Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms
Abstract Background Oral fluid contains analytes that may be reflective of health and welfare in pig herds. Additionally, oral fluid collection is a more convenient and cost-effective option when compared to blood sampling, increasing the potential of oral fluid as a non-invasive alternative tool. W...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Porcine Health Management |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-024-00418-1 |
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| author | Mario Andre S. Ornelas Edgar Garcia Manzanilla José J. Cerón Alba Ortín-Bustillo María José López-Martínez Carla Correia-Gomes Finola C. Leonard Lorena Franco-Martínez |
| author_facet | Mario Andre S. Ornelas Edgar Garcia Manzanilla José J. Cerón Alba Ortín-Bustillo María José López-Martínez Carla Correia-Gomes Finola C. Leonard Lorena Franco-Martínez |
| author_sort | Mario Andre S. Ornelas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Oral fluid contains analytes that may be reflective of health and welfare in pig herds. Additionally, oral fluid collection is a more convenient and cost-effective option when compared to blood sampling, increasing the potential of oral fluid as a non-invasive alternative tool. While a growing number of biomarkers can be measured in porcine oral fluid, the use of these analytes to compare commercial herds in veterinary practice is still limited. This study describes associations between oral fluid biomarker measurements and farm indicators of health and performance in 18 commercial farms. Results Using principal component analysis, three clusters of farms were identified, differing mostly in weaner and finisher mortality, daily gain and antimicrobial resistance. These groups were then compared in terms of oral fluid biomarker profiles. With regards to farm group (cluster), haptoglobin was higher in pigs from low-performing farms, especially when compared with pigs from high-performing farms (P = 0.01). Oxytocin tended to decrease in pigs from high-performing farms to low-performing farms (P < 0.10), while procalcitonin tended to be lower in pigs from high-performing farms compared to intermediate-performing farms (P = 0.07). Using regression trees, haptoglobin measured in late finishers was associated with weaner and finisher mortality. Further, high creatine kinase and low procalcitonin early after weaning were associated with low piglet mortality, whereas low daily gain was related to high alpha-amylase in late weaners and high creatine kinase in pigs at the start of the finisher stage. Conclusions Haptoglobin, procalcitonin, oxytocin, creatine kinase and alpha-amylase, measured in oral fluid, should be further studied as good candidates to assess pig herds and predict performance at a batch level, through a non-invasive approach. Herd performance and health figures at a particular time point are not always available and alternative measures, like oral fluid biomarker results, could be useful to anticipate health and welfare issues and adjust management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ca40e5ec19cf40deac7e694294546b28 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2055-5660 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Porcine Health Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-ca40e5ec19cf40deac7e694294546b282025-01-05T12:50:12ZengBMCPorcine Health Management2055-56602024-12-0110111210.1186/s40813-024-00418-1Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farmsMario Andre S. Ornelas0Edgar Garcia Manzanilla1José J. Cerón2Alba Ortín-Bustillo3María José López-Martínez4Carla Correia-Gomes5Finola C. Leonard6Lorena Franco-Martínez7Pig Development Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation CentrePig Development Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation CentreInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia (Interlab-UMU), University of MurciaInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia (Interlab-UMU), University of MurciaInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia (Interlab-UMU), University of MurciaAnimal Health IrelandSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College DublinPig Development Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation CentreAbstract Background Oral fluid contains analytes that may be reflective of health and welfare in pig herds. Additionally, oral fluid collection is a more convenient and cost-effective option when compared to blood sampling, increasing the potential of oral fluid as a non-invasive alternative tool. While a growing number of biomarkers can be measured in porcine oral fluid, the use of these analytes to compare commercial herds in veterinary practice is still limited. This study describes associations between oral fluid biomarker measurements and farm indicators of health and performance in 18 commercial farms. Results Using principal component analysis, three clusters of farms were identified, differing mostly in weaner and finisher mortality, daily gain and antimicrobial resistance. These groups were then compared in terms of oral fluid biomarker profiles. With regards to farm group (cluster), haptoglobin was higher in pigs from low-performing farms, especially when compared with pigs from high-performing farms (P = 0.01). Oxytocin tended to decrease in pigs from high-performing farms to low-performing farms (P < 0.10), while procalcitonin tended to be lower in pigs from high-performing farms compared to intermediate-performing farms (P = 0.07). Using regression trees, haptoglobin measured in late finishers was associated with weaner and finisher mortality. Further, high creatine kinase and low procalcitonin early after weaning were associated with low piglet mortality, whereas low daily gain was related to high alpha-amylase in late weaners and high creatine kinase in pigs at the start of the finisher stage. Conclusions Haptoglobin, procalcitonin, oxytocin, creatine kinase and alpha-amylase, measured in oral fluid, should be further studied as good candidates to assess pig herds and predict performance at a batch level, through a non-invasive approach. Herd performance and health figures at a particular time point are not always available and alternative measures, like oral fluid biomarker results, could be useful to anticipate health and welfare issues and adjust management.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-024-00418-1AnalytePig herdsProduction and health factorsSalivaSwine |
| spellingShingle | Mario Andre S. Ornelas Edgar Garcia Manzanilla José J. Cerón Alba Ortín-Bustillo María José López-Martínez Carla Correia-Gomes Finola C. Leonard Lorena Franco-Martínez Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms Porcine Health Management Analyte Pig herds Production and health factors Saliva Swine |
| title | Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms |
| title_full | Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms |
| title_fullStr | Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms |
| title_short | Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms |
| title_sort | associations between health productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms |
| topic | Analyte Pig herds Production and health factors Saliva Swine |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-024-00418-1 |
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