Periweaning Failure-to-Thrive syndrome (PFTS) is an emerging syndrome characterized by progressive growth retardation, anorexia and debilitation in piglets during the 2–3 weeks post-weaning. Since its first description in 2008, the syndrome has been reported in several countries and represents an important concern for the swine industry due to its impact on productivity and mortality. A consistent pathological feature of affected animals is thymic atrophy, suggesting a possible role of thymic dysfunction and altered thymic hormone production in the pathogenesis of the syndrome. The present study aimed to evaluate histopathological and histomorphometric changes in the thymus of PFTS- affected piglets and to investigate their association with leukocyte counts, serum thymulin levels and endocrine thymus functionality. The histopathological study revealed that piglets with clinical signs compatible with PFTS showed different degrees of thymic atrophy ranging from mild to severe, whereas healthy animals displayed normal thymic morphology. On the other hand, the histomorphometric results revealed a significant reduction in the cortex/medulla ratio in affected piglets, and this reduction became more pronounced as the severity of the thymic atrophy increased, although the size of Hassall’s corpuscles did not differ significantly between healthy and affected animals. Hematological analysis revealed progressive decreases in several leukocyte populations, particularly total lymphocytes and large lymphocytes, associated with increasing severity of thymic atrophy. Serum thymulin concentrations were significantly lower in affected piglets and showed a negative correlation with the degree of thymic atrophy. When looking at gene expression, significant reductions in prothymosin alpha and thymopoietin in animals with severe thymic atrophy were seen, while most β-thymosins showed minimal variation. Overall, the correlation analyses supported a strong link between thymic atrophy, alterations in immune cell populations and reduced thymulin levels. Our results support the hypothesis that thymic atrophy and reduced serum thymulin production are closely associated with the development of PFTS and may contribute to the immune alterations observed in affected piglets. Additionally, serum thymulin levels may provide a useful biomarker for the early detection of thymic dysfunction in pigs. Further research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms of this syndrome and to determine the role of other possible factors in its development.
Respiratory disease remains highly prevalent in pig production and constitutes a major health and welfare challenge worldwide. However, most studies assessing pig welfare impairment from respiratory disease rely on isolated animal-based indicators, limiting integration across welfare domains. This study aimed to quantify welfare impairment from respiratory disease in fattening pigs (8–10 weeks of age) using indicators aligned with the Five Domains Model. A survey using adaptive conjoint analysis was conducted with animal welfare researchers (n = 32) and practising swine veterinarians (n = 22). Respondents completed pairwise comparisons of profiles defined by combinations of five welfare indicators—appetite, coughing, respiratory distress, play behaviour, and exploratory behaviour—each expressed at increasing severity levels. Based on respondents’ choices of which profile represented greater welfare impairment, indicator importance scores and level-specific contributions to pig welfare impairment from respiratory disease were estimated. Across respondent groups, severe respiratory distress was perceived as the largest contributor to pig welfare impairment from respiratory disease, with an estimated contribution of 29.8
Timely euthanasia is essential for safeguarding pig welfare by preventing unnecessary pain and suffering. However, the definition of what constitutes “timely” euthanasia and which clinical signs allow identification of this time point require empirical validation. This study presents the results of an expert evaluation conducted during a continuing education course. Seventy pig-experienced veterinarians and farmers assessed on-farm recorded clinical signs, as well as photographic and video material from 130 pigs documenting the progression of disease over several days until recovery or euthanasia. For each observation day presented, participants voted for or against euthanasia and provided the reasoning underlying their decision. In total, more than 22,000 individual evaluations were collected. The time point considered appropriate for euthanasia and the associated decision criteria were analyzed and compared with the clinical signs recorded on farm. Qualitative analysis showed that expert consensus on timely euthanasia is primarily based on assessing the chance of treatment success, establishing a specific diagnosis, and evaluating clinical signs through repeated assessments. Furthermore, results indicated that euthanasia decision-making should occur within a time frame encompassing up to three re-visitations.
