Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-r7xzm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T07:05:56.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Sucking behaviour and serum immunoglobulin levels in neonatal piglets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Anne Marie B. de Passillé
Affiliation:
Lennoxville Research Station, Agriculture Canada, PO Box 90, Lennoxville, Québec, Canada, J1M 1Z3§
J. Rushen
Affiliation:
Animal Research Centre, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0C6
G. Pelletier
Affiliation:
Lennoxville Research Station, Agriculture Canada, PO Box 90, Lennoxville, Québec, Canada, J1M 1Z3§
Get access

Abstract

The relationships between the sucking behaviour of newborn piglets during bouts of sucking and their serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels at 12 h of age were investigated in 274 Landrace × Yorkshire piglets from 24 second parity Yorkshire sows. Mean IgG level differed between litters but was not related to the number of live-born piglets or the mean birth weight of the litter; in addition, the amount of variation in IgG level within a litter was not related to the number of live-born piglets or the amount of variation in birth weight of the piglets.

Within a litter, lower serum IgG levels were found in piglets of birth orders greater than eight and piglets that had a very low frequency of sucking bouts. The piglets that had the higher IgG levels within a litter were those that started to suck sooner, sucked from many teats and won more of their teat disputes. Piglets that were involved in fewer teat disputes within a litter or took a greater proportion of their sucking bouts on anterior teats did not have higher IgG levels. Piglets that died differed from their surviving litter-mates in having lower IgG levels and having lost weight during the first 12 h after birth. Within a litter, IgG levels were not related to 10-day weight gain. However, litters with a lower mean IgG level also had a lower mean 10-day weight gain. It is suggested that a low mean IgG level in a litter reflects or predicts a low milk production by that sow.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agriculture Canada. 1984. Recommended code of practice for care and handling of pigs. Publication, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, No. 1771E.Google Scholar
Ai, C. L. 1973. Rdationship of birth and nursing order of pigs to preweamng growth and other parameters. Research Report, Michigan Stale University, Agricullure Experimental Station, No. 232.Google Scholar
Aumaître, A. and Sève, B. 1978. Nutritional importance of colostrum in the piglet. Annales de Recherches Vétérinaires 9: 181192Google ScholarPubMed
Blecha, F. and Kelley, K. W. 1981. Effects of cold and weaningstressors on the antibody-mediated immune response of pigs. Journal of Animal Science 53: 439447.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bourne, F. J. 1969. Studies on colostral and milk whey proteins in the sow. 2. The effect of delayed suckling on colostrum and milk whey proteins. Animal Production 11: 345349.Google Scholar
Broom, D. M. 1983. Cow-calf and sow-piglet behaviour in relation to colostrum ingestion. Annales de Recherches Veterinaires 14: 342348.Google ScholarPubMed
Broughton, C. W. and Lecce, J. G. 1970. Electron-microscopic studies of the jejunal epithelium from neonatal pigs fed different diets. Journal of Nutrition 100: 445449.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butler, J. E., Klobasa, F. and Werhahn, E. 1981. The differential localization of IgA, IgM and IgG in the gut of suckled neonatal piglets. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 2: 5365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coalson, J. A. and Lecce, J. G. 1973. Influence of nursing intervals on changes in serum proteins (immunoglobulins) in neonatal pigs. Journal of Animal Science 36: 381385.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Curtis, H. and Bourne, F. J. 1971. Immunoglobulin quantitation in sow serum, colostrum and milk and the serum of young pigs. Biochimica et Biophysica Ada 236: 319332.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliot, J. I. and Lodge, G. A. 1977. Body composition and glycogen reserves in the neonatal pig during the first 96 hours postpartum. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 57: 141150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
English, P. R. and Smith, W. J. 1975. Some causes of death in neonatal piglets. Veterinary Annual 15: 95104.Google Scholar
Fahey, J. L. and Mckelvey, E. M. 1965. Quantitative determination of serum immunoglobulins in antibody-agar plates. Journal of Immunology 94: 8490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraser, D. and Lin, C. S. 1984. An attempt to estimate teat quality of sows by hand milking during farrowing. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 64: 165170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraser, D., Thompson, B. K., Ferguson, D. K. and Darroch, R. L. 1979. The “teat order” of suckling pigs. 3. Relation to competition within litters. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92: 257261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frenyo, V. L., Pethes, G., Antal, T. and Szabo, I. 1981. Changes in colostral and serum IgG content in swine in relation to time. Veterinary Research Communications 4: 275282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hartman, D. A., Ludwick, T. M. and Wilson, R. F. 1962. Certain aspects of lactation performance in sows. Journal of Animal Science 21: 883886.