• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.145-148
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• 2015

Four 3-day-old piglets with retarded growth were submitted to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for diagnosis. Necropsy showed that one piglet had black spots ranging from 2 mm to 1 cm in diameter in the cerebellum, lungs, regional lymph nodes, and cecum. Histological findings were consistent with the gross appearance in which melanin pigmentation was observed in the organs mentioned above. Based on Fontana-Masson staining, we diagnosed this animal with systemic melanosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of systemic melanosis in black breeds of swine in Korea.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1153-1158
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 and its effects on growth performance and antioxidant status in weaning piglets. The survival in hydrogen peroxide and free radical-scavenging activity of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 were analysed in vitro. The Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 showed high viability in 1.0 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide and high scavenging ability against hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radicals which was dose dependent. Ninety-six weaning piglets were selected ($7.45{\pm}0.79kg$) and divided into three groups comprising of negative control without any supplementation, treatment group with supplemented $6.8{\times}10^7$ Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 CFU/g of diet, and positive control with antibiotic treatment (chlorotetracycline, 80 mg/kg diet). The results showed that Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 supplementation enhanced feed conversion rates in piglets compared with control (p<0.05). Supplementation of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 increased the concentration of superoxide dismutase (p<0.05), glutathione peroxidase (p<0.01) and catalase in serum (p<0.10), while decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (p<0.05). The present study implies that the strain Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 had high antioxidant ability and its supplementation improved the growth performance and antioxidant status of weaning piglets, so it can be considered useful to alleviate oxidative stress and increase productive performance of pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1635-1640
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• 2004

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate developmental gene expression of antimicrobial peptide PR-39 and effect of zinc oxide on gene regulation of PR-39 in piglets using semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis. In experiment 1, fifteen female Tai-Hu pigs (a local breed in China) in five groups, each of three pigs at 1, 14, 28, 42 and 56 days of age were used to determine effect of age and weaning on mRNA expression of PR-39. In experiment 2, nine groups of pigs (total seventy-two female 36 days-age weanling Tai-Hu piglets) were assigned to three treatments (${ZnO}_0$, ${ZnO}_{100}$ and ${ZnO}_{3000}$). The feeding experimental period lasted 15 days. After feeding experiment, nine pigs with three animals in each treatment were chosen to determine the effect of ZnO on PR-39 mRNA expression of pigs. The results showed that PR-39 mRNA levels increased steadily in postnatal day 1-28 (preweaning), and weaning significantly decreased PR-39 mRNA expression of piglets (p<0.05). ${ZnO}_{3000}$ (3,000 mg zinc/kg diet) significantly increased PR-39 mRNA expression (p<0.05) when piglets were feed ${ZnO}_{3000}$ diet for 15 days. ${ZnO}_{100}$ (100 mg zinc/kg diet) also increased PR-39 gene expression, but the result was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The result was in accordance with the effect of ${ZnO}_{3000}$ and ${ZnO}_{100}$ on weight gain of piglets and prevention of diarrhea.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.909-914
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• 2006

The goal of this study was to investigate the behavior of sows and their piglets reared using the non-all-in all-out system and the all-in all-out system during a 3-week lactation period. The 24 Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire sows (range of parity: 2 to 4) and their litters (range of litter size: 8 to 13 piglets) for each treatment (8 sows/replication) were used in this experiment. The sows were housed in farrowing crates ($0.6{\times}2.1m$) located in pens ($2.4{\times}1.8m$) with totally perforated metal flooring. The crates were kept in an experimental room that was thermostatically controlled to approximately $23^{\circ}C$. A 250-W infrared heat lamp was turned on above the creep area during lactation. The sows and piglets were conventionally managed. The animals were recorded during a 24-h period at 1, 4, 7, 14 and 21 days postpartum. The videotapes were scanned every minute to obtain an instantaneous behavioral sample. In the behaviors of sows, lateral recumbency decreased and ventral recumbency increased from 1 day postpartum to 21 days postpartum. In comparison to the AIAOS, sows in the NAIAOS spent much less time on lateral recumbency (p<0.01), whereas they spent much more time on ventral recumbency and sitting at 4 days postpartum (p<0.05 and p<0.05). In the behaviors of piglets, lying increased and unsuccessful suckling decreased until 21 days postpartum. Compared to the AIAOS at 4 days postpartum, piglets in the NAIAOS spent less time lying (p<0.01), whereas they spent much more time walking and unsuccessful suckling (p<0.01 and p<0.05). These results suggest that the all-in all-out system may be preferable to the non-all-in all-out system for promoting welfare.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.399-404
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• 2007