Lawsonia intracellularis is the causative agent of proliferative enteropathy, a common enteric disease in pigs that compromises intestinal integrity and may influence behavior through inflammation and immune activation. Its potential link to tail biting, an abnormal behavior that causes stress, injury and pain, remains unexplored. This study evaluated the effect of vaccination against L. intracellularis on tail-biting related behaviors, tail lesions, active behaviors, and postures in pigs reared under commercial conditions. The study compared two groups in a commercial herd naturally and subclinically infected with L. intracellularis: pigs vaccinated against L. intracellularis at 5 weeks of age and unvaccinated controls each comprising 21 pens observed from 11 to 28 weeks of age. Pigs had intact tails. L. intracellularis DNA in feces and specific antibodies in blood were detected by qPCR and ELISA, respectively. Tail-biting related behaviors (rear-end nosing and tail manipulation) were quantified by video analysis (n = 42 pens). Tail lesions were assessed weekly and individually for each pig (n = 516 pigs) using a standardized scoring system. Active behaviors (exploration, feeding, social interactions) and postures were recorded as additional behavioral measures. Haptoglobin (Hp), C-reactive protein (CRP), total esterase activity (TEA) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) were analyzed in blood or saliva. Mortality and average daily gain (ADG) were registered. Ethical welfare management measures (temporary space increase, tail spraying, and enrichment) were applied when recurrent or repeated bleeding from the tail was observed. L. intracellularis was detected between 15 weeks of age and 24 weeks of age. During this period, vaccinated pigs exhibited lower frequency of tail-biting related behaviors, whereas tail lesion scores did not differ between groups. Unvaccinated control pigs explored enrichment more frequently and were sporadically more active and restless while vaccinated pigs spent more time at the feeder. ADA concentrations were higher in vaccinated pigs, while Hp, CRP, TEA, mortality, and ADG did not differ (p > 0.05). Under natural subclinical Lawsonia intracellularis infection, vaccinated pigs demonstrated fewer tail-biting related behaviors and lower levels of active behaviors compared with unvaccinated controls. Although tail lesion rates were similar between groups, likely due to effective welfare management measures, the observed behavioral differences suggest that vaccination against L. intracellularis can enhance pig welfare even in the absence of clinical disease. Therefore, controlling subclinical enteric infections through vaccination may serve as an indirect yet practical complementary strategy to reduce tail-biting related behaviors on commercial pig farms.
Mycoplasma infections pose a significant challenge in swine production because of their economic impact and the difficulties associated with diagnosis and treatment. Antimicrobials are often the only available option for combating mycoplasmoses despite reports of resistance to several molecules and the frequent chronic nature of infections, which can reduce treatment efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the use of antimicrobials against swine mycoplasmoses through an international field survey and to review the relevant scientific literature and regulatory recommendations. The survey was led by the MyMIC network, whose main objective is to standardise antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) methods for livestock mycoplasmas. The responses of 118 swine veterinarians across 25 countries were analysed. No significant variations in practices were observed between countries. Macrolides, tetracyclines, and pleuromutilins were the most prescribed antimicrobial classes (used in more than 40
Abstract Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the main pathogen causing bacterial diarrhea in piglets. Ningxiang piglets (native Chinese breed) has the characteristics of stress resistance and low diarrhea rate, which is closely related to the intestinal microbial structure shaped by its high fiber feed. Our study found that Parabacteroides distasonis ( P. distasonis ), a representative intestinal bacterial species in Ningxiang piglets, had a positive correlation with fecal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). P. distasonis strain was isolated from Ningxiang piglets and verified the regulation on intestinal injury induced by ETEC in piglets. Results showed P. distasonis could alleviate the weight loss of piglets caused by ETEC infection. P. distasonis significantly decreased the diarrhea rate and inhibited the colonization of ETEC in intestinal mucosa, while decreased the ileal mucosal IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels after ETEC infection ( P < 0.05). P. distasonis decreased the serum DAO activity, D-lactate and Endotoxin and upregulating the expression of small intestine mucosal sIgA. P. distasonis enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins, including claudin-1, claudin-3, occludin, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), at both the transcriptional and translational levels ( P < 0.05). It also upregulates the expression of intestinal epithelial proliferation markers including PCNA , β-catenin , CHGA , Lgr5 and LYZ ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, P. distasonis affected the microbial structure and increased the relative abundances of beneficial genera, as well as increased the SCFAs contents in ileum of ETEC-challenged piglets. Taken together, P. distasonis could maintain the integrity of intestinal epithelial barrier, alleviate intestinal inflammation and repair intestinal barrier damage caused by ETEC, which provides theoretical basis for nutritional intervention of diarrhea in piglets.
