title: Obstetric and neonatal outcomes to recombinant porcine somatotropin administered in the last third of pregnancy to primiparous sows.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate whether the administration of recombinant porcine somatotropin (rpST) late in gestation is associated with increased rates of obstetric and neonatal complications in primiparous sows. From days 80 to 114 of gestational age, 20 primiparous sows were randomly assigned to receive an intramuscular injection of either saline or 6 mg rpST/day. Throughout pregnancy, sows were fed 2.5 to 3 kg/day of a corn-soybean diet (14 MJ ME/kg). Of 111 piglets born to control sows and 109 piglets born to treated sows, 8.1% and 17.4% piglets respectively died intrapartum (P=0.04). Glucose blood levels in sows and live-born piglets in the rpST-treated group were significantly higher than in their corresponding controls. Birth weight of live-born piglets in the treated group was 1.4 +/- 0.1 kg versus 1.3 +/- 0.1 kg in the control group (P<0.0001). Birth weight of piglets born dead was also higher in the former than in the latter group (P<0.0001). No evidence of teratogenicity was observed in either of the groups. In conclusion, rpST administration in late pregnancy to primparous sows increased the rate of neonatal deaths and was associated with higher blood glucose levels in both sows and piglets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production: Swine, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
authors.forename: María E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Trujillo-Ortega
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mota-Rojas
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernández-González
authors.forename: Elvia Yadira
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Velázquez-Armenta
authors.forename: Alejandro A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nava-Ocampo
authors.forename: Ramiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Necoechea
authors.forename: Marcelino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becerril-Herrera
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alonso-Spilsbury
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005865:Gestational Age; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011897:Random Allocation; D013552:Swine / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D019344:Lactic Acid; D013006:Growth Hormone