Martelli G, Sardi L, Stancampiano L, Govoni N, Zannoni A, Nannoni E, Forni M, Bacci M L
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Animal. 2014 May;8(5):810-6. doi: 10.1017/S1751731114000433.
Pigs are increasingly used in medical research as transgenic laboratory animals; however, little knowledge is presently available concerning their welfare assessment. The aim of the present study was to investigate some welfare-related parameters of transgenic pigs intended for xenotrasplantation (human decay-accelerating factor (hDAF)) when compared with their conventional (i.e. not transgenic) close relatives (full sibs and half sibs). A total of 14 Large White female transgenic pigs and 10 female non-transgenic (conventional) pigs from four litters were used. All pigs were from the same conventional boar, donor of the semen treated for sperm-mediated gene transfer. During the experiment, BW ranged from 50 to about 80 kg and pigs were weighed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Animals were subjected to a set of behavioural tests: a human approach test (HAT), a novel object test (NOT) and an open-door test (ODT). Food preferences were tested through the offer of different foods (banana, apple, carrot, cracker and lemon). During a 4-day period, pigs were diurnally videotaped to study the prevalence of the different behaviours and social interactions (aggressive and non-aggressive interactions). At the end of the trial, cortisol level had been assessed on bristles. No significant differences (P>0.05) were observed between hDAF transgenic and conventional pigs with respect to growth traits, reactivity towards unexpected situations (HAT, NOT, ODT), food preferences, main behavioural traits, social interactions and hair cortisol.
猪作为转基因实验动物在医学研究中的应用越来越广泛；然而，目前关于其福利评估的知识却知之甚少。本研究的目的是调查用于异种移植（人衰变加速因子（hDAF））的转基因猪与其传统（即非转基因）近亲（全同胞和半同胞）相比的一些与福利相关的参数。总共使用了来自四窝的14只大白雌性转基因猪和10只雌性非转基因（传统）猪。所有猪均来自同一头传统公猪，该公猪的精液经过处理用于精子介导的基因转移。在实验期间，猪的体重范围为50至约80千克，在实验开始和结束时对猪进行称重。对动物进行了一系列行为测试：人类接近测试（HAT）、新物体测试（NOT）和开门测试（ODT）。通过提供不同的食物（香蕉、苹果、胡萝卜、饼干和柠檬）来测试食物偏好。在为期4天的时间里，对猪进行白天录像，以研究不同行为和社交互动（攻击性和非攻击性互动）的发生率。在试验结束时，对猪鬃毛上的皮质醇水平进行了评估。在生长性状、对意外情况的反应（HAT、NOT、ODT）、食物偏好、主要行为特征、社交互动和毛发皮质醇方面，hDAF转基因猪和传统猪之间未观察到显著差异（P>0.05）。