Abstract Background Pestivirus scrofae (previously atypical porcine pestivirus, APPV) is a member of the genus Pestivirus within the family Flaviviridae. This virus has been established as the etiological agent of congenital tremor (CT) type AII, a neurological disorder in newborn piglets characterized by generalized tremors. Despite this association, the epidemiological characteristics of the virus, including its transmission dynamics and patterns of spread between herds, remain poorly understood. It has already been confirmed that, similarly to other flaviviruses, APPV can be shed by semen. Previously, we have identified interstitial Leydig cells, the peritubular myoid cells and smooth muscle cells of medium-sized arteries as target cells of APPV in the testicles of newborn, congenitally infected, CT-affected piglets. Results In our present study, we examined FFPE tissue samples obtained from a persistently infected 6-months-old, sexually mature boar, born with CT, that was still shedding 2.1 × 109 GE/mL APPV in its semen. We detected viral genome by RNAscope in situ hybridization method in the T-cell zones of the lymph nodes draining the reproductive organs and the GALT of the ileum, periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths of the spleen and in cells of the intestinal crypts in the ileum. We also identified positive cells in the molecular, granular and the Purkinje-cell layer of the cerebellum, and in the neurons of the spinal cord and the cerebral cortex. We found weak positive signal in the colon, but none in the lungs and the liver. Interestingly, positive signals were detected in the outer layers of the adrenal gland cortex (zona glomerulosa and fasciculata), as well as in the acinar cells of the exocrine pancreas. In reproductive organs, viral nucleic acid was detected in the Leydig cells and peritubular myoid cells of the testicles, in cells within the seminiferous tubules and in the epididymis. We also found positive cells in the prostate and the bulbourethral gland. The shedding of the virus in semen supports the notion that infected cells within the reproductive tract may serve as a source of the virus in semen. These affected cells of the reproductive tract could serve as source of the virus in semen. Conclusion Our results suggest that APPV is capable of crossing the blood–testis barrier, and may be associated with persistent infection, including cases likely originating from congenital exposure, in pigs and boars that can actively shed the virus. Therefore, the use of such animals for breeding purposes should be approached with caution. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of persistent infection.
Abstract Background The present case report describes the clinical and pathological outcomes of an outbreak of piglet mortality and neuromuscular disorders in newborn and nursery piglets caused by vitamin B5 deficiency. Case presentation A farrow-to-wean 750 sow-farm in Spain experienced abortions and respiratory signs in sows related to swine influenza during the first week of February 2025. It was followed by an unusual high piglet mortality rate within the first week post-farrowing, reaching up to 65% and persisting for seven weeks. Piglets were born apparently healthy, and colostrum intake was considered normal. Nevertheless, on the second day of life, they started showing apathy, ataxia, and prostration, most of them usually dying spontaneously on the third day of life. At the same time, at least 14 recently weaned piglets exhibited similar clinical signs and subsequently died. However, sows were completely unaffected. Initial antibiotic treatments were ineffective. Seven piglets were subjected to a complete necropsy. Five showed the above-mentioned neurological signs and two were completely healthy, which served as non-affected control animals. No relevant gross lesions were found. Histopathologically, neuronal bodies from cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal cord had variable degrees of central chromatolysis, cytoplasmic vacuolation, and swelling, with displaced nuclei and occasional necrosis. Some of the sampled sciatic nerves had mild-to-intense axonal swelling and fragmentation. Microscopic lesions were absent in the two non-affected pigs. Pantothenic acid deficiency was presumptively diagnosed, and all newborn piglets were treated with a vitamin B complex. The condition did not re-appear after treatment. Conclusions Insufficient pantothenic acid intake should be among the differential diagnoses of piglets with ataxia, muscle weakness and mortality. A fast diagnosis based on complete nervous system sampling is key to diagnose and counteract this condition.