To elucidate the efficacy of different levels of microbial-fermented soy proteins (FSP) on piglet performance, a total of 240 weaned piglets ($L{\times}Y{\times}D$, $22{\pm}3$ d of age, $5.16{\pm}0.07$ kg initial BW) were allotted to 4 treatment diets comprising control, FSP-3%, FSP-6% and FSP-9%. The fermented soybean product named $Pepsoygen^{(R)}$ was utilized for the study. There were 15 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment. The control diet contained 15% soybean meal (SBM), and SBM for the treatment diets was replaced at 3, 6 and 9% with FSP, respectively. Experimental diets were fed from 0 to 14 d (phase-I) after weaning and then a common commercial diet was fed from 15 to 35 d (phase-II). There was a linear (p<0.05) increase in ADG and ADFI at both phases of measurement. The feed to gain ratio was also improved, showing a linear (p<0.01) trend as the level of supplementation increased. Except for phosphorus, the digestibility of all other nutrients was improved linearly (p<0.05) in the FSP added diets. However, villous height and crypt depth were not affected by dietary treatments. No special effect on intestinal morphology was noticed between FSP-added and control diets. In conclusion, the growth, digestibility of nutrients and morphological changes in weaned pigs fed FSP showed improved performance at higher levels of supplementation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1667-1673
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• 2017

Antibiotics have long been of great benefit for people, both in the medical treatment of human disease and in animal food where they improve the growth performance and feed utilization during animal production. Antibiotics as in-feed supplements affect all stages of pork production, including the gestation, nursing, growing, and finishing stages, although the effects show stage-dependent differences. However, the use of antibiotics in animal feed has become a worldwide concern. This review describes why sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotic additives in animal feed have become an integral part of animal feeding programs for more than 70 years, particularly in pork production. It also discusses the threat of the long-term use of sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics in pork production. In recent years, the effectiveness of in-feed antibiotics has tended to decrease. This review analyzes this change from various perspectives. First, the equipment used at pig farms has improved dramatically and is more sanitary. Worldwide, more pig farms use pig farrowing crates, gestation crates, piglet nursery crates, flooring devices, piggery ventilation and cooler systems, automatic pig feeders, piggery heating equipment, and artificial insemination systems. In addition, scientists have replaced the use of antibiotics with organic acids, fermented mash, probiotics, prebiotics, minerals, oligosaccharides, enzymes, herbs/flavors, and protein/amino acids, and have improved management and husbandry techniques. In addition, animal welfare legislation has been aimed at improving the quality of the floors and living space, ensuring that animals have permanent access to fresh water, and setting a minimum weaning age. Finally, the prospects and the possibility of replacing antibiotics in pork production are described, in line with recent research results.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.321-333
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• 2000

High production of milk and its components are necessary to allow maximal growth of developing piglets. In this study, transgenic pigs were produced containing the $\alpha$ -lactalbumin gene, whose product is a potential limiting component in the production of milk. Two lines of transgenic pigs were produced to analyze the effects that overproduction of the milk protein $\alpha$ -lactalbumin may have on milk production and piglet growth. Transgenic pigs were produced through microinjection of the bovine $\alpha$ -lactalbumin gene. The gene construct contained 2.0 kb of 5'flanking region, the 2.0 kb coding region and 329 bp of 3'flanking region. Sows hemizygous for the trans gene produced as much as 0.9 g of bovine $\alpha$-lactalbumin per liter of pig milk. The production of the bovine protein caused approximately a 50% increase in the total $\alpha$ -lactalbumin concentration in pig milk throughout lactation. The concentration of bovine $\alpha$ -lactalbumin was highest on day 0 and 5 of lactation and decreased as lactation progressed. The ratio of bovine to porcine $\alpha$ -lactalbumin changed during the sow's lactation. This ratio was 4.3 to 1 on day 0 of lactation, but by day 20 of lactation the ratio was 0.43 to 1. This suggested that the bovine transgene and the endogenous porcine gene were under slightly different control mechanisms. The higher level of total $\alpha$-lactalbumin present on day 0 of lactation was correlated with higher lactose percentage on day 0 in transgenic sows (3.8%) as compared to controls (2.6%) (P＜0.01). Although there was also a trend for higher lactose percentage in transgenic sows on day 5 and 10 of lactation, no significant differences were observed. These data suggest that $\alpha$ -lactalbumin is limiting early in lactation of swine. Furthermore, higher concentrations of $\alpha$ -lactalbumin early in lactation may boost milk output.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.293-304
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• 2005

