HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Toepfer-Berg, T. L. Articles by Johnson, R. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Toepfer-Berg, T. L. Articles by Johnson, R. W.

Vitamin E supplementation does not mitigate the acute morbidity effects of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in nursery pigs¹

T. L. Toepfer-Berg^*, J. Escobar^*,2, W. G. Van Alstine, D. H. Baker^*, J. Salak-Johnson^* and R. W. Johnson^*,3

^* Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801 and and Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907

³ Correspondence: 390 ASL, 1207 W. Gregory Dr. (phone: 217-333-2118; fax: 217-333-8286; e-mail: rwjohn{at}uiuc.edu).

The objective of this study was to determine whether feeding a vitamin E–rich diet would benefit nursery pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Sixty-four pigs were subjected to one of four treatment combinations (2 x 2 factorial) of dietary vitamin E (adequate or excess) and PRRSV (medium or inoculation with VR-2385 isolate P-129). Pigs were fed experimental diets during a 3-wk period before inoculation as well as during a 12-d period after inoculation. Growth performance was determined throughout the study, and lipid peroxidation in liver, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity in serum, circulating white blood cells, and serum interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interferon- (IFN-) were determined in samples collected from pigs killed 4 or 12 d after inoculation. Infection by PRRSV (P < 0.001) induced a marked decrease in both ADFI and ADG, but neither the main effect of diet nor the diet x PRRSV interaction was significant. Neither diet nor PRRSV affected feed efficiency. At 12 d after inoculation, lipid peroxidation in liver and GPX activity in serum were lower in pigs fed excess vitamin E than in those fed adequate vitamin E (P < 0.01), suggesting that the diet high in vitamin E bolstered the antioxidant status of the pigs. However, PRRSV did not affect lipid peroxidation in liver or serum GPX activity, and the diet x PRRSV interaction was not significant. White blood cell counts were decreased and IFN-, and IL-1ß were increased (P < 0.05) 4 and 12 d after inoculation in PRRSV-infected pigs, but neither diet nor the diet x PRRSV interaction was significant. Collectively, these results indicate that increasing antioxidant defenses by feeding high levels of vitamin E did not ameliorate the effects of PRRSV on decreased growth, leukopenia, and increased serum IL-1ß and IFN-. Thus, feeding nursery pigs a diet high in vitamin E may not be useful for mitigating the acute morbidity effects of PRRSV infection.

Key Words: Antioxidant • Cytokines • Growth Performance • Pig • Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus • Vitamin E

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Escobar, T. L. Toepfer-Berg, J. Chen, W. G. Van Alstine, J. M. Campbell, and R. W. Johnson Supplementing drinking water with Solutein did not mitigate acute morbidity effects of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in nursery pigs J Anim Sci, August 1, 2006; 84(8): 2101 - 2109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Escobar, W. G. Van Alstine, D. H. Baker, and R. W. Johnson Decreased Protein Accretion in Pigs with Viral and Bacterial Pneumonia Is Associated with Increased Myostatin Expression in Muscle J. Nutr., November 1, 2004; 134(11): 3047 - 3053. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]