Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1300 University Blvd.,CH464, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China.
Geroscience. 2020 Jun;42(3):909-922. doi: 10.1007/s11357-020-00190-4. Epub 2020 May 2.
As average human lifespans increase across the globe, companion animals, specifically dogs and cats, are also living longer with more age-related morbidities. However, a similar trend is not seen in mammalian livestock species. Cows, pigs, goats, and sheep, as well as more niche mammalian species raised across the world, have been primarily raised for their economic benefit to humans and are culled from the population once their production declines. To this end, we lack clear knowledge about the age-related morbidities and causes of death that afflict livestock animals due to natural aging, as well as detailed age-specific survival rates. Here, we review the current state of the field of agricultural mammal aging, as well as provide specific questions and directions that may provide novel resources for veterinarians and aging biologists. By raising awareness of the overall quality of life and ongoing health of individual livestock animals, we can potentially increase production into older life stages, leading to decreased costs to farmers and improved welfare for the animals themselves.
随着全球人类平均寿命的延长，伴侣动物（特别是狗和猫）也随着年龄的增长而出现更多与年龄相关的疾病。然而，在哺乳动物家畜物种中并没有看到类似的趋势。牛、猪、山羊、绵羊以及世界各地饲养的更多小众哺乳动物物种，主要是因为它们对人类的经济利益而被饲养，一旦它们的产量下降，就会被从种群中淘汰。为此，由于自然衰老，我们对影响家畜动物的与年龄相关的疾病和死亡原因缺乏清晰的认识，也缺乏详细的特定年龄的生存率数据。在这里，我们回顾了农业哺乳动物衰老领域的现状，并提供了一些可能为兽医和衰老生物学家提供新资源的具体问题和方向。通过提高对个体家畜动物整体生活质量和持续健康的认识，我们可以潜在地增加它们进入老年阶段的产量，从而降低农民的成本，并提高动物自身的福利。
