Influence of Different Plant Extracts on CYP-Mediated Skatole and Indole Degradation in Pigs.

One of the primary substances responsible for the unpleasant odor in boar meat is skatole. Enzymes belonging to the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family play a pivotal role in the hepatic clearance of skatole. This study aimed to investigate the impact of oregano essential oil (OEO), Schisandra chinensis extract (SC), and garlic essential oil (GEO) on hepatic CYP2E1 and CYP2A activity in pigs. In three consecutive trials, cannulated castrated male pigs were provided with a diet containing 0.2-0.3% of one of these plant extracts. Following a 14-day feeding period, the animals were slaughtered, and liver and fat samples were collected. The findings indicate that the activities of CYP2E1 were unaffected by any treatment. However, GEO treatment demonstrated a significant reduction in CYP2A activity (p < 0.05). Pigs treated with GEO also exhibited a notable increase in skatole concentrations in both plasma and adipose tissue. In contrast, animals fed SC displayed elevated skatole concentrations in plasma but not in fat tissue. OEO did not influence skatole concentrations in either blood or fat. Furthermore, the study revealed that a supplementation of 6 g GEO per animal per day induced a significant increase in skatole concentrations in blood plasma within 24 h.

Nitrogen and lysine utilization efficiencies, protein turnover, and blood urea concentrations in crossbred grower pigs at marginal dietary lysine concentration.

Nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) and lysine utilization efficiency (LUE) are key indicators of sustainable pork production and vary depending on nutritional and non-nutritional factors. The objective was to study NUE and LUE together with concentrations of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and other metabolites in growing pigs fed diets with marginal Lys concentrations at 11-13 wk (40.5 kg mean BW) and 14 to 16 wk (60.2 kg mean BW). The cereal grain-soybean meal-based diets contained 10.6 and 7.9 g Lys/kg DM in periods 1 and 2, respectively. Feed intake and BW were measured for 508 individually penned pigs, and blood samples were collected 5 h after morning feeding at weeks 13 and 16. A subgroup of 48 barrows was used in a nitrogen (N) metabolism trial at weeks 13 and 16. In this subgroup, the mean N retention of pigs (27.3 g N/d) and mean LUE (70%) were not different between the periods, but NUE was higher in period 1 (47%) than in period 2 (43%) (P < 0.001). After administration of a single dose of 15N labeled glycine and measurement of 15N recovery in urine, the calculated whole-body protein turnover did not differ between the periods. The rate of protein synthesis was positively correlated with NUE (P < 0.001), but protein degradation was not. Excretion of urea-N in urine accounted for 80% of the total urinary N and was positively correlated with BUN. The N retention of all 508 pigs was estimated using an equation that was derived from the N metabolism data. N retention was on average 31.4 g/d, equal in both periods, and higher in barrows than in gilts in period 2, but not in period 1 (P = 0.003). The calculated NUE was, on average, 47% and was lower in barrows than in gilts (P < 0.001) and higher in period 1 than in period 2 (P < 0.001). The calculated LUE was, on average, 71%, and was lower in barrows than in gilts in period 2, but not in period 1 (P < 0.001). The BUN concentration was higher in barrows than in gilts (P < 0.001) and higher in period 1 than in period 2 (P < 0.001). BUN concentration was negatively correlated with NUE in Periods 1 (r = -0.50) and 2 (r = -0.15) (P < 0.05). We concluded that the maximum LUE was in the range of 70-72% under the conditions of this study, and only small differences between the periods and sexes existed. Protein synthesis, rather than degradation, appears to affect NUE. BUN concentration may be useful for estimating NUE in a large group of animals fed a diet with a marginal Lys concentration.

Increasing the utilization of protein and amino acids by pigs is an effective tool for improving the sustainability of pork production. This study showed that the utilization of lysine, the limiting amino acid in pigs, can reach 72% in growing pigs aged 11­16 wk when fed diets based on cereal grains and soybean meal. The average utilization of total nitrogen was 47%, with high variation among the pigs. Higher nitrogen utilization was associated with lower concentration of urea in the blood. This indicates that the blood urea concentration is an easy-to-determine proxy trait for nitrogen utilization in pigs when the concentration of lysine in the feed is low. Only small differences were observed between gilts and barrows during the investigation period. Nitrogen utilization increased when pigs had a higher rate of whole-body protein synthesis, which was associated with anabolic hormone concentrations in the blood.

