Abstract
Background
Domesticated and wild swine play an important role as reservoir hosts of
Trichinella
spp. and a source of infection for humans. Little is known about the survival of
Trichinella
...larvae in muscles and the duration of anti-
Trichinella
antibodies in pigs with long-lasting infections.
Methods
Sixty pigs were divided into three groups of 20 animals and infected with 10,000 larvae of
Trichinella spiralis
,
Trichinella britovi
or
Trichinella pseudospiralis
. Four pigs from each group were sacrificed at 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months post-infection (p.i.) and the number of larvae per gram (LPG) of muscles was calculated. Serum samples were tested by ELISA and western blot using excretory/secretory (ES) and crude antigens.
Results
Trichinella spiralis
showed the highest infectivity and immunogenicity in pigs and larvae survived in pig muscles for up to 2 years p.i. In these pigs, the IgG level significantly increased at 30 days p.i. and reached a peak at about 60 days p.i., remaining stable until the end of the experiment. In
T. britovi-
infected pigs, LPG was about 70 times lower than for
T. spiralis
at 2 months p.i. and only very few infecting larvae were detected at 6 months p.i., whereas no larvae were detected at 12, 18 and 24 months p.i. At 6 months p.i., degenerated/calcified larvae and cysts were detected in the muscles by trichinoscopy and histology. The IgG pattern showed by
T. britovi
-infected pigs was similar to that of
T. spiralis
-infected pigs, although seroconversion occurred some days later. The larval burden of
T. pseudospiralis
was slightly greater than for
T. britovi
at 2 months p.i., but no larvae were detected at 6 and 12 months p.i. In
T. pseudospiralis
-infected pigs, seroconversion occurred slowly, as in
T. britovi
-infected pigs. The IgG level showed a significant drop at 6 months p.i. and declining to the cut-off value at 12 months p.i.
Conclusions
The longer survival of
T. spiralis
in pigs in comparison with the other two species highlights its exceptional dissemination potential. These results provide an explanation of the controversial data collected by parasitological and serological tools in the course of epidemiological investigations.
The aim of this research has been to assess the effect of the dietary protein level on piglet growth and post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) incidence. Piglet fecal microbiota and feces composition were also ...assessed. The experiment was carried out on 144 weaned piglets (Duroc × Large White; 72 piglets per treatment) and lasted from weaning (at 25 days of age) until the end of the post-weaning phase (at 95 days). Two dietary protein levels were compared: high (HP; 17.5% crude protein on average, during the experiment) and low (LP; 15.5% on average). Lower (
< 0.01) average daily gain and feed conversion ratio were observed in LP piglets in the first growth phase. However, at the end of the post-weaning period, the growth parameters were not significantly different in the two diets. Diarrhea scores were lower in piglets fed LP diets than in piglets fed HP diets (28.6% of the total vs. 71.4% in the HP piglets).
,
and
were more abundant in the feces of the piglets fed LP diets. Feces nitrogen content was lower in piglets fed LP diets. In conclusion, low protein levels in the diet can reduce the incidence of PWD while only marginally affecting growth parameters.
The aim of this work is to study the changes of the lipidic fraction of ensiled high moisture corn (HMC). 11 maize hybrids were used, ensiled each in 3 mini experimental silos of 100 litres. For each ...hybrid 1 sample of fresh high moisture corn was obtained immediately after milling and 3 samples of ensiling HMC were kept after 2, 7 and 12 months. All samples were analysed for pH, dry matter, lactic acid, ammonia-N, ether extract, fatty acid composition and volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Ether extract of fresh high moisture corn was 35.7 g/kg dry matter (DM) and increased after 2 and 7 months of storage up to 39.4 g/Kg DM (P≤0.01); after 12 months it decreased to 38.1 g/kg DM (P≤0.01). Both saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) percentages decreased from 18.23% to 15.47% and from 24.84% to 23.57% respectively (before ensiling vs 12 months P≤0.01). Linoleic acid percentage increased from 55.34% to 59.44% (before ensiling vs 12 months P≤0.01). The linoleic acid content (g/kg of DM) increased on average from 19,1 before ensiling to 22.5 after 12 months of ensiling. These differences may affect the linoleic acid content of heavy pig diets when maize is used as HMC instead of corn meal.
The microbiological, chemical-physical and organoleptic characteristics of four batches of Ciauscolo salami, two made from meat of pigs fed diet integrated with 0.2% of rosemary extract (RS) and two ...controls (CSs), were considered. Three samples for each batch were in double analyzed for total bacterial count at 30°C, enumeration of lactococci, lactobacilli, staphylococcus coagulase positive, enterococci, Enterobacteriaceae, and isolation of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, after filling and at 7 and 20 days of ripening. On the same samples, measurement of pH (pHmeter MP120; Mettler-Toledo Spa, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland), activity water (aw) (Hygroscope BT-RS1 Rotronic; PBI International, Milan, Italy) and CIE L*a*b* colour (Chromameter Minolta C400; Minolta Ltd., Osaka, Japan) were performed. Proximal composition, NaCl content (AOAC, 1990) thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARs) and panel test (ISO 8586-1:1993 and ISO 8586) were performed only on samples obtained at the end of the ripening time. No difference in proximal composition, pH, aw values and microbial counts between CS and RS samples were observed along the whole production period. Colour analyses reveal higher a* values in RS (10.79 vs 9.68, P<0.05). Higher TBARs mean value was recorded in CS at the end of ripening (1.12 vs 0.91 mg MDA/100g, P<0.01). Even if no statistical differences were recorded in all the parameters considered in sensory evaluation, the overall acceptance of RS samples tended to be higher than CS.
