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Abstract
Fifty-six piglets from 6 litters were used to evaluate the importance of applying iron to prevent anemia in
piglets kept in an outdoor system. The treatments were intramuscular application of 200 mg of dextran
iron to half of each litter at the third day of age (I) and the other half remained without iron (WI). The
piglets were weighed and blood sampled at 0, 10 and 21 days of age. The hematological and weight gain
data were analyzed using a blocks paired t test. There was no statistical difference (P > 0.05) in weight
gain at 0, 10 and 21 days of age. Values of hematocrit (I 0.42 L/L and WI 0.38 L/L) and hemoglobin (I
120.4 g/L and WI 109.3 g/L) were signicantly (P < 0.05) higher at 21 days of age in piglets from treatment I. However, the hematocrit and hemoglobin values in piglets from treatment WI were above those
associated to anemia. The results from this study suggest that it is not necessary to apply iron to prevent
anemia in piglets kept in an outdoor system.
Key words: PIGLETS, OUTDOOR PRODUCTION SYSTEM, IRON, ANEMIA.
Resumen
Se utilizaron 56 lechones provenientes de seis camadas con el objetivo de determinar la pertinencia de
aplicar hierro a lechones criados en un sistema de produccin en exterior, para prevenir anemias. Los
tratamientos consistieron en la aplicacin de 200 mg de hierro dextrano v. i. a la mitad de los lechones
de cada camada a los tres das de nacidos (H), y la otra mitad sin hierro (SH). Se pesaron los lechones
y se tomaron muestras de sangre a los 0, 10 y 21 das de nacidos. Las variables hematolgicas y el peso
de los lechones fueron analizados como una prueba de t con bloques. No se encontraron diferencias
estadsticas (P > 0.05) en el peso de los lechones a los 0, 10 y 21 das de edad. Se encontraron valores de
hematcrito (H 0.42 L/L y SH 0.38 L/L) y hemoglobina (H 120.4 g/L y 109.3 g/L) signicativamente
ms altos (P < 0.05) a los 21 das de edad en el grupo de lechones H. Sin embargo, los valores de
hematcrito y hemoglobina del grupo SH estuvieron por arriba de los valores asociados con anemia. Los
resultados obtenidos en este trabajo sugieren que no es necesario aplicar hierro para prevenir anemia a
cerdos lactantes criados en el exterior.
Palabras clave: LECHONES, PRODUCCIN EN EXTERIOR, HIERRO, ANEMIA.
287
Introduction
Introduccin
288
Material y mtodos
El experimento se realiz en la Facultad de Medicina
Veterinaria y Zootecnia, en Mrida, Yucatn, Mxico.
eral handling of the piglets at birth included umbilical cord disinfection. Weaning was carried out at 21
days of age.
Half the piglets of each litter received 200 mg of
dextran iron via intramuscular injection with a 5 ml
syringe at day 3 after birth (I) and the other half
remained without iron (WI). The piglets were not supplemented with feed and did not have access to the
sows feed therefore they did not receive an additional
source of iron. The sows had free access to feed which
had 16% crude protein and 3330 kcal of digestible
energy per kilogram of feed (Table 1).
The piglets were identied at birth by clipping the
ears. The left ear was clipped with the piglet number
in the litter (1, 2, 3 10) and the right ear with the
treatment to which they belonged (1-I and 2-WI). The
piglets for each treatment were selected randomly.
The average number of piglets at the beginning of the
experiment, at 10 days and 21 days of age was 9.3
1.51, 9.0 1.79 and 8.8 1.83, respectively.
The piglets of each treatment were individually
weighed in a 10 kg clock-type scale at 0, 10 and 21
days of age. Likewise blood samples were taken (3 to
4 ml approximately) from the jugular vein with a 5
ml syringe. Immediately after taking the blood samples, they were placed in test tubes with 0.1 ml of a
10% EDTA solution. The EDTA was fully mixed with
the blood sample by gently balancing the tubes. The
blood samples were immediately sent to the laboratory
to carry out a hematological exam that included hematocrit quantication by the micro-hematocrit method,
hemoglobin by the oxyhemoglobin method and erythCuadro 1
Percentage
Sorghum
50.14
Wheat bran
24.10
Soy paste
17.80
Vegetable oil
4.90
Calcium carbonate
1.40
Orthophosphate
0.80
Salt
0.40
Vitamin premix
0.30
Mineral premix
0.10
Lysine
0.03
Calculated analysis
Crude protein (%)
16.00
3330.00
Calcium (%)
0.78
Phosphorus (%)
0.68
4.89
Lysine (%)
0.80
289
rocyte count in a hemocytometer. 8 The mean corpuscular volume and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin
concentration were calculated according to the formulae suggested by Benjamin. 8
Six soil samples from the yards were sent to the
laboratory for quantication of iron by the fentrolin
method. 9
A random block design was used with six blocks (six
sows) and two treatments (I and WI). The experimental units were the piglets assigned to each treatment
in each block. The weight gain and the hematological
exam were analyzed using a paired-t test with blocks
using the SAS statistics package.10
Results
No signicant difference was found (P > 0.05) between
treatment I and WI in the hematological variables in
piglets at birth and 10 days of age. On the other hand,
at 21 days of age the piglets assigned to treatment I
had signicantly higher values (P < 0.05) of hematocrit and hemoglobin than those assigned to treatment
WI. Nevertheless the erythrocyte number, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin
concentration maintained similar values in the piglets
of both treatments (Table 2).