Male Reproductive Organ Weight: Criteria for Detection of Androstenone-Positive Carcasses in Immunocastrated and Entire Male Pigs.

Immunocastration and rearing of entire males (EMs) are sustainable alternatives to surgical castration. However, these animal carcasses have variable risk of boar taint and should be identified at the slaughter line. We aimed to identify a simple and reliable indicator of androstenone-related boar taint by evaluating pelvic urogenital tract weight as a marker of boar-taint animals at the slaughter line. The pelvic urogenital tract, testes, and accessory sex glands of EMs and immunocastrates (ICs) were collected, dissected, and weighed, before colorimetric measurements of testicular tissue. Additionally, GnRH antibody titers and testosterone, androstenone, and skatole levels were determined. Our results showed that 81.8% of EMs had androstenone levels above the risk threshold (>0.5 µg/g fat; EM/Ahigh subgroup), whereas in ICs, the C/Ahigh subgroup with androstenone >0.5 µg/g fat accounted for only 4.3%. Androstenone levels correlated negatively with GnRH antibody titers and positively with testosterone levels and reproductive organ weights. Identification of ICs with androstenone levels above the threshold (IC/Ahigh subgroup) may be achieved via testes or pelvic urogenital tract weight measurements. However, in EMs, the latter is a more reliable parameter. A principal component analysis based on these variables and hierarchical clustering also distinguished the Ahigh from the Alow subgroup, irrespective of IC/EM. The findings highlight the possible use of pelvic urogenital tract weight along with testes weight as a simple, reliable, and efficient morphometric indicator for identifying androstenone-positive carcasses of different sex categories.

Fast IMAC purification of non-tagged S100A8/A9 (calprotectin) from Homo sapiens and Sus scrofa.

S100A8/A9 (calprotectin) is a damage-associated molecular pattern molecule (DAMP) that plays a key role in the innate immune response of mammalia. S100A8/A9 is therefore widely used as a biomarker in human and veterinary medicine, but diagnostic tools for the detection of S100A8/A9 are rarely optimised for the specific organism, since the corresponding S100A8/A9 is often not available. There is need for an easy, reliable protocol for the production of recombinant, highly pure S100A8/A9 from various mammalia. Here we describe the expression and purification of recombinant human and porcine S100A8/A9 by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), which takes advantage of the intrinsic, high-affinity binding of native un-tagged S100A8/A9 to metal ions. Highly pure S100A8/A9 is obtained by a combination of IMAC, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatographic steps. Considering the high sequence homology and conservation of the metal ion coordinating residues of S100A8/A9 metal binding sites, the protocol is presumably applicable to S100A8/A9 of various mammalia.

The dynamics of molecular, immune and physiological features of the host and the gut microbiome, and their interactions before and after onset of laying in two hen strains.

Aggregation of data, including deep sequencing of mRNA and miRNA data in jejunum mucosa, abundance of immune cells, metabolites, or hormones in blood, composition of microbiota in digesta and duodenal mucosa, and production traits collected along the lifespan, provides a comprehensive picture of lifelong adaptation processes. Here, respective data from two laying hen strains (Lohmann Brown-Classic (LB) and Lohmann LSL-Classic (LSL) collected at 10, 16, 24, 30, and 60 wk of age were analyzed. Data integration revealed strain- and stage-specific biosignatures, including elements indicative of molecular pathways discriminating the strains. Although the strains performed the same, they differed in the activity of immunological and metabolic functions and pathways and showed specific gut-microbiota-interactions in different production periods. The study shows that both strains employ different strategies to acquire and maintain their capabilities under high performance conditions, especially during the transition phase. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the capacity of such integrative analyses to elucidate molecular pathways that reflect functional biodiversity. The bioinformatic reduction of the multidimensional data provides good guidance for further manual review of the data.