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartsock, T. G. and Graves, H. B. 1976. Neonatal behavior and nutrition-related mortality in domestic swine. Journal of Animal Science 42: 235241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hendrix, W. F., Kelley, K. W., Gaskins, C. T. and Hinrichs, D. J. 1978. Porcine neonatal survival and serum gamma globulins. Journal of Animal Science 47: 12811286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelley, K. W., Blecha, F. and Regnier, J. A. 1982. Cold exposure and absorption of colostral immunoglobulins by neonatal pigs. Journal of Animal Science 55: 363368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klobasa, F., Butler, J. E., Werhahn, E. and Habe, F. 1986. Maternal-neonatal immunoregulation in swine. II. Influence of multiparity on de novo immunoglobulin synthesis by piglets. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 11: 149159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klobasa, F., Werhahn, E. and Butler, J. E. 1981. Regulation of humoral immunity in the piglet by immunoglobulins of maternal origin. Research in Veterinary Science 31: 195206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leary, H. L. and Lecce, J. G. 1976. Uptake of macromolecules by enterocytes on transposed and isolated piglet small intestine. Journal of Nutrition 106: 419427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lecce, J. G. 1966. Glucose milliequivalents eaten by the neonatal pig and cessation of intestinal absorption of large molecules (closure). Journal of Nutrition 90: 240244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lecce, J. G. 1971. Rearing neonatal piglets of low birth weight with an automatic feeding device. Journal of Animal Science 33: 4751.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lecce, J. G. 1973. Effect of dietary regimen on cessation of uptake of macromolecules by piglet intestinal epithelium (closure) and transport to the blood. Journal of Nutrition 103: 751756.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Dividich, J. and Noblet, J. 1981. Colostrum intake and thermoregulation in the neonatal pig in relation to environmental temperature. Biology of the Neonate 40: 167174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lodge, G. A. and McDonald, I. 1959. The relative influence of birth weight, milk consumption and supplementary load consumption upon the growth rates of suckling piglets. Animal Production 1: 139144.Google Scholar
Milon, A., Aumaître, A., Le Dividich, J., Franz, J. and Metzger, J. J. 1983. Influence of birth prematurity on colostrum composition and subsequent immunity of piglets. Annales de Recherche Veterinaire 14: 533540.Google ScholarPubMed
National Research Council. 1979. Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals. No. 2. Nutrient Requirements of Swine. 7th revised ed. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Passillé, A. M. B. De and Hartsock, T. G. 1979. Within- and between-litter variation of proximate composition in newborn and 10-day-old Landrace swine. Journal of Animal Science 49: 14491457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Porter, P. 1969. Transfer of immunoglobulins IgG, IgA and IgM to lacteal secretions in the parturient sow and their absorption by the neonatal piglet. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 181: 381392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ramirez, C. G., Miller, E. R., Ullrey, D. E. and Hoefer, J. A. 1963. Swine hematology from birth to maturity. III. Blood volume of the nursing pig. Journal of Animal Science 22: 10681074.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staley, T. E., Jones, E. W. and Marshall, A. E. 1968. The jejunal absorptive cell of the newborn pig. An electron microscope study. Anatomical Records 161: 497516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1985. SAS User's Guide: Statistics. Version 5 Edition. Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Svendsen, L. S., Weström, B. J., Svendsen, J., Ohlsson, B. G., Edman, R. and Karlsson, B. W. 1986. Insulin involvement in intestinal macromolecular transmission and closure in neonatal pigs. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 5: 299304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Werhahn, E., Klobasa, F. and Butler, J. E. 1981. Investigation of some factors which influence the absorption of IgG by the neonatal piglet. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 2: 3551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weström, B. R., Svendsen, J., Ohlsson, B. G., Tagesson, C. and Karlsson, B. W. 1984a. Intestinal transmission of macromolecules (BSA and FITC- labelled dextrans) in the neonatal pig: influence of age of piglet and molecular weight of markers. Biology of the Neonate 46: 2026.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weström, B. R., Svendsen, J. and Tagesson, C. 1984b. Intestinal permeability to polyethyleneglycol 600 n i relation to macromolecular ‘closure’ in the neonatal pig gut. Gut 25: 520525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yaguchi, H., Murata, H., Kagota, K. and Namioka, S. 1980. Studies on the relationship between the serum gamma globulin levels of neonatal piglets and their mortality during the first two months of life: an evaluation for the ammonium sulphate reaction. British Veterinary Journal 136: 6370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed