NEWS ▶▶▶ On-demand: Webinar on gut health
How can gut health in young pigs be im- proved? Strategies involving feed formulation, the use of betaine as well as a fermentation concept in sow feeding were all explored in a webinar broadcast on 29 April, available to watch on demand at
www.pigprogress.net. The webinar was kicked off by Dr Anouschka Middelkoop (second from the left on the pic- ture) of Schothorst Feed Research. She zoomed in on the question of how feed formulation can help to create optimum gut health in pig- lets. She discussed how best to formulate creep feed in preparation for weaning and also discussed feed for the two phases immediately after weaning, that is, the acute and matura- tion phases. Next, Lien Vande Maele of Orffa (left) delved into the use of betaine in piglet diets. She ex- plained how betaine can support gut health in a number of different ways, by increasing feed digestibility, improving enzyme activity, en- hancing the intestinal structure, supporting the gut barrier effect and reducing the diar- rhoea rate. She also hypothesised that betaine
Live flu vaccine: low transmission
hydrochloride may decrease the stomach pH. Fermentation of pig nutrition could also be a way to improve gut health, and that was the topic of the presentation by René Schepens (right) and Dr Ninfa Rangel Pedersen (sec- ond from right), on behalf of European Protein. Research on 50 farms is ongoing to measure the effect of fermentation on sow nutrition and their piglets. Available data from 19 farms, including from 456 sows, show that it promot- ed beneficial bacteria with the sows. Schepens shared production data from farms using this fermentation approach, where two to three more piglets were weaned per sow per year.
Maternal immunity to M. hyo explored
The exact role of maternal immunity has be- come a little clearer when sows have been vac- cinated against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae prior to farrowing. The results of a study were made public by researchers from Ghent Uni- versity, Belgium at the recently held European Symposium of Porcine Health Management (ESPHM). The study was awarded as the best poster presentation of the event, which was held entirely digitally because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As M. hyo infections often occur in young pig- lets, and as vaccination against M. hyo is also often done at a young age, it is important to fully understand the role of the immune re- sponses and the immunity that piglets receive via the colostrum. Under normal conditions, piglets receive different types of antibodies and white blood cells (lymphocytes) through colostrum. When sows are vaccinated against a disease, the specific quality of colostrum against that pathogen increases. The research team wanted to look in more detail at the
transfer of M. hyo-specific T-cells, a type of lym- phocyte, from sows to piglets. The scientists in- vestigated different types of T-cells and checked whether these – after isolation from the blood and in vitro stimulation with M. hyo – were still capable of producing cytokines, which play an important role in the immune system. The study confirmed the transfer of antibodies as well as white blood cells from sow to the offspring via colostrum, and characterised the different types of transferred lymphocytes. Lead researcher Evelien Biebaut of Ghent Uni- versity explained, “For the pig industry, this is particularly interesting as it provides a basis for further research. What will have to be investi- gated is whether the T-cells in piglet blood, originally derived from the sows, will also pro- vide an effective protection against M. hyo in- fection, whether they might modulate the im- mune responses in the piglets and whether or not they will interfere with piglet vaccination against M. hyo.”
US researchers have concluded that direct and indirect transmission levels of a live influenza A virus vaccine in piglets are minimal for up to six days after vaccination. The research was carried out by the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine in cooperation with Boehringer Ingelheim. Results of the trial were published this February in the peer-re- viewed online platform Plos One. The research revolved around a vaccine that was recently admitted for use in pigs to the US market. The vaccine is based on a live attenu- ated influenza virus. As it is live, it means that there could theoretically be a chance that it could be replicated. The researchers’ goal in the field study was therefore to assess the onset and duration of shedding of the virus vaccine, its ability to transmit to non-vaccinated pigs and whether the vaccine could be aerosolised and detected in the environment. For the study, the team selected 33 litters from a 5,200 sow farm that had a history of influen- za A virus infection. All of the 21 vaccinated lit- ters tested positive for the live attenuated in- fluenza virus from day 1 post-vaccination and until day 6 post-vaccination. The researchers concluded that, under the conditions of this study, shedding of the live attenuated influenza virus from vaccinated pigs was limited in time and resulted in mini- mal transmission to non-vaccinated pigs. It was detected in low levels in aerosols collect- ed in the vaccinated rooms, likely influenced by the presence of maternally derived anti- bodies against the live attenuated influenza virus strains.
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▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 4, 2021 33
PHOTO: COMPANY WEBCAST
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