Factors Affecting Fertility in Loosely Housed Sows and Gilts: Vulvar Discharge Syndrome, Environment and Acute‐phase Proteins

Abstract

The effect of vulvar discharge syndrome (VDS) on sow and gilt fertility was studied on 26 farms. Of 824 animals inspected in 21 randomly selected and five VDS problem farms, 19 (2.3%) were afflicted with VDS. Altogether 542/799 of the examined animals (67.8%) farrowed thereafter. Nine of the 19 VDS animals (47.4%) and 533/780 non-VDS animals (68.3%) farrowed at the first chance after the examination (p = 0.05). None of the unmated gilts in this study had VDS. Environmental and individual factors likely to be associated with fertility and VDS were tested. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with farrowing were VDS, reproductive status, availability of roughage and confinement to individual stalls. None of the variables tested was associated with VDS. However, all of the VDS problem farms were overcrowded and had concrete, partly slatted floors with little or no bedding. The median value of haptoglobin (Hp) was 2.5 (range 1.3-3.1) g/l in VDS animals and 2.3 (0.5-4.3) g/l in controls (p = 0.6). The median C-reactive protein (CRP) in VDS animals was 30.3 (3.3-171.3) mg/l and in controls 25.9 (3.3-361.1) mg/l (p = 0.7). In conclusion, VDS decreased fertility of gilts and sows in the absence of a systemic acute-phase response, as indicated by stable concentrations of Hp and CRP.

Vulvar Discharge Syndrome in Loosely Housed Finnish Pigs: Prevalence and Evaluation of Vaginoscopy, Bacteriology and Cytology

“…2002; Sanders and Bilkei 2004). However, the results have not always been consistent, others have found no association between parity and VDS syndrome (Oravainen et al. 2006).…”

“…Some of these VDS cases could have been physiological. The first part of the study (Oravainen et al. 2006) showed that there was no systemic acute phase response connected with the syndrome.…”

“…Animals with history of vulvar discharge have lower reproductive production levels (Waller et al. 2002; Sanders and Bilkei 2004; Oravainen et al. 2006).…”

“…Vulvar discharge syndrome (VDS) can cause considerable economic losses due to impaired reproductive production (Dee 1992; Waller et al. 2002; Sanders and Bilkei 2004; Oravainen et al. 2006).…”

“…The first part of the study regarding the effect of VDS on fertility, the risk factors in loose housing for VDS and the acute phase proteins in VDS diagnostics was published earlier (Oravainen et al. 2006).…”