Authors:

Chiara Isabella Gibboney

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About Paper:

For over twenty years, geneticists have focused their efforts on increasing fecundity in the swine breeding herd. This has effectively increased ovulation rates and litter sizes, which are both highly heritable but not uterine size, which exhibits low heritability. The lack of in-utero space decreases the conceptus survival rate, creates intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), and increases variability among the surviving fetal population. During IUGR, nutrients are preferentially sent to the brain, starving critical organs such as the liver, which is vital to postnatal survival. This study aims to characterize the hematological effects of IUGR in postnatal piglets. We hypothesize that blood glucose and hematocrit will be reduced in IUGR piglets as a result of nutrients being redirected to the brain during in-utero development. Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture from piglets immediately after birth before they could ingest the sow's colostrum. Hematocrit and blood glucose were then determined on n=935 and n=950 samples, respectively, representing piglets from 82 sows. Piglets in the lower 10th percentile for birth weight were retrospectively classified as IUGR, and those above the 90th percentile were classified as large for gestational age (LGA). Preliminary statistical analysis carried out using a linear model, indicates that both hematocrit and blood glucose are significantly lower in IUGR piglets relative to LGA. Our results indicate an acute impact of IUGR on the hematological parameters of the neonatal piglet, and additional samples are being collected prior to weaning to determine if this effect persists into the postnatal period. Keywords: Intrauterine Growth Retardation; IUGR; Hematology; Swine

Source:

Purdue University / 2024

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Co-authors:

Chiara Isabella Gibboney