Abstract Background Granulomatous enteritis in pigs is mostly associated with porcine circovirus 2 systemic disease (PCV2-SD) but less often caused by fungi, Salmonella spp., foreign bodies, Mycobacterium spp. or Lawsonia intracellularis . This unusual and rare presentation of Lawsonia intracellularis infection can only be diagnosed by histopathological and immunohistochemical confirmation. Case presentation Postmortem examination was performed in three 9-10-week-old post-weaned growing pigs from an outdoor farm submitted with a clinical history of increased mortality and wasting over the last two batches. Gross findings in all animals included poor body condition, segmental fibrino-necrotizing enteritis and catarrhal colitis. Histopathological examination identified chronic segmental proliferative enteritis with concurrent granulomatous inflammation of the submucosa and Peyer’s patches in one animal (pig A). Lawsonia intracellularis was demonstrated in the apical cytoplasm of proliferating crypt enterocytes and in multinucleated giant cells and macrophages of the lamina propria and submucosa by Warthin–Starry stain and immunohistochemistry. PCV2 antigen was not detected in the intestinal lesions or in other lymphoid tissues by immunohistochemistry. Mycobacteriosis was ruled out by means of Ziehl Neelsen stain. Selective culture of intestinal contents for Salmonella spp. was negative and Brachyspira pilosicoli was isolated and identified by PCR from two animals (pigs A and C). This spirochete could have contributed to the colitis and wasting in these animals. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus involvement was discarded in the three pigs by spleen RT-PCR. Conclusion This case report highlights Lawsonia intracellularis as a rare but significant differential diagnosis for granulomatous enteritis in pigs and emphasizes the importance of achieving a definitive diagnosis by excluding PCV2-SD and demonstrating co-localization of the bacterium with granulomatous inflammation by Warthin–Starry stain and immunohistochemistry.
Abstract Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) remains one of the most significant health and welfare challenges in global pig production. The disease is associated with substantial economic losses, impaired herd health, increased antimicrobial use, and ongoing animal welfare concerns. Despite widespread implementation of vaccination, biosecurity, and herd stabilization strategies, PRRS continues to persist endemically in many production systems, highlighting the need for additional disease-control approaches. Recent advances in genome editing have enabled the development of host-directed resistance strategies in pigs. In particular, targeted editing of the scavenger receptor CD163, a key host factor required for PRRS virus entry into macrophages, using CRISPR–Cas9 has demonstrated resistance to several PRRSV strains in experimental models. Deletion of the SRCR5 domain of CD163 prevents viral infection while largely preserving normal receptor function, representing a more targeted approach compared with complete gene knockout. Current evidence suggests resistance to both major PRRSV genotypes, although most data derive from controlled experimental studies rather than commercial field conditions. Important considerations remain regarding long-term health and welfare outcomes, immune competence under production environments, ethical considerations surrounding germline genome editing, and differences in regulatory frameworks that may influence adoption. From a pig health management perspective, genome-edited PRRS resistance should be viewed as a complementary strategy rather than a replacement for established control measures such as vaccination, biosecurity, and herd health management. Careful evaluation, veterinary oversight, and coordinated regulatory guidance will be necessary to determine how this technology may be integrated responsibly into future PRRS control programs.