Single housing but not changes in group composition causes stress-related immunomodulations in horses.

Domestic horses are currently often subject to management practices that can entail social stressors, which in turn can negatively influence immunocompetence and disease susceptibility. The present study therefore aimed to characterize the number of various blood leukocyte subsets in horses, focusing on two potentially stressful housing environments: changes in group composition and relocation to individual stabling. Immune measurements were conducted before as well as one and eight days after changes were made. They were complemented by an assessment of plasma cortisol concentrations as well as behavioral observations. One and eight days after relocation to single housing, the mean numbers of eosinophils, T helper cells and cytotoxic T cells decreased by up to 31%, 20% and 22% respectively, whereas the mean numbers of neutrophils increased by 25%. In contrast, one and eight days after changes in group composition not only the mean number of neutrophils, but also of monocytes, T helper cells and cytotoxic T cells increased by up to 24%, 17%, 9%, and 15% respectively. In consequence, an increase in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio indicating stress-induced immune modulation was found after relocation to single housing, but not after changes in group composition. The changes in leukocyte numbers after relocation to single housing were accompanied by a transient increase in cortisol concentrations after one day and the occurrence of disturbed behavior patterns one week after change in housing condition. In contrast, changes in group composition did not result in an increase of cortisol concentrations or in an increase of aggressive interactions. The results strongly indicate that individual stabling is an intense stressor leading to acute and lasting alterations in blood counts of various leukocyte types. The study highlights a probable negative impact of single housing on welfare and health of horses and an advantage of group housing systems in view of immunocompetence.

Immunocastration in adult boars as a model for late-onset hypogonadism.

BACKGROUND: While immunocastration has been studied in male pre-pubertal pigs, data on older, sexually mature animals are limited. To understand the physiological effects of androgen deprivation in the late sexual development phase, we compared mature immunocastrated boars (n = 19; average age = 480 days) to young male immunocastrated pigs (n = 6; average age = 183 days) and young entire males (n = 6; average age = 186 days) as positive and negative controls, respectively. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that the timing of gonadotropin-releasing hormone suppression (early or late sexual development phases) influences the extent of reproductive function inhibition, histological structure of testicular tissue, and expression levels of selected genes related to steroid metabolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antibody titer, hormonal status, and histomorphometric analysis of testicular tissue were subjected to principal component analysis followed by hierarchical clustering to evaluate the immunocastration effectiveness in mature boars. RESULTS: Hierarchical clustering differentiated mature immunocastrated boars clustered with young immunocastrated pigs from those clustered with entire males. Although all mature immunocastrated boars responded to vaccination, as evidenced by the increased gonadotropin-releasing hormone antibody titers (p < 0.001), decreased serum luteinizing hormone concentrations (p = 0.002), and changes in testicular tissue vascularization (lighter and less red testicular parenchyma; p ≤ 0.001), the responses were variable. Sharp decreases in testes index (p < 0.001), Leydig cell volume density (p < 0.001), Leydig cell nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio (p < 0.001), and testosterone concentration (p < 0.001) were observed in mature immunocastrated boars clustered with young immunocastrated pigs compared with those that clustered with entire males. Additionally, mature immunocastrated boars clustered with young immunocastrated pigs showed lower hydroxysteroid 17-beta dehydrogenase 7 expression than entire males (p < 0.05). The young immunocastrated pigs group showed higher follicle-stimulating hormone receptors than the entire males and mature immunocastrated boars, lower steroidogenic acute regulatory protein expression levels compared with entire males, and mature immunocastrated boars clustered with entire males (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The two-dose vaccination regime resulted in progressive but variable regression of testicular function in adult (post-pubertal) pigs; however, it was insufficient to induce a complete immunocastration response in all animals.

Multi-Omics Reveals Different Strategies in the Immune and Metabolic Systems of High-Yielding Strains of Laying Hens.

