Dental disorders in sows from Swedish commercial herds

Knowledge on dental disorders in commercial sows is limited although such conditions may have important animal welfare implications. In a pilot study, the dental and periodontal health of 58 sows (Landrace*Yorkshire-crosses) from 8 Swedish commercial pig herds, slaughtered at one abattoir, were investigated. The oral cavity was inspected and abnormalities were recorded on a dental chart modified for pigs. Dental abnormalities, absence of teeth, supernumerary teeth, tooth fractures, signs of caries, and malalignment were recorded. The study revealed that 19% of the sows had supernumerary teeth and 59% of the sows missed at least one tooth. Periodontitis, calculus and malalignment were observed in 33%, 45% and 17%, respectively. Tooth wear was very common both in incisors (total 83%) and in premolars/molars (total 84%). One or more tooth fractures (between 1 and 6 per sow) was found in 41%. Signs of caries was found in 9%. In order to assess oral health, three indices were used: calculus index (CI), periodontal index (PDI) and tooth wear index (TWI). Severe periodontitis, tooth wear in incisors and tooth wear in premolars/molars were found in 7%, 34% and 35%, respectively. With respect to animal welfare, the etiology and the effects of the disorders on health, stress and pain need to be investigated

Atypical porcine pestivirus-A widespread virus in the Swedish wild boar population

The recently identified causative agent of congenital tremor in domestic piglets, atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), was detected in serum from Swedish wild boar. A previous study from Sweden described APPV in domestic piglets suffering from congenital tremor, but the APPV situation in the wild boar population was unknown. In this study, 595 serum samples from wild boar originating from 13 counties in the south and central parts of Sweden, collected between 2000 and 2018, were analysed for the presence of the APPV-genome and for antibodies against the APPV-glycoprotein E-rns. The results revealed that APPV is highly abundant in the Swedish wild boar population; 12% (73/595) were APPV-genome positive in serum and 72% (433/595) of the tested wild boars displayed APPV-specific antibodies. The present study also shows that APPV has been present in the Swedish wild boar population since at least the year 2000. The viral sequences obtained from the wild boars were highly similar to those obtained from Swedish domestic pigs positive for APPV and suffering from congenital tremor, suggesting a viral exchange between wild boars and domestic pigs. The high proportion of viraemic and seropositive wild boar is indicative of wild boar being an important reservoir for APPV

A preliminary study on the induction of dioestrous ovulation in the mare – a possible method for inducing prolonged luteal phase

BACKGROUND: Strong oestrous symptoms in the mare can cause problems with racing, training and handling. Since long-acting progesterone treatment is not permitted in mares at competition (e.g. according to FEI rules), there is a need for methods to suppress unwanted cyclicity. Spontaneous dioestrous ovulations in the late luteal phase may cause a prolongation of the luteal phase in mares. METHODS: In this preliminary study, in an attempt to induce ovulation during the luteal phase, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (3000 IU) was injected intramuscularly in four mares (experimental group) in the luteal phase when a dioestrous follicle ≥ 30 mm was detected. A fifth mare included in this group was not treated due to no detectable dioestrous follicles ≥ 30 mm. Four control mares were similarly injected with saline. The mares were followed with ultrasound for 72 hours post injection or until ovulation. Blood samples for progesterone analysis were obtained twice weekly for one month and thereafter once weekly for another two to four months. RESULTS: Three of the hCG-treated mares ovulated within 72 hours after treatment and developed prolonged luteal phases of 58, 68 and 82 days respectively. One treated mare never ovulated after the hCG injection and progesterone levels fell below 3 nmol/l nine days post treatment. Progesterone levels in the control mares were below 3 nmol/l within nine days after saline injection, except for one mare, which developed a spontaneously prolonged luteal phase of 72 days. CONCLUSION: HCG treatment may be a method to induce prolonged luteal phases in the mare provided there is a dioestrous follicle ≥ 30 mm that ovulates post-treatment. However, the method needs to be tested on a larger number of mares to be able to draw conclusions regarding its effectiveness