Tail biting in production pigs is a complex behaviour often triggered by stress and nutritional deficiencies, posing significant welfare and economic challenges. Despite the EU ban on routine tail docking for welfare reasons, docking remains effective in preventing tail biting, which highlights the need for alternative strategies and yet better understanding of the complex mechanisms behind it. This study investigates the efficacy of magnesium supplementation, specifically magnesium oxide (MgO) and magnesium aspartate (MgAsp), in reducing tail biting incidents in pigs postweaning until life week 9 (rearing pigs) with intact tails. Conducted on a Danish farm raising pigs with undocked tails, the trial involved 381 pigs across two batches. Blood magnesium and cortisol concentrations, along with tail and ear lesions, were systematically monitored. Results indicate a decline in blood magnesium levels across all groups after three weeks (i.e. life week 7 of the pigs), coinciding with increased incidences of tail lesions, particularly significant in the group with MgO supplementation. However, discrepancies in magnesium concentrations at the initial time point in the group with MgAsp supplementation suggest potential variations in magnesium absorption or baseline levels unknown prior to supplementation. While MgAsp showed some efficacy in maintaining higher magnesium levels, neither form of magnesium consistently reduced lesion prevalence or stress markers, as indicated by cortisol levels. These findings suggest that while magnesium supplementation can influence magnesium status, its role in mitigating tail biting and associated stress may be limited in the age class of rearing pigs. Further research is necessary to explore magnesium metabolism in young pigs and its intricate relationship with stress, nutrition, and behaviour.
Abstract Background The swine industry is under increasing pressure to adopt meaningful animal welfare improvement strategies, yet implementation remains challenging due to competing operational demands and the economic costs associated with many welfare interventions in a pork market that is often volatile. Although good animal welfare is known to enhance productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability, clearer stakeholder understanding of these relationships is needed to support industry decision making for broader adoption of welfare strategies. This pilot study examined how pork industry stakeholders perceive animal welfare and its role in business decisions related to sustainable production by assessing: [1] how producers and swine veterinarians define animal welfare and the metrics they use to monitor it on-farm; [2] stakeholder understanding of how management procedures influence welfare, whether decisions are driven by welfare or productivity concerns, and whether barriers to implementation exist; and [3] stakeholder perceptions of the relationships between welfare and broader sustainability metrics. Results Concept elicitation interviews with open-ended questions were conducted to capture firsthand stakeholder experiences with on-farm welfare management. Ten participants were interviewed; four experienced swine managers and six veterinarians, including seven from Canada and three from the United States. Interviews elicited detailed descriptions of participants’ definitions of animal welfare, the management practices they implemented and the motivations behind management decisions, welfare and productivity indicators used, perceived impacts of management practices on staff well-being, and views on the interconnections between welfare, production performance, and overall business sustainability. Producers generally did not provide a clear definition of animal welfare, but referenced welfare indicators they use to assess welfare; these being primarily visible, physical measures related to economically relevant performance metrics. Respondents acknowledged the value of good welfare for profitability and staff well-being, however, welfare considerations typically remained secondary to economic priorities, and practices involving upfront costs were rarely adopted unless mandated. Conclusions This study highlights that although animal welfare is widely recognized as important to sustainable pork production, its role is not yet fully understood or embedded within the workplace culture or business models of pork production systems.
Abstract Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) induces congenital tremor (CT) in piglets. Limited understanding of the relationship between viremia, antibody responses and clinical signs has impeded the development of effective preventive measures, as it is unclear which individuals are infectious and for how long. To characterize these aspects, a cohort field study with 43 piglets from herds experiencing CT and 21 external control piglets was conducted. CT-pigs and their healthy littermates were viremic at birth, with APPV RNA detected in serum by RT-qPCR, and viremia persisted in eight of the 15 pigs from CT-litters that remained in the study until four months of age, although levels declined over time. Pigs from unaffected litters in outbreak herds became viremic after litters were mixed. All pigs had APPV-specific anti-E2 antibodies, measured by an in-house ELISA, at three days of age. Levels declined by 59 days but were elevated again at four months of age in outbreak herd pigs. Lower viral loads were associated with higher antibody levels at this age, indicating an effective immune response. Although the duration of viremia was positively associated with the duration of tremors, 22% of pigs remained viremic after clinical signs had resolved. Furthermore, neither the amount of virus in serum nor antibody levels correlated with the degree of tremors. These findings reveal that piglets born with APPV-induced CT can remain viremic until four months of age and are able to produce APPV-specific antibodies. The absence or presence of tremors cannot be used to identify which pigs are viremic and thus at risk of transmitting the virus, highlighting a challenge for disease control.
