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Identification and Characterization of Soluble Blood Serum Proteins in Newborn Piglets¹

Royal Veterinary College², S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Blood serum proteins and total and soluble nitrogen were determined in newborn unsuckled and suckled piglets and in sows at farrowing. Total protein in newborn pre-colostral piglets was less than half that in sows. Levels of albumin, beta- and gamma-globulin in the sow serum were significantly higher and that of alpha-globulin lower than in piglets at birth. No soluble proteins were found in the sows or in older, suckled piglets. In the newborn unsuckled piglet serum soluble proteins appeared largely as alpha-globulin-post-albumin and albumin-pre-albumin. The specificity of pre-colostral piglet serum proteins also seemed to involve low stability as compared to those of suckled piglets.

The findings indicated that a very effective barrier exists between the sow and the fetus, thus suggesting that the fetal and the neonatal piglet serum proteins are of fetal origin and not transferred from the mother to the fetus.

The increase of beta-globulin and albumin in the piglet after the first few hours of suckling seems to be due to supply of these substances via colostrum rather than to endogenous synthesis.

¹ This study was supported by grants from AB Lactamin-SLR, Stockholm, Sweden.

² Department of Animal Nutrition, Genetics and Hygiene.