220 Effects of Actisaf HR+ SC47 Live Yeast Probiotic Fed at Two Levels to Sows on Offspring Performance Before and After Weaning

750 sows (PIC line 42) were used to evaluate the effects of ActiSaf HR+ SC47 live yeast probiotic (AS) on sow and litter performance when fed to sows and their weaned piglets (PIC line 42 x 359). 250 multiparous sows per treatment (average parity 3.6) were fed the control diet without a live yeast probiotic (NC) or a diet with 250 mg/kg AS from breeding through lactation (LY1) or 250 mg/kg AS during gestation and 500 mg/kg AS during lactation. Weaned pigs from these sows were subsequently fed 4-phase nursery diets containing 0 (wNC) or 1 g/kg AS from d 0–10 after weaning followed by 500 mg/kg AS (wLY) from d 10–42 after weaning. This provided a 3x2 nursery trial design. During lactation, number of pigs born; born live varied by treatment (P < 0.05). After weaning, wLY fed pigs had lower BW on d 12, 23; d 0–12 ADG, ADFI, lower d 0–42 ADFI and $/kg gained (P < 0.05). Pigs fed wLY after weaning also tended towards lower d 42 BW and d 0–42 ADG (P < 0.06; Table 1). Conversely, weaned pigs from sows fed LY1 or LY2 had higher ADG and ADFI from d 0–12 and d 0–42 after weaning (P < 0.05) versus pigs from sows fed NC. Pigs from sows fed LY1 or LY2 also had higher BW at d 12, 23, and 42 after weaning than pigs from sows fed NC. Pigs from sows fed LY1 and LY2 tended to have lower nursery $/kg gain (P < 0.06) than pigs from sows fed NC. No significant interactions were observed. Feeding ActiSaf HR+ SC47 live yeast probiotic to gestating and lactating sows improved their weaned pigs’ growth performance and tended to improve piglet cost of production after weaning.

Effects of wet/dry feeder and pen stocking density on grow-finish pig performance

Three thousand one hundred and eighty-two terminal cross pigs (barrows and gilts) PIC line 359 sires × 1,050 dams were used from three consecutive grow-finish groups (initial BW of 21.51 ± 0.42 kg, 31.61 ± 1.18 kg, 29.41 ± 0.28 kg for replicates 1–3). Pigs were randomly assigned to each pen at the start of the trial and the research period continued for 106, 94, and 100 d for the first, second, and third replicates, respectively. The experimental treatments were designed as a two by three factorial (pen space of 0.65 or 0.78 m2/pig with 10, 13, or 16 pigs per feeder space), each pen had an equal number of barrows and gilts with 20, 26, and 32 pigs per pen for the 10, 13, and 16 pigs per feeder space pens. Each pen was equipped with one double-sided wet/dry feeder, 37.5 cm wide, with one nipple drinker. All pigs had ad libitum access to feed and water supply during the trial period. Pigs for all the three replicates were fed with the same series of diets. Pigs were weighed by pen at the start of trial and at the end of the trial to calculate ADG. Feed was removed from the feeders and weighed to determine ADFI and G:F. To express floor space allowance, the k value was estimated by the equation: space per pig (m2)=k×BW (kg)0.67. No interactions (P > 0.05) of floor space allowance with pigs per feeder were observed. Pigs with less floor space allowance had reduced BW (128.8 vs. 129.5 kg, P = 0.026), ADG (1.00 vs. 1.02 kg/d, P = 0.002), and ADFI (2.52 vs. 2.61 kg/d, P < 0.001). However, G:F was improved (0.402 vs. 0.397, P = 0.039) with less floor space allowance per pig. Increased pigs per feeder space reduced final BW (129.7, 129.4, 128.4 kg, linear; P = 0.001). However, ADG had a quadratic relationship (P = 0.005) with pigs per feeder space with means of 1.03, 1.01, and 1.01 kg/d for 10, 13, and 16 pigs per feeder space. Overall, ADFI had a quadratic relationship (P < 0.0001) with number of pigs per feeder space with means of 2.62, 2.52, and 2.55 kg/d for 10, 13, and 16 pigs per feeder space. Gain efficiency had a quadratic relationship (P = 0.005) with number of pigs per feeder space with means of 0.395, 0.404, and 0.400 for 10, 13, and 16 pigs per feeder space. In conclusion, a floor space allowance of 0.65 m2/pig in the grow-finish period reduced ADFI and ADG compared with 0.78 m2/pig. Overall, with the type of wet/dry feeder used in this study, 10 pigs per feeder had the greatest ADG and ADFI, compared with 13 or 16 pigs per feeder space. However, G:F improved as the number of pigs per feeder space increased.