Abstract Background Identifying evidence of peri-mortem diarrhoea during necropsy is important for both clinical herd management and research. In live pigs, diarrhoea is typically assessed by inspection of faecal pools on the pen floor scoring of faecal rectal samples, including cotton-swabs, but these methods depend on the availability of faecal material and are therefore often not applicable at necropsy. This study aimed to evaluate intestinal content characteristics and perianal faecal staining as post-mortem indicators of peri-mortem diarrhoea. These indicators were compared with cotton-swab faecal scoring using faecal dry-matter content as a reference. Furthermore, associations with enteric pathogens detected by PCR were investigated. Methods and results A total of 145 pigs from a Danish commercial herd were monitored from birth until 10 weeks of age and euthanised in age-stratified batches for post-mortem examinations. Intestinal content from duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon was evaluated for consistency and colour using categorical scales and compared with perianal faecal staining, faecal scores obtained by the cotton-swab method, faecal dry-matter percentage, and pathogen detections in faecal samples by high-throughput real-time PCR. Colonic content consistency and perianal faecal staining were strongly associated, and in all pigs with watery colonic content a perianal faecal staining was observed. Colonic content consistency corresponded well with faecal dry-matter percentage categories, with mucoid, runny and watery consistencies indicating diarrheic cases (sensitivity: 87%, specificity: 55%). Jejunal content consistency showed little to no association with cotton-swab faecal scores, indicating limited value as an indicator of peri-mortem diarrhoea. Pre-weaning piglets predominantly showed lighter (yellow–green), firmer intestinal contents, whereas post-weaning animals displayed darker and looser contents, particularly in the large intestine. Interobserver reliability was high for consistency scoring (Krippendorff’s α > 0.80 across most segments) but low for colour scoring (α < 0.64). Dark colonic content was associated with PCR detection of Lawsonia intracellularis and Brachyspira pilosicoli , while yellow coloration showed an indirect association with detection of Clostridium perfringens α and β2 toxin genes. Conclusions Post-mortem assessment of colonic content consistency represent a promising, practical and reproducible indicator of peri-mortem diarrhoea, but tending to identify a higher prevalence of diarrheic cases compared to diarrhoea defined by dry-matter percentage. Colonic content consistency also showed a strong association with perianal faecal staining. In contrast, jejunal content consistency showed no diagnostic value as an indicator of peri-mortem diarrhoea. Visual assessment of intestinal content colour demonstrated poor interobserver reproducibility, and any observed associations with enteric pathogens should therefore be interpreted with caution. Overall, these findings support the use of colonic content consistency and perianal faecal staining as necropsy-based indicators for detection of peri-mortem diarrhoea.
Abstract Routine piglet processing procedures, such as surgical castration and tail docking, are known to induce pain and stress, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly administered to mitigate these responses. This study evaluated the effects of processing and NSAID administration on physiological and behavioral indicators of pain and stress in male piglets. A total of 120 piglets (5 days old) were randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups in a 2 × 4 factorial design, including sham or processed piglets receiving intranasal flunixin meglumine, ketoprofen, meloxicam, or saline solution. Piglets underwent surgical castration and tail docking or sham handling one hour after treatment administration. Plasma cortisol concentrations were assessed at baseline, 1 h, 3 h, and 24 h post-procedure, and pain-related behaviors were evaluated using the UNESP-Botucatu Pig Composite Acute Pain Scale (UPAPS). Processed piglets, both with and without NSAID administration, exhibited higher plasma cortisol concentrations than sham piglets at 1 h post-procedure, indicating an acute stress response, with concentrations returning to baseline by 3 h and 24 h. No treatment effects of NSAIDs were observed for cortisol concentrations. Behavioral assessment revealed higher UPAPS scores in processed piglets at 1 h, 3 h, and 24 h compared with sham piglets, indicating persistent pain-related responses. NSAID treatments did not consistently mitigate behavioral pain expression, although ketoprofen-treated piglets exhibited a transient reduction in UPAPS scores at 3 h post-procedure. Overall, piglet processing elicited acute physiological stress responses and sustained behavioral indicators of pain. These findings support the need for integrated analgesic strategies to more effectively mitigate post-procedural pain and improve piglet welfare.