A large number of hDAF transgenic pigs to be used for xenotransplantation research were generated by using sperm-mediated gene transfer (SMGT). The efficiency of transgenesis obtained with SMGT was ...much greater than with any other method. In the experiments reported, up to 80% of pigs had the transgene integrated into the genome. Most of the pigs carrying the hDAF gene transcribed it in a stable manner (64%). The great majority of pigs that transcribed the gene expressed the protein (83%). The hDAF gene was transmitted to progeny. Expression was stable and found in caveolae as it is in human cells. The expressed gene was functional based on in vitro experiments performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These results show that our SMGT approach to transgenesis provides an efficient procedure for studies involving large animal models.
The effect of diets based on two different barley varieties, with or without non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) degrading enzymes was evaluated on growth performance, carcass characteristics and fresh ...thigh quality in Italian heavy growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (64) were assigned to four diets: two diets based on 85% of hulled normal-amylose barley (Cometa, with or without NSP enzyme complex) and two diets based on 85% of hulless low-amylose barley (Alamo, with or without NSP enzyme complex). The diets were formulated according to three growth phases with same lisyne:digestible energy ratio. The NSP enzyme complex did not improve the Cometa and Alamo diets in terms of pig growth performance, carcass characteristics and fresh thigh quality. Throughout the study, the Alamo group had greater (p < 0.05) final body weight, average daily gain and gain per megacalorie of digestible energy than the Cometa group. Higher (p < 0.05) carcass and thigh weights, and lower (p < 0.01) thigh chilling losses were observed for the Alamo group compared with the Cometa group. The Cometa diet decreased (p < 0.01) polyunsaturated fatty acids level, and increased (p < 0.01) monounsaturated fatty acid content and saturated fatty acids/polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio in subcutaneous fat of fresh thighs. No appreciable differences were observed in the color of subcutaneous fat and biceps femoris of pigs fed the Cometa and Alamo diets. Feeding hulless low-amylose barley to growing-finishing pigs can be valuable to promote growth performance and carcass characteristics. No NSP enzyme complex is needed when hulled normal-amylose barley or hulless low-amylose barley are used in diets for heavy pigs.
The effect of different dietary fat supplements: A, no added fat; B, 3% added lard and C, 3% added partially hydrogenated lard (PHL), were evaluated in dry cured Parma ham fat by determination of the ...lipid oxidation indices, R1 and R2, on a total of 30 Italian Landrace
×
Italian Large White pigs. Furthermore, correlations between lipid oxidation and calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and nickel concentrations, determined in Parma ham fat, was also investigated. Results highlighted a correlation between the oxidative state of Parma ham fat and the pigs’ diet; in particular the addition of 3% PHL led to a more stable depot fat towards lipid oxidation compared to the addition of lard. Finally, Parma ham fat from treatment C showed higher concentrations of Ca (
p
<
0.01) and Mg (
p
<
0.05) compared to those from control, A, and treatment B groups. On the contrary, no significant differences were found for Fe, Zn, Cu and Ni.
The aim of this research work was to evaluate the oxidative stability of pork meat lipids as related to dietary supplementation with high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) and/or α-tocopheryl acetate (VE), ...as well as the influence of storage conditions. Four different diets (control; HOSO; VE; HOSO
+
VE), were fed to swines until slaughtering. Meat slices were packed in vessels with transparent shrink film and exposed to white fluorescent light for 3
days at 8
°C. HOSO supplementation increased oleic acid content of pork meat. The highest levels of peroxide value (PV) and cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) were detected in the control group, whereas HOSO-enriched diets displayed the highest thiobarbituric reactive substance (TBARs) content. After storage under light exposure, pork meat slices exhibited a decrease of PV, which resulted in an increasing trend of TBARs and COPs. Feeding enrichment with both HOSO and vitamin E can be, therefore, used as an appropriate supplementation strategy to produce pork meat with a suitable oxidative stability.
It has been reported that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers are considered particularly beneficial to human health and affect the technological properties of pork meat products such as salami. ...The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of 0.5% CLA supplementation of heavy pig diets on the chemical composition, total fatty acids (FA), oxidative stability, sensory and microbial properties of Ciauscolo and Fabriano salami. The incorporation of CLA into the diet did not modify the chemical, microbial or sensory descriptive analysis of the salami. The CLA dietary supplementation changed the proportions of FA, in particular leading to an increase in the proportion of saturated fatty acids and CLA in both Ciauscolo and Fabriano salami. The results of consumer testing showed a higher degree of liking by consumers when the CLA sample was accompanied by product information, demonstrating the strong influence of the label on consumer perception. The interesting finding was the increase in the oxidative stability of the salami at the end of ripening. This confirms the hypothesis that CLA can affect the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids/monounsaturated FA ratio in meat products and possesses antioxidative properties that can be transferred, through dietary supplementation, to salami.
Practical applications: Feeding a 0.5% CLA diet to finisher pigs resulted in changes in the proportions of FA and enhanced the oxidative stability of salami but did not modify the sensory properties of the products. More research is needed to find the right inclusion level of CLA to be considered optimal from the point of view of producing a high quality product with superior organoleptical, technological and potential health‐related properties.
Production of value‐added meat products, such as conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) enriched Ciauscolo and Fabriano salamis, by the inclusion of the c9 t11 and t10 c12 CLA isomers in the swine diet.
Production of value‐added meat products, such as conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) enriched Ciauscolo and Fabriano salamis, by the inclusion of the c9 t11 and t10 c12 CLA isomers in the swine diet.
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