Unintended Benefit to the Donor of Bacterial Screening of Platelets, Pheresis Donations.

Background: Our blood center began routine screening of Single Donor Platelets, Pheresis (SDP) for bacteria on December 15, 2003 using aerobic culture bottles with the BacT Alert® 3D System. SDP units are held a minimum of 24 hours prior to sampling and then are labeled and released while the culture bottles are incubated for five days. Case Study: A 77-year old female donated a SDP and concurrent Plasma. Pre-donation platelet count was 328 x103/μL and hemoglobin level was 15.0 g/dL. Collection was uneventful with no error codes received from the equipment. Sample for was obtained on day-1, inoculated in an aerobic culture bottle, and incubated. The inoculated bottle showed growth of bacteria at 19.6 hours of the culture period. SDP had not been distributed and was recultured. Repeat culture was performed on day-2 and it also showed growth at 13.4 hours. The concurrent plasma was thawed and cultured and did not show any growth. A gram stain of the positive culture bottle revealed gram-positive cocci in chains that were later identified as Streptococcus viridans. The donor was notified of the culture results. The donor denied any skin rash or infection, sore throat, fractures, heart or lung conditions. She denied fever, chills or any acute illness. Her chronic conditions included hypertension treated with Lisinopril. She was also receiving thyroid replacement for hypothyroidism and Asiphex for gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD). She denied any GI or GU symptoms. The culture results were mailed to the donor so that she could share them with her personal physician. The donor is a frequent apheresis donor and has donated 54 SDPs over the past seven years. Three previous donations immediately prior to the current donation were found to be negative after 5-day culture. On day 18, the donor felt weak and tired but without fever or other symptoms and she went to see her physician. The physician obtained a blood culture that grew bacteria the next day. Further testing identified the organism as Streptococcus salivarius, a viridans species. Donor was then hospitalized for five days to begin intravenous Ceftriaxone. Further antibiotic treatment was given at home via a peripherally inserted central (PIC) line. The donor had a three-year history of a benign heart murmur. The PIC line was removed with the completion of the antibiotic treatment on day 65. The donor remained asymptomatic throughout the treatment. Two trans-thoracic and two trans-esophageal echocardiograms were negative for bacterial endocarditis. However, mild idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis was discovered. The donor had dental work done two months prior to the time the bacteremia was found. However, she had one SDP donation that was culture negative after the dental work. The cause of the donor’s bacteremia remains obscure. Discussion: Although the screening of Platelets, Pheresis is for the protection of the patient who will receive the product, this case shows that the detection of the bacteria also may benefit the donor. In our case, aymptomatic Streptococcus viridans bacteremia would not have been recognized if it were not detected by culturing her SDP. The donor was grateful for the information that lead to the early detection of blood stream infection that resulted in successful treatment. The donor continues to ask that she be able to donate when eligible.

Welfare and production implications of piglet husbandry treatments in outdoor systems

In indoor systems it is routine practice to carry out a number of husbandry tasks with young piglets. These include clipping ‘eye’ teeth to prevent damage to the udder of the sow and the faces of litter mates, and injecting iron to prevent anaemia. Considerable debate exists about the necessity for carrying out such tasks in outdoor systems where the animals are less used to being in close proximity to humans and where any disruption of maternal behaviour can have much more serious consequences.550 piglets (PIC line 12 x PIC synthetic Meatline boars) in 49 litters were used in a factorial experiment to determine the effects of (a) leaving piglet teeth intact or clipping them at birth and (b) injecting 2ml of iron dextran at 2-4 days after farrowing or leaving piglets untreated.Each alternate litter farrowing had their teeth clipped, and half of the piglets within each litter received an iron injection. Sows and piglets were scored for damage on days 7 and 14 post-farrowing and at weaning using a linear scale from zero (no wounding) to three (severe laceration with prominent wounds). Once a week, the location and suckling behaviour of all the animals involved in the experiment was observed for three hours. Blood samples were taken from each piglet of the first fifteen litters to be weaned and analysed for haemoglobin content.