Reduzierung von Abgängen aufgrund des Hämorrhagischen Intestinalsyndrom (HIS) beim Mastschwein – Teilprojekt Risikofaktoren

• Forschungsstelle: BLV
• Projektnummer: 1.21.04

Schlüsselwörter (Deutsch)

Hämorrhagisches Intestinalsyndrom, HIS, betriebsspezifische Risikofaktoren, Rasse, Futterstruktur, Wasseranalyse, Mortalitätsrate, Erreger

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Haemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome, HIS, farm related risk factors, breed, feed structure, water quality, mortality rate, germ.

Kurzbeschreibung (Deutsch)

Das vorliegende Projekt ist Teil eines grösseren Forschungsvorhabens mit dem Ziel, die Abgänge aufgrund von HIS in der Schweinemast zu reduzieren. In diesem Teilprojekt werden haltungs- und umweltbedingte Risikofaktoren für HIS untersucht. Dazu werden in 100 Schweinemastbeständen (60 mit HIS-Problemen und 40 ohne) anhand von Checklisten die Tiergesundheit, Tierumgebung, Tiermanagement, sowie Futter- und Wasserqualität beurteilt. Futter bezüglich Zusammensetzung, Partikelgrösse und Säurebindungsvermögen analysiert. Die Ingesta von 200 an HIS erkrankten Tieren wird mittels quantitativer PCR auf Lawsonia intracellularis und Brachyspiren untersucht, um den Einfluss der Erreger auf das Auftreten von HIS zu überprüfen. Für ein zweites Teilprojekt, das genetische Prädisposition für HIS untersucht, wird beim BLW finanzielle Unterstützung beantragt. Beide Teilprojekte ergänzen sich synergistisch für die Erstellung eines Beratungstools zur effektiven Verbesserung von Tierwohl und- gesundheit sowie zur Reduktion der Mortalität infolge von HIS in den Schweinebeständen.

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

This project is part of a larger research endeavor that aims at reducing HIS-related mortality among fattening pigs. In this sub-project, the housing and environmental risk factors for HIS will be investigated. Animal health, animal environment, animal management, as well as feed and water quality will be evaluated in 100 pig herds (50 herds with  high and 40 herds with low incidence) using checklists. Feed will be analyzed with respect to composition, particle size, acid binding capacity and pathogen abundance. The ingesta of 200 HIS-affected animals will be tested for the presence of Lawsonia intracellularis and Brachyspira species using quantitative PCR in order to clarify if these pathogens contribute to the occurrence of HIS. A proposal of a second subproject that aims at investigating genetic factors predisposing for HIS will be submitted to the BLW for financial support. The complementary nature of both subprojects is supposed to result in a consulting tool that will significantly reduce the HIS-related mortality in Swiss pig herds

Projektziele (Englisch)

The overarching aim of the proposed research approach is to reduce HIS-related pig losses by evaluating major risk factors that are associated with this syndrome, to improve animal welfare and avoid huge economic losses in the Swiss pig industry. Aiming at these important goals, we have established an inter- and transdisciplinary research consortium that unifies expertise from genetics, genomics, animal breeding, veterinary medicine and feed analytics to investigate genetic and non-genetic risk factors predisposing to HIS, thus providing both short- and long-term solutions to the problem (Figure 1): 

• The present sub-project «Environmental factors predisposing to HIS» investigates environmental risk factors (housing, feedstuff, water, bacterial abundance) for HIS.

• The sub-project «Genetic factors predisposing to HIS» investigates genetic factors predisposing to HIS in Swiss farms. This subproject is submitted to the BLW (the full proposal will be provided upon request).

  In order to monitor the progress of both projects and facilitate coordinating the holistic research approach, we created a project steering committee that consists of participants of both sub-projects (see annex).

   

  The objectives of the present sub-project are:

• to identify the risk factors for HIS among housing, management and feeding habits in Switzerland

   

• to quantify the role of Lawsonia intracellularis and Brachyspira species in ingesta of HIS-affected pigs

   

• to develop a consulting tool that provides a short-term solution to reduce the incidence of HIS in fattening herds where a large proportion of pigs are affected by the disorder.

 

In summary, our research approach addresses HIS from an environmental and genetic perspective. Ultimately, the results of both sub-projects will be integrated in a unified toolbox that facilitates reducing HIS-related pig losses during the fattening period. The toolbox is supposed to a) provide a checklist to quantify environmental and genetic risk factors for HIS incidence of a herd and b) enable genome-based breeding strategies to reduce the susceptibility (or increase the resilience) to the disease. While eliminating risk factors could be implemented in the short- to medium-term, selective breeding will need more time to affect the HIS incidence in production herds. Thus, combining the two complementary sub-projects ensures that short- to medium-, and long-term solutions are developed to reduce the incidence of this fatal and painful disorder in Swiss fattening farms. 

Publikationen / Ergebnisse (Deutsch)

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