Lohmann Brown (LB) and Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) are two commercially important laying hen strains due to their high egg production and excellent commercial suitability. The present study integrated multiple data sets along the genotype-phenotype map to better understand how the genetic background of the two strains influences their molecular pathways. In total, 71 individuals were analyzed (LB, n = 36; LSL, n = 35). Data sets include gut miRNA and mRNA transcriptome data, microbiota composition, immune cells, inositol phosphate metabolites, minerals, and hormones from different organs of the two hen strains. All complex data sets were pre-processed, normalized, and compatible with the mixOmics platform. The most discriminant features between two laying strains included 20 miRNAs, 20 mRNAs, 16 immune cells, 10 microbes, 11 phenotypic traits, and 16 metabolites. The expression of specific miRNAs and the abundance of immune cell types were related to the enrichment of immune pathways in the LSL strain. In contrast, more microbial taxa specific to the LB strain were identified, and the abundance of certain microbes strongly correlated with host gut transcripts enriched in immunological and metabolic pathways. Our findings indicate that both strains employ distinct inherent strategies to acquire and maintain their immune and metabolic systems under high-performance conditions. In addition, the study provides a new perspective on a view of the functional biodiversity that emerges during strain selection and contributes to the understanding of the role of host-gut interaction, including immune phenotype, microbiota, gut transcriptome, and metabolome.

Does Carrying a Rider Change Motor and Sensory Laterality in Horses?

Laterality in horses has been studied in recent decades. Although most horses are kept for riding purposes, there has been almost no research on how laterality may be affected by carrying a rider. In this study, 23 horses were tested for lateral preferences, both with and without a rider, in three different experiments. The rider gave minimal aids and rode on a long rein to allow the horse free choice. Firstly, motor laterality was assessed by observing forelimb preference when stepping over a pole. Secondly, sensory laterality was assessed by observing perceptual side preferences when the horse was confronted with (a) an unfamiliar person or (b) a novel object. After applying a generalised linear model, this preliminary study found that a rider increased the strength of motor laterality (p = 0.01) but did not affect sensory laterality (p = 0.8). This suggests that carrying a rider who is as passive as possible does not have an adverse effect on a horse's stress levels and mental state.

Immune parameters in two different laying hen strains during five production periods.

During life, the number and function of immune cells change with potential consequences for immunocompetence of an organism. In laying hens, studies have primarily focused on early development of immune competence and only few have investigated systemic and lymphatic distribution of leukocyte subsets during adolescence and the egg-laying period. The present study determined the number of various leukocyte types in blood, spleen, and cecal tonsils of 10 Lohmann Brown-Classic and 10 Lohmann LSL-Classic hens per wk of life 9/10, 15/16, 23/24, 29/30, and 59/60, encompassing important production as well as developmental stages, by flow cytometry. Although immune traits differed between the 2 hen strains, identical patterns of age-related immunological changes were found. The numbers of all investigated lymphocyte types in the spleen as well as the numbers of blood γδ T cells increased from wk 9/10 to 15/16. This suggests an ongoing release of lymphocytes from primary lymphoid tissues and an influx of blood lymphocytes into the spleen due to novel pathogen encounters during adolescence. A strong decrease in the number of CTL and γδ T cells and an increase in innate immune cells within blood and spleen were found between wk of life 15/16 and 23/24, covering the transition phase to egg-laying activity. Numbers of peripheral and splenic lymphocytes remained low during the egg-laying period or even further decreased, for example blood CD4+ T cells and splenic γδ T cells. Functional assessments showed that in vitro IFN-γ production of mitogen-stimulated splenocytes was lower in wk 60. Taken together, egg-laying activity seems to alter the immune system toward a more pronounced humoral and innate immune response, with probable consequences for the immunocompetence and thus for productivity, health and welfare of the hens.

Short- and long-term consequences of stocking density during rearing on the immune system and welfare of laying hens.

