NEWS ▶▶▶ How does ASFv spread in a feed mill?
African Swine Fever virus (ASFv) could become widely distributed in a feed manufacturing envi- ronment, if the virus were introduced. That was observed during an experimental introduction. The research was carried out by scientists from Kansas State University in the United States and was published in the journal Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports. The team aimed to better understand the role of the feed manufacturing industry in potential distribution of ASFv. In order to figure out how the virus spread, a pi- lot-scale feed mill consisting of a mixer, bucket elevator and relevant spouting was constructed at the university’s Biosecurity Research Institute. The team swabbed 18 different sites on the equipment and in the room to evaluate envi- ronmental contamination before and after introduction of ASFv-inoculated feedstuff. The scientists wrote: “In this setup, there was no evidence of sampling zone×batch interaction and no difference in the proportion of ASFv positive reactions between sampling location or
Fermented rapeseed meal affects blood
batch of feed throughout the experiment. That indicates that once ASFv contamination entered the facility, the contamination quickly becomes widespread and persists on the environmental surfaces, even during manufacturing of subsequent batches of ASFv non-inoculated feed.” In summary, the researchers concluded, once ASFv was experimentally introduced into a feed manufacturing environment, the virus became widely distributed throughout the facility with only minor changes in detection frequency as subsequent batches of feed were produced.
DON in finishers: Effect on ADFI
A team of Canadian researchers have delved into the long-term effect of feeding the myco- toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) to finisher pigs – a field of study that has not been given much attention until recently. In short, the researchers observed a negative effect of DON on growth performance and stat- ed that this is mainly due to reduced feed in- take. They also observed that although the pigs may be capable of adapting to take in DON-contaminated diets, their final body weight will be reduced if fed diets containing more than 1 ppm DON. The study was carried out by scientists attached to the Prairie Swine Centre and the University of Saskatchewan, both located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada, supported by a researcher from Bi- omin. The scientific article was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Animal Science. The team group housed 200 pigs of 77kg initial weight in a six-week trial. Pigs were fed a wheat-barley-soybean meal-based control diet with no DON; or a basal diet in which clean wheat was replaced by DON-contaminated
wheat to provide a DON content of 1, 3 or 5 ppm. Feeding DON reduced the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and the average daily gain (ADG) from days 0 to 28 compared with the control diet, after which there was no effect of diet on ADFI and ADG. The team found that nitrogen retention effi- ciency was higher in pigs fed 1 ppm of DON, compared to those fed higher levels. Protein deposition for pigs fed 1 ppm of DON was high- er than all treatments. As dietary DON intake increased, the concentration of DON in blood and urine increased. Overall, although there was an initial decrease in ADFI and ADG in pigs receiving diets containing more than 1 ppm DON, pig performance recovered after a period of time, whereas nutrient utilisation continued to be affected after recovery of performance. The team concluded that the negative effects of DON on growth performance are largely due to reduced feed intake and that pigs’ final body weight will be reduced when fed diets containing more than 1 ppm DON.
Recent Polish research showed that the use of fermented rapeseed meal in sow diets resulted in a better use of mineral compounds and im- provement of production effects and health parameters of sow and piglet blood. The research, carried out at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, was published in the open access journal Annals of Animal Science. In the paper, the scientists described how ani- mal health and welfare can be assessed using biochemical and haematological markers of the blood. The values of these parameters de- pend in part on the quantity and quality of feed ingredients, that is, feed protein and feed additives. The team wanted to determine the effect of in- cluding fermented rapeseed meal in a dry feeding system on haematological and bio- chemical blood parameters of sows and pig- lets. The experimental material comprised 30 primiparous gilts and 30 multiparous sows after their second lactation. The diet containing fermented rapeseed meal, fed to pregnant and lactating sows, increased the level of haematocrit and haemoglobin and red blood cell content and mineral content (phosphorus, calcium and iron) in the plasma. This effect was mainly observed in primiparous sows. The inclusion of fermented rapeseed meal in the diet of sows reduced the plasma content of total cholesterol and triacylglycerols in sows and piglets, as well as liver enzyme activity, particularly aspartate transferase in piglets. The use of fermented rapeseed meal in sow di- ets resulted in better use of mineral com- pounds and improvement of production effects and health parameters of sow and piglet blood.
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▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 1, 2021 33
PHOTO: VINCENT TER BEEK
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