Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T10:40:34.082Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Accessory sex glands as a tool to measure the efficacy of immunocastration in male pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2010

M. Bonneau
M. Bonneau*
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR 1079 Systèmes d’Elevage Nutrition Animale et Humaine, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The use of an anti-gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine for immunocastration of male pigs has been recently approved in the European Union. This technique is potentially useful for avoiding both castration-associated pain for the animal and boar taint in pork. However, some animals may escape immunocastration and be slaughtered as entire males, potentially exhibiting boar taint. Therefore, it is important to check the efficacy of immunocastration on the slaughter line. To achieve that, the currently proposed method, based on testis weight, is not fully reliable because there is some overlap in the distributions of testis weight between immunocastrates and entire males. On the basis of literature data on the effect of immunocastration on the development of accessory sex glands, this paper provides evidence that the weight of seminal vesicles might be a much better criterion for checking the efficacy of immunocastration, because their size decreases more rapidly, and to a greater extent, than that of the testis.

Keywords

male pig, immunocastration, boar taint, sex glands
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 4 , Issue 6 , June 2010 , pp. 930 - 932
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Awoniyi, CA, Chandrashekar, V, Arthur, RD, Schanbacher, BD, Amador, AG, Falvo, RE 1988. Pituitary and Leydig cell function in boars actively immunized against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 84, 295–302.Google Scholar
Bonneau, M, Dufour, R, Chouvet, C, Roulet, C, Squires, EJ 1994. The effects of immunization against luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone on performance, sexual development, and levels of boar taint-related compounds in intact male pigs. Journal of Animal Science 72, 14–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Claus, R, Lacorn, M, Danowski, K, Pearce, MC, Bauer, A 2007. Short-term endocrine and metabolic reactions before and after second immunization against GnRH in boars. Vaccine 25, 4689–4696.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cronin, GM, Dunshea, FR, Butler, KL, McCauley, I, Barnett, JL, Hemsworth, PH 2003. The effects of immuno- and surgical-castration on the behaviour and consequently growth of group-housed, male finisher pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 81, 111–126.Google Scholar
Dunshea, FR, Colantoni, C, Howard, K, McCauley, I, Jackson, P, Long, KA, Lopaticki, S, Nugent, EA, Simons, JA, Walker, J, Hennessy, DP 2001. Vaccination of boars with a GnRH vaccine (Improvac) eliminates boar taint and increases growth performance. Journal of Animal Science 79, 2524–2535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) 2004. Welfare aspects of the castration of piglets. Scientific Report of the Scientific Panel for Animal Health and Welfare on a Request from the Commission Related to Welfare Aspects of the Castration of Piglets (Question N° EFSA-Q-2003-091). Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178620775386.htmGoogle Scholar
Einarsson, S, Andersson, K, Wallgren, M, Lundström, K, Rodriguez-Martinez, H 2009. Short- and long-term effects of immunization against gonadotropin-releasing hormone, using ImprovacTM, on sexual maturity, reproductive organs and sperm morphology in male pigs. Theriogenology 71, 302–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
EMEA (European Medicines Agency) 2009. Improvac (V-C-136), European Public Assessment Report. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www.emea.europa.eu/vetdocs/vets/Epar/improvac/improvac.htmGoogle Scholar
Falvo, RE, Chandrashekar, V, Arthur, RD, Kuenstler, AR, Hasson, T, Awoniyi, C, Schanbacher, BD 1986. Effect of active immunization against LHRH or LH in boars: reproductive consequences and performance traits. Journal of Animal Science 63, 986–994.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jaros, P, Burgi, P, Stark, KDC, Claus, R, Hennessy, D, Thun, R 2005. Effect of active immunization against GnRH on androstenone concentration, growth performance and carcass quality in intact male pigs. Livestock Production Science 92, 31–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metz, C, Hohl, K, Waidelich, S, Drochnerb, W, Claus, R 2002. Active immunization of boars against GnRH at an early age: consequences for testicular function, boar taint accumulation and N-retention. Livestock Production Science 74, 147–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliver, MA, Font, IFurnols, M, Ouedraogo, AP, Gonzalez, J, Gil, M, Lundström, K, Prunier, A, Tuyttens, F, Migdal, W, Bonneau, M 2008. Stakeholders’ attitudes about surgical castration and alternatives. Proceedings of the 59th Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, August 24–27, 2008, Vilnius, Lithuania.Google Scholar
Oliver, WT, McCauley, I, Harrell, RJ, Suster, D, Kerton, DJ, Dunshea, FR 2003. A gonadotropin-releasing factor vaccine (Improvac) and porcine somatotropin have synergistic and additive effects on growth performance in group-housed boars and gilts. Journal of Animal Science 81, 1959–1966.Google Scholar
Oonk, HB, Turkstra, JA, Lankhof, H, Schaaper, WMM, Verheijden, JHM, Meloen, RH 1995. Testis size after immunocastration as parameter for the absence of boar taint. Livestock Production Science 42, 63–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pauly, C, Spring, P, O’Doherty, JV, Ampuero-Kragten, S, Bee, G 2009. Growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of group-penned surgically castrated, immunocastrated (Improvac®) and entire male pigs and individually penned entire male pigs. Animal 3, 1057–1066.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
R 2008. R version 2.8.1, copyright © 2008, http://CRAN.R-project.org/. The R foundation for statistical computing, Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Zamaratskaia, G, Andersson, HK, Chen, G, Andersson, K, Madej, A, Lundström, K 2008a. Effect of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine (Improvac™) on steroid hormones, boar taint compounds and performance in entire male pigs. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 43, 351–359.Google Scholar
Zamaratskaia, G, Rydhmer, L, Andersson, HK, Chen, G, Lowagie, S, Andersson, K, Lundström, K 2008b. Long-term effect of vaccination against gonadotropin-releasing hormone, using ImprovacTM, on hormonal profile and behaviour of male pigs. Animal Reproduction Science 108, 37–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeng, XY, Turkstra, JA, Meloen, RH, Liu, XY, Chen, FQ, Schaaper, WMM, Oonk, HB, Guo, DZ, van de Wiel, DFM 2002. Active immunization against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone in Chinese male pigs: effects of dose on antibody titer, hormone levels and sexual development. Animal Reproduction Science 70, 223–233.Google Scholar