Osteochondrosis prevalence and severity at 12 and 24 weeks of age in commercial pigs with and without organic-complexed trace mineral supplementation

Abstract

Maternal and progeny diets supplemented with 2 sources of trace mineral (TM) were evaluated for effects on the size and severity of osteochondrosis (OC) lesions in progeny produced by 64 Landrace × Large White sows. At breeding, sows were randomly assigned to maternal diets (gestation and lactation) consisting 1 of 2 TM treatments. One treatment consisted of inorganic TM (ITM) with ZnO, MnSO, and CuSO at concentrations to provide 150, 50, and 16.5 mg/kg diet of Zn, Mn, and Cu, respectively. The other treatment consisted of the same ITM concentrations plus an additional 50, 20, and 10 mg/kg diet of Zn, Mn, and Cu, respectively, supplied by a blend of AA-complexed TM (CTM) using Availa Sow. Within maternal dietary treatment groups, selected progeny ( = 280) were fed either ITM- or CTM-supplemented diets. The humerus and femur (1 each) from progeny euthanized at 12 ( = 80) or 24 wk ( = 200) were collected for microscopic (12 wk) or gross (24 wk) assessment of OC lesions. Microscopic OC lesions were present in all pigs at 12 wk. Dietary treatments had limited effects on OC prevalence or severity. A maternal × progeny diet interaction ( = 0.044) revealed femoral OC latens lesions that were approximately twice the size in progeny fed CTM that were produced by sows fed CTM compared with those found in pigs in the other 3 dietary treatment groups. At 24 wk, the sum of gross OC scores at predilection sites of the thoracic (elbow joint) and pelvic (stifle and hock joints) limbs remained similar among treatments, despite greater ( = 0.004) gross OC scores of the medial femoral condyle in progeny from sows fed CTM diets than in progeny from sows fed ITM diets, regardless of progeny diet. Progeny produced by sows fed CTM vs. ITM had increased ADG (0.71 vs. 0.68 ± 0.01 kg/d), regardless of the diet fed to progeny during the growth phases. Covariant analysis using ADG did not alter inferences about maternal or progeny diet effects on OC responses. Although 100% of progeny at 12 wk had histologically apparent OC lesions, only 3 of the 200 pigs examined at 24 wk had gross lesions of sufficient severity to potentially result in clinically apparent disease. Therefore, although some results imply that maternal and progeny CTM diets increased the size (12 wk) and severity (24 wk) of OC in 1 site (the femur), on the whole animal level, no evidence of lameness was noted.

Effects of supplementing organic microminerals and methionine during the rearing phase of replacement gilts on lameness, growth, and body composition1

“…The primary cause of lameness in growing pigs is severe OC (Ytrehus et al, 2007) with prevalence reported to be 12% and 14% (Busch and Wachmann, 2011;Grevenhof et al, 2012). Occurrence of OC is generally subclinical and starts to appear about 12 wk of age (Grevenhof et al, 2012;Tóth et al, 2016). Its progression is multifactorial (Orth, 1999).…”

“…However, it is less clear whether feeding TM above requirements has potential to increase bone mineralization, strength, and joint development (Orth, 1999). A complexity of factors in OC may interact and conflicting results are often observed (Quinn et al, 2015;Tóth et al, 2016). In turkeys, additional Zn, Mn, and Cu at 40, 40, and 20 mg/kg (respectively) above NRC (1994) complexed with Met increased bone strength and health (Ferket et al, 2009).…”

Osseous Pathological Changes in the White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in its Central European Habitat

“…Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a type of osteochondrosis that affects both mammals and birds. It is considered a multifactorial disease, with hereditary and nutritional factors playing a significant role [19][20][21]. Since excessive intakes of calcium and energy are among the main factors for the development of the disease, it often affects mammals and birds kept on farms where fast growth is stimulated [22][23][24].…”

Evaluation of the Suitability of Miniature Pigs as an Animal Model of Juvenile Osteochondritis Dissecans

“…Importantly, these experiments did not aim to develop an animal model of human JOCD, and were performed on animal species that are ill‐suited to serve in translational studies. Both horses and domestic swine have a high incidence of naturally‐occurring OC and their size and associated housing challenges make them poor choices for long‐term studies . In our current study, we took a decidedly different route by carefully selecting a species that has a strong translational potential.…”

“…Both horses and domestic swine have a high incidence of naturally-occurring OC and their size and associated housing challenges make them poor choices for long-term studies. 37,38 In our current study, we took a decidedly different route by carefully selecting a species that has a strong translational potential. Miniature pigs are well-established as animal models of various diseases, are not known to develop naturally-occurring OC, and their vascular architecture of the epiphyseal cartilage of the distal femur is similar to that of humans'.…”