BACKGROUND: The COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 98/58/EC (1) states that animal owners and care takers must ensure that animals under their care are not subjected to unnecessary pain, suffering and injury. Until now, rendering plants as a potential ‘exit’ in animal production have been largely ignored as a potential assessment site for animal welfare monitoring. The aim of the present work was to provide an overview of welfare-related lesions commonly found in pigs at rendering plants. Data collection was carried out in Austrian and German rendering plants and focussed on lesions that were expected to be recognizable for any pig farmer. RESULTS: In the Austrian study, 20.8% of all pigs delivered to a rendering plant showed lesions potentially associated with substantial pain and/or suffering. In Germany, 16.0% of examined pigs (sample A) may have been exposed to substantial pain and/or suffering. Most common lesions were biting wounds, ulcerative skin lesions and swellings. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results it must be assumed that a considerable number of pigs experienced substantial pain and/or suffering prior to death. External examinations focusing on potentially welfare-relevant lesions carried out at rendering plants could be helpful in identifying farms at high risk of non-compliance with the Animal Welfare Act.
BACKGROUND: Direct contact with their offspring during the first few weeks makes sows a potential source of resistant bacteria for fattening pigs and food products derived from pigs. Moreover, staff working with breeding pigs are exposed to their bacterial flora which also includes zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. In this study we investigated the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli and the prevalence and the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica, cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli (CTXR-E. coli) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in breeding pigs in Germany in 2015 and 2023 to identify potential changes in the prevalence and resistance over time during a period of reduction of antimicrobial use in farm animals in Germany. RESULTS: Resistance in E. coli to tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole and the prevalence of CTXR-E. coli decreased in breeding herds between 2015 and 2023 in Germany. The proportion of E. coli that were susceptible to all tested substances increased. In contrast, there were no changes in the herd prevalence of Salmonella and MRSA. Resistance of E. coli to some antimicrobials was associated with the presence of MRSA in the herd and to herd size. Larger herds were more prone to harbour MRSA and CTXR-E. coli. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate a minor decrease in AMR in E. coli from breeding pigs in Germany but no decrease in the prevalence of Salmonella or MRSA.
Abstract Background Efficient monitoring of sow nursing behavior is relevant to animal welfare monitoring and management of preweaning mortality (PWM) risk, which remains a significant challenge in intensive swine production systems. Traditional observation methods are labor-intensive and inadequate for large-scale farms, requiring automated solutions. Precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies, particularly computer vision and deep learning models, offer opportunities for continuous monitoring of sow posture–nursing-state classes. The YOLO (you only look once) architecture has demonstrated high accuracy and speed for object detection in different environments. This study developed and evaluated a modified YOLO11n model optimized with TensorRT to monitor sow posture–nursing-state classes in farrowing crates. In this study, “nursing” was operationalized from top-view images as visible piglet snout/mouth contact oriented toward the udder/teat line; frames without visually confirmable contact were labeled not nursing. The model’s lightweight architecture and inference acceleration address the computational constraints of real-time applications in farrowing-room monitoring. Results The modified YOLO11n achieved an mAP@50 of 98.90%, while reducing complexity to 207 layers and 5.0 GFLOPs by removing the small-object detection head. This enabled inference times of 4.6 ms on an NVIDIA A100 GPU and 6.1 ms on a T4 GPU with TensorRT optimization. The framework detected and classified ten posture–nursing-state classes (sitting, standing, and three lying postures, each labeled as nursing or not nursing) on representative test images, including frames with partial occlusion and variable lighting. Misclassifications were observed primarily among visually similar classes, such as Sow_Sitting_Nursing and Sow_Sitting_Not_Nursing, consistent with limited visibility of piglet-to-teat contact in some postures from the top-view angle. TensorRT optimization further reduced inference latency by 58.56% (A100) and 44.55% (T4), demonstrating consistent inference-latency reductions on the evaluated GPU platforms. Conclusions This study demonstrates the potential of leveraging lightweight deep learning architectures for real-time behavioral monitoring in PLF. The modified YOLO11n and TensorRT optimization provide an efficient framework for automated monitoring of sow posture–nursing-state classes, supporting welfare-oriented monitoring workflows relevant to PWM risk management. Future work will evaluate lightweight temporal post-processing and embedded deployment to reduce frame-to-frame label flicker and assess performance under on-farm compute and I/O constraints.
