Anatomy & Physiology of the Pig ANSC 4401 Swine Production
Why understand pig A&P?
It will open new areas of application of pig biology to benefit humans
It helps you have a conversation with other pig people, veterinarians and scientists
It will help you manage pigs in meaningful ways on farmsRecognize disease states more easilyObtain blood or other tissue samples
Anatomy & Physiology Outline Anatomical terms Major bones Uses for pigs other than for eating Some terminology Blood collection Necropsy
Uses of pigs other than for eating
Organ donors As a source of biological materials,
ex. Insulin or heparin As a model for biomedical research As an organ donor to humans For entertainment As pets As truffle-finders (they are smell
experts)
Xenotransplantation & Cloning
New pig cloning research promising yet risky, studies indicate
August 17, 2000
Web posted at: 12:57 PM EDT (1657 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two groups of researchers publishing work in rival scientific journals report similar successes in cloning pigs -- a difficult process that may lead to ways to grow organs in the animals destined for human transplantation.
"The goal here is to reduce the shortage of organs for transplantation and prevent any more needless deaths that arise because people simply don't receive the organ they need," said Dr. Anthony Perry of New York's Rockefeller University.
Some Terms
Serum (fluid minus all cells and clotting factors)
Plasma (fluid including soluble clotting factors)
Red blood cells (obtained only from plasma)
White blood cells (obtained only from plasma)
Composition of Newborn Pigs
Table 1. Composition of newborns of three species and neonatal pigs.Data are percentage of total body weight.
Species Water Protein FatHuman, newborn 69.1 11.9 16.1Rat, newborn 86.0 10.8 1.1Pig, newborn 84.1 11.3 1.1Pig, 7 days old 68.5 13.6 9.5Pig, 28 days old 61.8 14.4 17.8From Widdowson, 1950 and Manners and McCrea, 1963.
Points to sample from or inject into the venous system of pigs
Piglets Young pigs Adults1. Ventral Neck
Vena Cava External Jugular Lingual-facial difficult Facial difficult
2. Orbital sinus not advised
3. Ear vein difficult difficult
4. Tail vein difficult difficult
5. Heart (cardiac puncture) na* na* na* * not advised except as a last resort or in the case of euthanasiaPreferred method of restraint on backon back standing, snared
Blood Collection Tubes
Table 2. Common blood collection tubes (tubes with * are commonly used)Color of tube top Fluid type Anticoagulant Example usesRed* Serum none Antibodies, minerals, other proteinsBlue Either Na heparin or none Special blood chemistriesBrown Plasma Na heparin Lead determinations & othersBlack/light blue Plasma Na citrate Coagulation studiesGray Plasma glycolytic inhibitors Glucose determinationsGreen* Plasma lithium heparin Na, Ca sensitive assaysYellow Plasma sodium citrate DNA extractionPurple/Lavender* Plasma EDTA Clotting factors
Maximum safe blood draw
Age & weightTotal blood volume, mL
Maximum draw, mL
Newborn, 3 lb 110 10
Nursery pig, 35 lb
1,280 120
Sow, 440 lb 16,000 1,600
Selected normal blood values
Measure ValueBlood volume 8 %WBC count 10-12 thousand/μLNeutrophils 45 %Lymphocytes 50 %Gamma globulin 25-30 mg/mL
Necropsy – Why?
To improve the herd health To contribute to the herd health
program To identify causes of illness or death
so that Effective treatments can be appliedPreventative measures can be
implemented
Necropsy – What to look for
Skin condition Swollen joints Wounds or abscesses Intestinal condition (fluid-filled, bloody, gas,
etc) Lung condition (hemorrhage, non-functional
tissues, edema, etc.) Liver condition (look for milk spots;
indication of a parasitic infection) Condition of other organs (kidneys, spleen,
heart) Snout condition (condition of the turbinates)
Necropsy -- Tools
Scalpel Probes (spatula or equivalent) Saw (hack saw or equivalent) Water Mechanism to dispose of parts (plastic
bags)