WWW.FITFORPIGS.DE
WWW.FITFORPIGS.DE
of the pig department at the Justus Liebig University in Gies- sen, Germany, named the syndrome Swine Inflammation and Necrosis Syndrome (SINS) and is conducting research into its genetic cause. That research goes beyond just the character of the boar line. SINS is a combination of clinical inflamma- tion from within and the presence of dead tissue or necrosis. Research by Associate Professor Grazia Pastorelli of the Uni- versity of Milan, Italy, has shown that SINS is a health prob- lem. Due to the need to activate the immune system, the body loses not only feed intake but also feed efficiency, as it now has to “feed” the disease.
German research into SINS is a priority Mirjam Lechner, consultant and animal signal trainer, works closely with Prof Reiner in SINS research and indicates that many factors are important in the approach to SINS. “First, at- tention to the genetic factor is needed to be able to keep commercial pigs with long tails,” Lechner says. The fact that a solution for SINS is high on the German agenda is shown by the fact that a lot of money is available in the federal states for research and keeping animals with long tails. Bavaria in- vests more than € 1 million in a breeding project to score ani- mals on SINS using genetic testing. In addition to paying attention to factors that trigger animals to bite out of discomfort – such as stress, a bad climate, over-
Breeding research to pig behaviour
Monitoring the pigs’ behaviour is high on Topigs Norsvin’s research agenda, partly due to the development of new husbandry systems and legislation to stop docking. “We include SINS as part of the total behavioural research,” says re- searcher and consultant Roos Vogelzang. Also, SINS is a multifactorial problem – it’s not that a single gene is responsible. As with congenital defects, this makes selection more difficult. Vogelzang continues, “We are investigating whether there is a relationship be- tween SINS and damage at a later age. To demonstrate a relationship, we score the newborn piglets on SINS and for damage in the final test on the scales. By doing this we try to contribute to a solution. “We already score damage in all breeding animals that are delivered. We speak of damage because it is not always clear whether the cause is necrosis or wheth- er it is caused by aggressive behaviour. In newborn piglets, the symptoms of SINS are largely congenital, but some are mechanical. Think of cutting an ear tag that can cause damage, a rough concrete floor that causes teats to rub off or cutting too hot or carelessly. Necrosis therefore remains a difficult characteristic to assess. “We do not want aggressive pigs (the perpetrators who will bite), but victims (the pigs that are bitten) are also undesirable. As a breeding organisation, we need reliable data; tracking down a perpetrator is simply more difficult than tracking down a victim. To track down perpetrators, we are using camera techniques to score automatic behaviours of individual animals.”
8 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 4, 2022
crowding or nutrition – more attention is now being paid to SINS in the Netherlands. Breeding organisation Topigs Nors- vin focuses much of its attention on behaviour and includes SINS in an ongoing study.
SINS in newborn piglets “With SINS, all factors come together, including genetics, pen design, climate, feed composition, mycotoxins, roughage, pen enrichment, but also water supply,” says Karien Koenders, vet- erinarian at the Lintjeshof practice, headquartered in Neder- weert, in the south of the Netherlands. “For me, SINS provides a biological explanation for (intestinal) infections from within and also provides leads for the future to keep animals with long tails.” That starts with the gestation period and the new- born piglets. Koenders now looks at the piglets differently and inspects, among other things, the ears and claws of newborn piglets. “To detect the syndrome, we use a thermal camera, which shows for example swollen warm blood vessels in the ears. Eventually, the small blood vessels in the ear tips can become blocked by the inflammation. Then the blood flow is disrupted, and we see a cooler image at the height of the ear and tail tips. I see the symptoms of SINS in newborn piglets on every farm, to a great- er or lesser extent,” says Koenders. “A piglet born with SINS is al- ready 1-0 behind in the context of ear or tail necrosis.”
A healthy pig ear.
Ear necrosis with a newborn piglet.
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