The effects of lack of movement in sows during pregnancy period on cortisol, acute phase proteins and lymphocytes proliferation level in piglets in early postnatal period.

Prolonged exposure to stress may cause adverse effects on animal physiology. It is especially important during the gestation period as female physiology can affect the unborn offspring in the form of prenatal stress. Intensive pig farming industry developed gestation crates that enable to keep sows during gestation period in small stalls which do not allow animals to move freely for a maximum of 4 weeks after successful insemination (Council Directive 2008/120/EC). Although these crates have production advantages, many health and welfare issues have been raised recently. In this study we tested to what extent the lack of movement of sows kept in the gestation crates had an impact on some blood and saliva constituents of new-born piglets. In total, the samples were collected from 80 piglets when they were 3, 7 and 21 days of age and tested for cortisol levels in blood and saliva, acute phase proteins (amyloid A, C-reactive protein, haptoglobin) and lymphocytes proliferation index (in response to ConA, PHA and PWM). 40 piglets were from sows kept in free movement housing (FM group) from day 1 to day 100 of pregnancy and forty piglets were from sows in the movement restriction group (MR), in which the sows were kept in crates just allowing them to stand up and lie down from day 1 to day 100 of the pregnancy (research was conducted before the implementation Directive 2008/120/EC i.e. January 1,2013). The results of the study showed that the piglets delivered by sows kept under movement restriction conditions exhibited higher cortisol and acute phase protein levels as well as a lower lymphocytes proliferation index. This suggests that lack of movement in sows during the gestation period influences piglets' physiology and indicates that the piglets are suffering from prenatal stress caused by insufficient housing conditions of their mothers potentially leading to poor health and welfare of their offspring.

Use of natural and synthetic aluminosilicates in decontamination of feed contaminated by fungi and micotoxins.

The contamination of feed with micotoxin has been a serious problem in animal nutrition. Many existing methods of decontamination are not satisfying due to the toxicological safety and health quality of the fodder materials. It stimulates the scientists to search for the new methods. The use of sorbents in the form of natural and synthetic aluminosilicates is a promising direction. The efficacy of aluminosilicates towards aflatoxins has been proved. However, their influence on other micotoxins is not that obvious. According to the last investigations, the use of aluminosilicates in nutrition does not cause any side effects and widespread pathological effects are observed only when dosage is incorrect. Regarding the analyses that were published, it can be supposed that the addition of several different aluminosilicates is a sufficient protection against mycotoxicoses.