This experiment was carried out to investigate effects of honeybee venom treatment on the body weight gain, feed conversion and growth rate' in pigs. One hundred twenty nine piglets(LY) from 12 sows were allocated into two groups; honeybee venom-treated group (66 piglets from 6 sows) and non-treated control group (63 piglets from 6 sows). Natural honeybee venom was administrated at 0, 3, 14, 30, and 74 days after birth. The acupoints were Hai-men(ST-25), Du-kou(CV-8) and liao-chao(GV-I) points at 0 day, the regions of castration and tail ampution at 3 days, liao-chao(GV-1) and Bai-hui(GV-20) points at 14(weaning), 30(move into piglet stall) and 74(move into grower stall) days after birth. Control group was injected 1 ml of saline to the same site. Average body weight at 150 days after birth was 98.44 kg in bee venom treated group and 86.24 kg in control group, respectively. Average body weight of treated group was significantly increased by 14.15%(P < 0.0001). Average daily gain of bee venom treated group and control group were 649 g and 569 g, respectively, increased by 14.06%(P< 0.0001). Feed conversion of the treated group was 2.21 and control group was 2.49, increased by 11.25% in control group(P < 0.001). Survival rate at weaning was 95.5 % in treated group and 92.0% in control group, at growing(74 days after birth) was 92.4% in treated group and 85.7% in control group and survival rate at finishing(l50 days after birth) was 89.5 % and 79.4 %, respectively. Collecting together, the results in this study showed that growth performance and feed conversion were increased by treatment of natural honeybee venom to pigs. These results suggested that the treatment of bee venom could be used effectively for the increase productivity of livestock industry.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.13.1-13.7
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• 2018

Background: The objective of this study was to underline that litter size as a key trait of sows needs new parameters to be evaluated and to target an individual optimum. Large individual variation in litter size affects both production and piglet's survival and health negatively. Therefore, two new traits were suggested and analyzed. Two data sets on 5509 purebred German Landrace sows and 3926 Large White and crossing sows including at least two parental generations and at least five parities were subjected to variance components analysis. Results: The new traits for evaluating litter size were derived from the individual numbers of total born piglets (TBP) per parity: In most cases, sows reach their maximum litter size in their fourth parity. Therefore, data from at least five parities were included. The first observable maximum and minimum of TBP, and the individual variation expressed by the range were targeted. Maximum of TBP being an observable trait in pig breeding and management yielded clearly higher heritability estimates ($h^2{\sim}0.3$) than those estimates predominantly reported so far. Maximum TBP gets closer to the genetic capacity for litter size than other litter traits. Minimum of TBP is positively correlated with the range of TBP ($r_p=0.48$, $r_g$ > 0.6). The correlation between maximum of TBP and its individually reached frequency was negative in both data sets ($r_p=-0.28$ and - 0.22, respectively). Estimated heritability coefficients for the range of TBP comprised a span of $h^2=0.06$ to 0.10. Conclusion: An optimum both for maximum and range of total born piglets in selecting sows is a way contributing to homogenous litters in order to improving the animal-related conditions both for piglets' welfare and economic management in pig.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2001

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effents of feeding single or combined probiltics on performance and intestinal micreflora of broiler chicks for five weeks. Diets based on corn and soybean meal contained 21.50, 19% CP and 3,100, 3,150kcal/kg ME for starting and finishing period, respectively. Lactobacillus salvarius isolated from chicks intestine(LSC), Lactobacillus salvarius isolated from piglet(LSP), Bacillus polyfermenticus(BP) were fed with alone and mixed ones at the level of 0.21 and 0.1% in experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Three hundred eighty four chicks were randomly assigned to eight treatments with four replicates of 12 chicks each per treatment. Weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio(FCR) were weekly measured for 5 weeks. The number of intestinal micreflora was examined at the end of experiment. In both experiments, weight gain of chicks fed probiltics tended to be similar or higher than control, but was not in LSC+LSP treatment. Feed intake was not consistent among treatments. In experiment 1, FCR of chicks fed LSC alone was the lowest of all treatments, whereas it was significantly higher in LSC+LSP treatments than control(P〈0.05). In experiment 2, LSP supplemental groups tended to increase FCR compared to the control. The number of ileal E. coli was the lowest in LSP alone treatment of experiment 1, whereas cecal E. coli was higher concentration in probiotics supplemental groups than control. Total Lactobacillus of chicks fed probiotics was decreased in ileum, but was no consestency in cecum. In experiment 2, ileal total yeast tended to be higher in probiotics supplemental groups except LSP alone supplement than control. Total Lactobacillus of chicks fed LSC or LSP alone treatments was significantly higher than control(P〈0.05).