Already during early life, chickens need to cope with chronic stressors that can impair their health and welfare, with stocking density being one of the most influential factors. Nevertheless, there is a gap in research on the influence of stocking density on laying hens during rearing and in the subsequent laying period. This study therefore investigated how stocking density during rearing affects the immune system and welfare of pullets, and whether effects are persistent later in life. Pullets were reared at either low (13 birds/m2) or high (23 birds/m2) stocking densities but in identical group sizes from wk 7 to 17. Afterward, hens were kept at the same stocking density (2.4 birds/m2) until wk 28. Blood and tissue samples (spleen and cecal tonsils) were collected at the end of the rearing period and in the laying period. The parameters evaluated encompassed number and distribution of leukocytes and lymphocyte subsets in blood and lymphatic tissue, lymphocyte functionality, plasma corticosterone concentrations as well as behavior and physical appearance of hens. At the end of rearing, pullets kept under high stocking density had lower numbers of T lymphocytes, especially γδ T cells in blood, spleen, and cecal tonsils and displayed a higher heterophil to lymphocyte ratio. These effects are mostly persistent during the laying period, although stocking density was identical at this time. Furthermore, birds from the high stocking density group showed less active behavior, more pecking behavior and worse physical appearance throughout both examination periods. In conclusion, stocking density during rearing affects pullets' immune system and behavior not only in the rearing, but also subsequently in the laying period, indicating a strong correlation between health and welfare during rearing and the laying period.

Bridging environment, physiology and life history: Stress hormones in a small hibernator.

Our knowledge of the perception of stress and its implications for animals in the wild is limited, especially in regard to mammals. The aim of this study was therefore to identify sex specific effects of reproductive activity, body mass, food availability and hibernation on stress hormone levels in the edible dormouse (Glis glis), a small mammalian hibernator. Results of our study reveal that reproductive activity and pre-hibernation fattening were associated with high cortisol levels in both sexes. During the mating season, in particular individuals with low body masses had higher stress levels. Elevated levels of cortisol during pre-hibernation fattening were even higher in females that had formerly invested into reproduction compared to non-reproductive females. Previously observed impairments on health parameters and reduced survival rates associated with reproduction emphasize the functional relevance of high stress hormone levels for fitness. Prolonged food limitation, however, did not affect stress levels demonstrating the ability of dormice to predict and cope with food restriction.

Impact of Housing Condition on Welfare and Behavior of Immunocastrated Fattening Pigs (Sus scrofa domestica).

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the well-known positive effects of immunocastration on the behavior and welfare of pigs persist under varying environments. One hundred forty-four male pigs were studied with regard to their sex category (EM: entire males, IC: immunocastrates, BA: barrows) and housing environment (ENR: enriched, STD: standard, MIX: repeated social mixing). The vaccination of immunocastrates included two injections at the age of 12 and 22 weeks. Regardless of the housing conditions, frequencies of sexual and fighting behavior expressed by immunocastrates shifted from boar-like to barrow-like behavior after the second immunocastration vaccination (Mixed model analysis, p < 0.05). Penis biting decreased in IC after the second vaccination (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, p = 0.036) and penile injuries were lower in IC animals compared to EM (Mixed model analysis, p < 0.001). Housing-dependent effects on behavior could also be observed in the animals at a relatively young age. Enriched housing showed a beneficial effect on play behavior (Chi-square test, p < 0.001) and the social mixing environment reduced the number of social nosing events (Mixed model analysis, p < 0.05). The positive effects of immunocastration thus are robust to all housing conditions assessed in this study.

Adipose Tissue Gene Expression of Entire Male, Immunocastrated and Surgically Castrated Pigs.

Differences in adipose tissue deposition and properties between pig male sex categories, i.e., entire males (EM), immunocastrates (IC) and surgical castrates (SC) are relatively well-characterized, whereas the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not fully understood. To gain knowledge about the genetic regulation of the differences in adipose tissue deposition, two different approaches were used: RNA-sequencing and candidate gene expression by quantitative PCR. A total of 83 differentially expressed genes were identified between EM and IC, 15 between IC and SC and 48 between EM and SC by RNA-sequencing of the subcutaneous adipose tissue. Comparing EM with IC or SC, upregulated genes related to extracellular matrix dynamics and adipogenesis, and downregulated genes involved in the control of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism were detected. Differential gene expression generally indicated high similarity between IC and SC as opposed to EM, except for several heat shock protein genes that were upregulated in EM and IC compared with SC. The candidate gene expression approach showed that genes involved in lipogenesis were downregulated in EM compared with IC pigs, further confirming RNA-sequencing results.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Dietary Phosphorus and Calcium in Two Strains of Laying Hens.

