic nerve of a rat. This nerve gap was then filled with different concentrations of danshen (0–100 mg/mL). The results showed that danshen increased the expressions of uPA, cyclin D1, E and ERK, JNK, and P38 MAP kinases via the FGF-2 signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner. RSC96, Schwann cells were also administered with danshen (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 μg/mL) and tanshinone IIA (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 μg/mL). In lower concentrations,
danshen and tanshinone IIA exhibited an apparent effect on Schwann cells. Similar effects were also demonstrated in the FGF-2-uPA regulating cascade and cell cycle proliferative protein results. Schwann cell migration was elevated as well. We used MAPK-signaling chemical inhibitors and identified the proliferative effects of danshen and tanshinone IIA as MAPK-signaling dependent.
The results from the in vitro systems indicate that danshen and tanshinone IIA can be used to induce Schwann cell proliferation,
and in vivo results potentially suggest that danshen and tanshinone IIA might enhance neuron regeneration
- …