Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43215, USA.
Pediatric Neurology Department, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.
Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 7;12(1):16798. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-21353-7.
The United States' swine industry is under constant threat of foreign animal diseases, which may emerge without warning due to the globalized transportation networks moving people, animals, and products. Therefore, having disease control and elimination protocols in place prior to pathogen introduction is paramount for business continuity and economic recovery. During extraordinary circumstances, it may become necessary to depopulate large populations of animals, including swine, as a disease containment measure. Currently approved depopulation methods for swine present significant logistical challenges when scaled to large populations or performed in field conditions. In the United States, water-based foam is currently approved for poultry depopulation, and recent field studies demonstrate water-based foam is an effective depopulation alternative for swine. While effective, the speed at which water-based foam induces loss of consciousness prior to death, a major welfare consideration, has not been adequately investigated. In this study, 12 nursery pigs were terminated using water-based medium-expansion foam to quantify the time to induce loss of consciousness and ultimately brain death. Each pig was implanted with subdermal electrodes to capture electroencephalographic data, placed in a body sling, and suspended in a plastic bulk container that was subsequently filled with water-based foam. Electroencephalographic data was recorded for 15 min, during which the pigs remained immersed in the water-based foam. Conservatively, average (± SD) time to unconsciousness and brain death was 1 min, 53 s ± 36 s and 3 min, 3 s ± 56 s, respectively. The relatively rapid loss of consciousness compared to other methods limits the amount of distress and is overall a positive finding for the welfare of the pigs that might be depopulated with water-based foam. The findings of this study add additional evidence supporting the use of water-based medium-expansion foam for an emergency depopulation of swine.
美国的养猪业一直受到外来动物疾病的威胁，这些疾病可能会因全球化的交通网络而在没有预警的情况下出现，这些网络将人和动物以及产品进行了转移。因此，在病原体传入之前制定疾病控制和消除方案对于业务连续性和经济复苏至关重要。在特殊情况下，可能需要对包括猪在内的大量动物进行扑杀，作为疾病控制措施。目前，经批准用于猪的扑杀方法在大规模应用或在野外条件下实施时存在重大的后勤挑战。在美国，水基泡沫目前被批准用于家禽扑杀，最近的实地研究表明，水基泡沫是一种有效的猪扑杀替代方法。虽然有效，但水基泡沫在诱导失去意识之前使动物死亡的速度，这是一个主要的福利考虑因素，尚未得到充分研究。在这项研究中，使用水基中膨胀泡沫扑杀 12 头保育猪，以确定诱导失去意识并最终导致脑死亡所需的时间。每头猪都被植入皮下电极以捕获脑电图数据，放置在身体吊索中，并悬挂在一个塑料散装容器中，然后将水基泡沫填充到该容器中。脑电图数据记录了 15 分钟，在此期间，猪一直浸泡在水基泡沫中。保守估计，无意识和脑死亡的平均（±标准差）时间分别为 1 分 53 秒±36 秒和 3 分 3 秒±56 秒。与其他方法相比，水基泡沫相对较快地导致动物失去意识，这限制了动物的痛苦程度，总体上是水基泡沫扑杀猪的福利的一个积极发现。这项研究的结果为水基中膨胀泡沫在紧急扑杀猪群方面的应用提供了额外的证据支持。