Insufficient nutrient supply can impair the immune system, which is important for animal health and welfare. Since chicken can partly hydrolyze phytate, which is the primary phosphorus storage in plant seeds, a reduction of mineral phosphorus in the diets could be an option for more sustainable egg production. Laying hens require high concentrations of calcium that might inhibit the function of endogenous enzymes for phytate hydrolyzation. The objective of this study was to characterize the impact of standard and reduced dietary phosphorus and calcium concentrations on the number and functionality of immune cells in the peripheral and gut-associated immune system in a white and brown laying hen strain. Reduced mineral phosphorus enhanced several immune parameters such as B cells in blood and IgA concentrations in bile in both strains, and peripheral monocytes and γδ T cells in cecal tonsils in brown hens. Reduced calcium levels resulted in lower numbers of T cells in blood and cecal tonsils in both strains, suggesting negative effects on adaptive immunity. Differences between the two strains were found in almost all immune parameters. Results suggest a potentially beneficial effect of reduced dietary mineral phosphorus on the immune system that is dependent on the genetic background.

Welfare Aspects of Raising Entire Male Pigs and Immunocastrates.

For a long time, scientists assumed that newborns have a severely limited sense of pain (if any). However, this assumption is wrong and led to a "start of the exit" from piglet surgical castration. Some of the currently discussed or already implemented alternatives such as general or local anaesthesia during surgical castration raise additional welfare concerns as well as legal problems and/or are hardly applicable. The favoured long-term, welfare-friendly "gold standard" is to raise entire male pigs (EM). However, this may also impose certain welfare problems under the current conventional housing and management conditions. The specific types of behaviour displayed by EM such as mounting and aggressive behaviours but also increased exploration, which are partially linked to sexual maturation, increase the risk for injuries. The current status of knowledge (scientific literature and farmer experiences) on housing of EM suggests that environmental enrichment, space, group-stability, social constellation, feeding (diet and feeder space), health and climate control are critical factors to be considered for future housing systems. From an animal welfare point of view, an intermediate variant to be favoured to reduce problematic behaviour could be to slaughter EM before reaching puberty or to immunize boars early on to suppress testicular function. Immunization against endogenous GnRH can reduce EM-specific problems after the 2nd vaccination.

Phytate degradation, myo-inositol release, and utilization of phosphorus and calcium by two strains of laying hens in five production periods.

The objective of this study was to compare 2 laying hen strains in 5 production periods regarding phytase activity, phytate (InsP6) degradation, and myo-inositol (MI) release in the digestive tract and phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) utilization. One offspring of 10 nonrelated roosters per strain (Lohmann Brown-classic (LB) or Lohmann LSL-classic (LSL)) was placed in one of 20 metabolic units in a completely randomized block design in week 8, 14, 22, 28, and 58 of life. All hens were fed the same corn and soybean meal-based diet at one time, but the diet composition was adjusted to the requirements in the respective period. For 4 consecutive days, excreta were collected quantitatively at 24-hour intervals. In week 10, 16, 24, 30, and 60, the blood plasma, digesta of crop, gizzard, jejunum, ileum, and ceca, and mucosa of the jejunum was collected. The concentration of inorganic P in the blood plasma was higher in LB than in LSL hens (P = 0.026). Plasma Ca concentrations increased with each period (P < 0.001) in both strains. In jejunum digesta, the MI concentration did not differ between strains, but InsP6 concentration was higher in LB than in LSL hens (P = 0.002) and the highest in week 30 and 60. Total phosphatase and phytase activities were higher in LB than in LSL hens (P ≤ 0.009). Period effects were also significant for these enzymes. Concentrations of some constituents of the cecal content were different between the strains. The MI concentration in the egg albumen and yolk was higher in LB than in LSL hens. Differences in InsP6- and MI-related metabolism of the 2 hen strains existed. These differences were partly dependent of the period. Especially, week 24 was a period of remarkable change of metabolism. Great differences also existed among individuals, making it worth to have a closer look at the metabolism of individuals in addition to evaluating treatment means. Further studies on metabolic, genetic, and microbiome level may help explain these differences.