As for the behavior of the hematological indicators
in relation to the age of the piglets in the WI group,
the mean corpuscular volume as well as the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration increased from
birth to 10 days of age and then decreased at 21 days
of age. The hematocrit, hemoglobin and erythrocytes
had an ascending behavior in relation to the increase
in age of the animals (Table 2).
In piglets of group I, the quantity of erythrocytes
decreased towards day 10, but it increased around 21
days of age. The mean corpuscular volume increased
towards day 10, but decreased at the 21 days of age.
In spite of this, the hematocrit, hemoglobin and mean
corpuscular hemoglobin concentration increased as
age increased in the piglets.
No signicant differences were found (P > 0.05)
in the weight of piglets at 0, 10 and 21 days of age.
As expected, the weight of the piglets increased as
their age increased. This weight was tripled towards
the third week of age (Table 3).
Although the experimental design did not allow
for statistical analysis of piglet mortality recorded
during the treatments, it can be observed in Table 2
that there is not much difference between treatments
in the number of live piglets at 10 and 21 days of age.
In treatment I, one piglet died, and in treatment WI,
two piglets died, representing a mortality of 3.7% and
6.7% at 21 days of age for treatments I and WI, respectively.
290
Resultados
No se encontraron diferencias signicativas (P > 0.05)
entre el tratamiento H y el SH, para las variables
hematolgicas en los cerdos al nacimiento y a los diez
das de edad. Por otro lado, a los 21 das de edad los
lechones asignados al tratamiento H tuvieron valores
de hematcrito y hemoglobina signicativamente
mayores (P < 0.05) que los de los lechones asignados al
tratamiento SH. Sin embargo, el nmero de eritrocitos,
volumen globular medio y concentracin media de
hemoglobina globular, mantuvieron valores similares
en los cerdos de ambos tratamientos (Cuadro 2).
En cuanto al comportamiento de los indicadores
hematolgicos de acuerdo con la edad en los
cerdos del grupo SH, el volumen globular medio se
increment del nacimiento a los diez das y descendi
a los 21 das de edad, la concentracin media
de hemoglobina globular tuvo un comportamiento
similar. El hematcrito, la hemoglobina y los eritrocitos
tuvieron un comportamiento ascendente conforme
aument la edad de los animales (Cuadro 2).
En los cerdos del grupo H, la cantidad de glbulos
rojos disminuy hacia el da diez; sin embargo, se
increment alrededor del da 21 de edad; el volumen
globular medio aument hacia el da diez, pero
disminuy a la edad de 21 das. A pesar de lo anterior,
el hematcrito, hemoglobina y la concentracin media
de hemoglobina globular se incrementaron conforme
avanz la edad de los cerdos.
No se encontraron diferencias signicativas (P > 0.
05) en el peso de los lechones a los 0, 10 y 21 das de
edad. Como era de esperarse, el peso de los lechones
aument conforme avanz la edad de los lechones.
Dicho peso se triplic hacia la tercera semana de edad
(Cuadro 3).
Aunque el diseo del experimento no permiti
analizar estadsticamente la mortalidad de lechones
registrada durante los tratamientos, se puede observar
en el Cuadro 2 que no existi mucha diferencia entre
tratamientos en el nmero de lechones vivos a los
diez y 21 das de edad. En el grupo del tratamiento
H se muri un lechn y en el del tratamiento SH
se murieron dos lechones, lo que represent una
mortalidad de 3.7% y 6.7% a los 21 das de nacidos
para los tratamientos H y SH, respectivamente.
Cuadro 2
WI
SD*
Significance
0.33
0.33
0.010
NS
95.8
94.7
0.02
NS
At birth
Hematocrit (L/L)
Hemoglobin (g/L)
4922,529.4
4517,222.2
271,960.4
NS
64.6
66.6
1.90
NS
289
311
1.65
NS
0.35
0.35
0.006
NS
Erythrocytes (mm )
100.6
99.4
0.02
NS
4600,000.0
4912,500.0
114,541.6
NS
75.6
72.0
0.98
NS
28.6
30.8
1.23
NS
0.42
0.38
0.005
P < 0.05
120.4
109.3
0.02
P < 0.05
6273,478.3
5878,500.0
97,891.4
NS
67.5
65.0
0.89
NS
28.8
28.6
0.17
NS
Discussion
Discusin
291
Cuadro 3
WI
27
29
1.6
1.6
27
27
3.3
3.2
26
27
5.5
5.3
* Standard deviation
292
SD*
Significance
0.03
NS
0.06
NS
0.15
NS
Referencias
1. Lemacher S, Bostedt H. The development of plasma
iron concentration and hemoglobin content in the
rst three days of life and the signicance of prenatal
anemia. Tierarztl Prax 1994; 22:39-45.
2. Egeli AK, Framstad T, Morberg H. Clinical
biochemistry, haematology and body weight in piglets.
Acta Vet Scand 1998; 39:381-393.
3. Burns DL, Mascioli EA, Bistrian BR. Parenteral iron
dextran therapy: a review. Nutrition 1995; 11:163-168.
4. Schalm OW. Hematologa veterinaria. Mxico: Editorial
HispanoAmericana, 1964.
5. Zimmermann W. Effects of different anemia prevention
forms on the blood parameters of the suckling piglet.
Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr 1995; 102:32-38.
6. Le Denmat, M, Dagorn, J, Aumaitre A, Vaudelet JC.
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294