BACKGROUND:Farrowing is the most critical phase in a sow's production cycle and has major implications for both animal welfare and productivity. Early identification of sows at risk of farrowing-related disorders is therefore essential. In human obstetrics, blood-pressure measurement is a key tool for detecting individuals at increased risk of pregnancy-related complications, and both hypertension and excessive increase in blood pressure have been associated with adverse outcomes. Previous work has suggested that low systolic blood pressure may be linked to prolonged farrowing, a condition known to increase stillbirth rates and neonatal mortality. Invasive arterial catheterisation remains the reference method for blood-pressure assessment but is impractical for routine or repeated use in pregnant sows, whereas non-invasive oscillometric tail-cuff techniques have shown potential feasibility. The aim of this study was to evaluate a non-invasive method for blood-pressure monitoring in sows and to describe preliminary gestational blood-pressure patterns that may inform future work on identifying individuals at risk of farrowing-related complications. RESULTS:Measurements could be performed as planned during all stages of gestation and lactation. The non-invasive tail-cuff method functioned well both when the sows were confined in feeding stalls and when they were moving freely in the farrowing pens. Non-invasive blood-pressure measurements revealed a progressive pattern of decline in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures throughout the sows' gestation. CONCLUSION:Non-invasive blood-pressure measurement in sows under commercial production conditions proved feasible, and the measurements obtained in this study demonstrated a significant decline in blood pressure during late gestation. These findings highlight the need for further research to establish reliable reference intervals and to determine thresholds for critically low blood pressure in relation to farrowing.
Abstract Surgical castration is a routine management procedure in swine production that raises welfare concerns due to pain, inflammation, and risk of post-procedure complications. Topical products are commonly applied to castration wounds, but their efficacy in promoting healing and reducing inflammation has not been systematically evaluated. This study investigated and compared the efficacy of five commercially available antiseptic and barrier topical products on wound healing, inflammatory responses, and growth performance in piglets undergoing surgical castration. One hundred and ninety piglets, 3–5 days-old of age, were evaluated under the following treatments: Iodine, Oinkment®, PhytoCare®, Vetericyn®, Zinc Oxide, or intact controls (NoCast). Treatments were applied immediately after castration (D1). Body weights were recorded at baseline (D0; day before castration) and at weaning. Blood samples were collected on days 0 (baseline), 7, and 14 for analysis of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and haptoglobin. Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to assess surface temperature. Histological evaluation of wound healing was performed on subsets of piglets on days 7 and 14. No treatment effects were observed on body weight or pre-weaning survival; castrated piglets grew similarly to intact controls. Concentrations of PGE₂ declined over time (P < 0.001) but did not differ between treatments, suggesting it may have limited utility as an inflammatory biomarker in neonatal pigs. Haptoglobin concentrations increased across all groups by days 7 and 14, including intact controls, indicating minimal specificity for castration-related inflammation. In contrast, IRT consistently distinguished castrated from intact piglets, supporting its potential as a non-invasive indicator of inflammatory responses. Histological evaluations showed expected time-dependent healing progression, with epidermal thickness correlating with wound severity, but no treatment effects were found. None of the tested topical products were superior to others in regard to wound healing or reduced systemic inflammation under a single-application protocol. While safe and without adverse effects on growth, benefits are unclear when compared to a traditional iodine treatment. The current standard operational procedure for castration requires piglets to receive Iodine after castration to reduce infection risk. Future research should explore no treatment option, repeated applications, microbial wound presence, and behavioral indicators to better evaluate post-castration wound-care strategies.