Interkingdom Cross-Talk in Times of Stress: Salmonella Typhimurium Grown in the Presence of Catecholamines Inhibits Porcine Immune Functionality in vitro.

In stressful situations, catecholamines modulate mammalian immune function, and in addition, they can be sensed by many bacteria. Catecholamine sensing was also found in the zoonotic gut pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium, probably contributing to the stress-induced increased risk of salmonellosis. Virulence traits such as proliferation and invasiveness are promoted upon bacterial catecholamine sensing, but it is unknown whether S. Typhimurium may also inhibit mammalian immune function in stressful situations. We thus investigated whether supernatants from S. Typhimurium grown in the presence of catecholamines modulate porcine mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation. Lymphocyte proliferation was reduced by supernatants from catecholamine-exposed Salmonella in a dose-dependent manner. We further examined whether adrenaline oxidation to adrenochrome, which is promoted by bacteria, could be responsible for the observed effect, but this molecule either enhanced lymphocyte functionality or had no effect. We could thereby exclude adrenochrome as a potential immunomodulating agent produced by S. Typhimurium. This study is the first to demonstrate that bacteria grown in the presence of catecholamine stress hormones alter their growth environment, probably by producing immunomodulating substances, in a way that host immune response is suppressed. These findings add a new dimension to interkingdom signaling and provide novel clues to explain the increased susceptibility of a stressed host to Salmonella infection.

Carcass Characteristics and Primal Pork Cuts of Gilts, Boars, Immunocastrates and Barrows Using AutoFOM III Data of a Commercial Abattoir.

The surgical castration of male piglets as a routine procedure in modern pig production is facing increasing societal criticism. Pork production with boars and immunocastrates are available alternatives, but both have low market shares as it is so far uncertain how the carcass characteristics and primal pork cuts of boars and immunocastrates will be estimated in comparison to barrows and gilts. This article therefore evaluates the impact of sex group (gilts, boars, immunocastrates and barrows) on carcass characteristics and primal pork cuts using AutoFOM III data from a commercial abattoir. In our study, weekly slaughter data from a total of n = 36,994 pigs between 2018 and 2019 were analyzed. The results show that gilts had the highest amount of pork per carcass of all sex groups, whereas non-significant differences between boars, immunocastrates and barrows could be observed. Boars had the highest lean meat content, followed by gilts, immunocastrates and finally barrows with the lowest lean meat content. These results suggest that both immunocastration and pork production with boars are sustainable techniques that can replace pork production with barrows without affecting carcass quality.

Phytate Degradation, Transcellular Mineral Transporters, and Mineral Utilization by Two Strains of Laying Hens as Affected by Dietary Phosphorus and Calcium.

Laying hens require less phosphorus (P) but markedly more calcium (Ca) in their diet than broilers. These differences may cause more distinct interactions with phytate degradation and utilization of minerals in laying hens than those in broilers. The objective of the study was to characterize intestinal phytate degradation, ileal transcript copy numbers of transcellular Ca and P transporters, and mineral utilization by two laying hen strains fed with standard or reduced levels of dietary Ca and P at the laying peak. The strains showed differences regarding several traits driving Ca and P metabolism along the digestive tract. Thus, the two strains may use different mechanisms to meet their respective P demand, i.e., via effective phytate degradation and transcellular transport. Clear effects of the Ca level on myo-inositol concentrations and mineral utilization revealed the significance of this element for the measured traits. The absence of P-mediated effects confirmed the findings of several studies recommending that P concentrations used in laying hen feeds are too high. Differences were noted between individuals within one treatment. The next step would be to evaluate the data in individual birds to identify birds that better cope with a challenging diet.