Hematological features of pigs of different genotypes

Abstract

The reseaches of polymorphism of genes associated with natural resistance to diseases of breeding
animals, and especially pigs, is becoming more and more relevant. The increased attention to this
problem is explained by a number of factors, which include the widespread practice of using
antibiotics in the industrial production of pig production during the last decades for prophylactic
purposes and as growth stimulants, which caused the emergence of resistant strains of
microorganisms to the most common antimicrobial drugs. In connection with the adopted legislative
restrictions on the use of antibiotics in countries with developed animal husbandry, breeding and
genetic methods of increasing the resistance of pigs have gained significant importance. At the same
time, the predominant selection for one trait (in this case for resistance) can lead to unpredictable
undesirable side effects, which should be detected before the introduction of such selection into
industry practice. Hematological and biochemical indicators of blood are important markers of the
general status of health, as well as the intensity of metabolism and a large number of other
characteristics indirectly related to productivity. In order to prevent the appearance of undesirable
consequences from selection, we set an aim to provide a comparative characterization of the
hematological indicators of Ukrainian large white pigs (ULW-3) depending on their genotype
according to DNA markers associated with resistance to infectious diseases of pigs. As a result of the
research, it was established that AA (FUT 1) and TT (NRAMP1) genotypes are desirable for
increasing resistance and have a positive effect on blood biochemical parameters (higher content of
protein, albumins, higher activity of Aspartat- and Alanin-Aminotransferase enzymes), which is
related to the fattening productivity of pigs (average daily gains, age of reaching live weight of 100
kg), however, a significant influence of genotype was established only for the NRAMP1 gene
polymorphism. In the studied population of Large White Breed of intrabreed type ULW-3, no reliable
influence of FUT 1 and NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms on the content of leukocytes, erythrocytes and
hemoglobin was recorded, which makes it possible to carry out selection based on these genes without
worsening hematological indicators.