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Thermoregulatory responses during thermal acclimation in pigs divergently selected for residual feed intake

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and thermoregulatory responses during acclimation to high ambient temperature (Ta) of pigs from two lines selected for high (RFI+) or low (RFI−) residual feed intake with the hypothesis that RFI− pigs producing less heat would better tolerate high Ta. Pigs (50 kg initial body weight; 17 per line among which 10 of them were catheterized) were individually housed in a climatic-controlled room where Ta was maintained at 24.2 ± 0.4 °C during 7 days and thereafter at 30.4 ± 0.7 °C during 14 days. Irrespective of Ta, RFI− pigs had lower feed intake (ADFI) and similar average daily gain (ADG) than RFI+ pigs. Whatever the line, ADFI, ADG, and feed efficiency decreased with increased Ta. Overall, the Ta increase resulted in an increase in rectal temperature (RT), skin temperature (ST), and respiratory rate (RR) within the first 24–48 h and, subsequently, in a decrease followed by stabilization. The RT decrease during acclimation occurred 24 h earlier in RFI− pigs than in RFI+. Thyroid hormones and cortisol decreased at high Ta and it was similar in both lines. Based on performance and RT, ST, and RR responses, it seems that selection for low RFI tends to ameliorate pigs’ tolerance to high Ta. Nevertheless, this selection does not induce significant differences between lines in endocrine and metabolite responses during thermal stress.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Loïc Gaillard, Francis Le Gouevec, Alain Chauvin, Régis Janvier, Serge Dubois, and the GENESI staff for animal care and technical assistance. Aline Foury, Laure Gress, Anne Pasquier, and Christine Tréfeu for the laboratory analysis. Bruno Silva is thanked for the critical evaluation of the study. This experiment was supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR), program “PIG_FEED” (ANR-08-GENM-038). Financial support from CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) is also acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRA, UMR 1348 PEGASE, 35590, Saint-Gilles, France

    Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos, Jean Noblet, Yolande Jaguelin-Peyraud & David Renaudeau

  2. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa/UFV, Viçosa, MG, Brazil

    Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos, Rita Flavia Miranda de Oliveira Donzele & Juarez Lopes Donzele

  3. Agrocampus Ouest, UMR 1348 PEGASE, 35000, Rennes, France

    Jean Noblet, Yolande Jaguelin-Peyraud & David Renaudeau

  4. INRA, UMR 444 LGC, 31326, Toulouse, France

    Hélène Gilbert & Pierre Mormède

  5. INRA, UMR 1313 GABI, 78352, Jouy-en-Josas, France

    Hélène Gilbert

  6. INRA, UR 143 URZ, 97170, Petit Bourg, France

    David Renaudeau

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  1. Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos
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  2. Jean Noblet
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Correspondence to David Renaudeau.

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Campos, P.H.R.F., Noblet, J., Jaguelin-Peyraud, Y. et al. Thermoregulatory responses during thermal acclimation in pigs divergently selected for residual feed intake. Int J Biometeorol 58, 1545–1557 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-013-0759-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-013-0759-3

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