Adaptive responses of pigs exposed to environmental challenges

Author(s)

Alícia Zem Fraga

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Jaboticabal. 2023-02-28.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias. Jaboticabal
• Defense date: 2022-12-16
• Advisor: Luciano Hauschild; Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos

Abstract

High ambient temperatures and poor hygienic housing conditions alter the welfare, health, and performance of pigs. This thesis was conducted to better understand the adaptive responses of pigs exposed to environmental challenges (high ambient temperature and poor hygiene conditions). We investigated the effects of genetic selection and nutritional strategy on adaptive responses. In a first study, our results show that genetic selection for lean body mass deposition modulates the feeding behaviour of pigs exposed to high ambient temperatures. In a second study, we showed that pigs selected for high feed efficiency had a greater capacity to use amino acids (AA) for immune purposes than less efficient pigs, which may explain their better ability to cope with poor hygiene conditions. Finally, a third study showed that supplementing the diet with a mixture of AA and grape polyphenols can contribute to the weaning transition and better prepare pigs to cope with an inflammatory challenge caused by poor hygiene conditions. This nutritional strategy is therefore interesting to accompany demedicalisation in pig farming. Our studies have provided new knowledge on the effects of genetic selection and nutrition on adaptive responses to two types of environmental challenges. This knowledge can help to modify farming practices adapted to modern genotypes more susceptible to stress and disease and to address the challenge of reducing antibiotic use in intensive farming conditions (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/11807-6 - Housing hygiene conditions affect postprandial profiles of amino acids and metabolites in pigs selected for low and high residual feed intake
• Grantee: Alícia Zem Fraga
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate