Cheng Jian, Putz Austin M, Harding John C S, Dyck Michael K, Fortin Frederic, Plastow Graham S, Canada Pig Gen, Dekkers Jack C M
Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Hendrix Genetics, Swine Business Unit, Boxmeer, The Netherlands, 5831, CK.
J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2021 Sep 8;12(1):105. doi: 10.1186/s40104-021-00622-x.
The pork industry faces unprecedented challenges from disease, which increases cost of production and use of antibiotics, and reduces production efficiency, carcass quality, and animal wellbeing. One solution is to improve the overall resilience of pigs to a broad array of common diseases through genetic selection. Behavioral changes in feeding and drinking are usually the very first clinical signs when animals are exposed to stressors such as disease. Changes in feeding and drinking behaviors in diseased pigs may reflect the way they cope with the challenge and, thus, could be used as indicator traits to select for disease resilience. The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters of feeding and drinking traits for wean-to-finish pigs in a natural polymicrobial disease challenge model, to estimate genetic correlations of feeding and drinking traits with growth rate and clinical disease traits, and to develop indicator traits to select for disease resilience.
In general, drinking traits had moderate to high estimates of heritability, especially average daily water dispensed, duration, and number of visits (0.44 to 0.58). Similar estimates were observed for corresponding feeding traits (0.35 to 0.51). Most genetic correlation estimates among drinking traits were moderate to high (0.30 to 0.92) and higher than among feeding traits (0 to 0.11). Compared to other drinking traits, water intake duration and number of visits had relatively stronger negative genetic correlation estimates with treatment rate and mortality, especially across the challenge nursery and finisher (- 0.39 and - 0.45 for treatment rate; - 0.20 and - 0.19 for mortality).
Most of the recorded drinking and feeding traits under a severe disease challenge had moderate to high estimates of heritability, especially for feed or water intake duration and number of visits. Phenotypic and genetic correlations among the recorded feeding traits under disease were generally low but drinking traits showed high correlations with each other. Water intake duration and number of visits are potential indicator traits to select for disease resilience because of their high heritability and had moderate genetic correlations with treatment and mortality rates under severe disease.
猪肉行业面临着来自疾病的前所未有的挑战，这增加了生产成本和抗生素的使用，降低了生产效率、胴体品质和动物健康水平。一种解决方案是通过基因选择提高猪对多种常见疾病的整体抵抗力。当动物暴露于如疾病等应激源时，采食和饮水行为的变化通常是最早出现的临床症状。患病猪采食和饮水行为的变化可能反映了它们应对挑战的方式，因此可作为选择抗病力的指示性性状。本研究的目的是在自然多微生物疾病挑战模型中估计断奶至育肥猪采食和饮水性状的遗传参数，估计采食和饮水性状与生长速度及临床疾病性状的遗传相关性，并开发用于选择抗病力的指示性性状。
总体而言，饮水性状的遗传力估计值为中等至高，尤其是日均供水量、饮水持续时间和饮水次数（0.44至0.58）。相应的采食性状也观察到类似的估计值（0.35至0.51）。大多数饮水性状之间的遗传相关性估计值为中等至高（0.30至0.92），高于采食性状之间的相关性（0至0.11）。与其他饮水性状相比，饮水持续时间和饮水次数与治疗率和死亡率的负遗传相关性估计相对较强，尤其是在整个保育期和育肥期（治疗率分别为-0.39和-0.45；死亡率分别为-0.20和-0.19）。
在严重疾病挑战下记录的大多数采食和饮水性状的遗传力估计值为中等至高，尤其是采食或饮水持续时间和次数。疾病状态下记录的采食性状之间的表型和遗传相关性一般较低，但饮水性状之间显示出高度相关性。饮水持续时间和饮水次数因其高遗传力以及在严重疾病下与治疗率和死亡率有中等遗传相关性，是选择抗病力的潜在指示性性状。
