Hot environment on reproductive performance immunoglobulins vitaminE and vitamin A status in sows and their progeny under commercialhusbandry

摘要

Hot environments can affect feed intake and lactation, and the subsequentunavailability of important micronutrients to the newborn piglet can impairpiglet growth, reduce the viability of newborn piglets and limit theirsubsequent performance. This work addresses the effects of hot environments(summer season) upon the reproductive performance of sows during gestation andlactation as well as on the serum levels of vitamins and the concentration ofimmunoglobulins in their litters in comparison with the winter season. Fourteensows were evaluated over 100 ± 2 days of gestation in each season. Thetemperature and humidity index (THI) was used as an indirect measure of heatstress during gestation. The reproductive performance, milk yield, and bodycondition of the sows were recorded. The concentrations of vitamin E and vitaminA in piglets and in sow serum, colostrum, milk and feed were determined by HPLC;immunoglobulins were assessed by an ELISA. The THI index indicated that animalswere subject to heat stress only in during the summer. Although the effect wasnot significant, there were a lower number of piglets at birth and at weaningand the milk yield in summer compared with winter. There was no difference( > 0.05) in the body condition of sows betweenseasons. Season had an effect ( < 0.05) on the vitamin Aconcentration of postpartum sow serum (0.29 μg/mL in winter vs 0.21μg/mL in summer) and on the vitamin E concentration before birth (2.00μg/mL in winter vs 0.90 μg/mL in summer). Vitamin E in milk washigher ( < 0.05) in winter than in summer (2.23 vs 1.81μg/mL). Serum levels of vitamins A and E in piglets at birth were lower( < 0.05) in winter than in summer. The concentrationsof immunoglobulins (IgG and IgA) in colostrum and milk were similar betweenseasons ( > 0.05), but the IgA in piglet serum was higherin winter than in summer ( < 0.05). High temperaturesproduced heat stress in sows, which affected certain aspects of production thatcan be translated into economic losses for this sector.