We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Osteomyelitis in Pig Carcasses at a Portuguese Slaughterhouse: Association with Tail-Biting and Teeth Resection.
- Authors
Teiga-Teixeira, Pedro; Alves Rodrigues, Melissa; Moura, Dina; Teiga-Teixeira, Eduardo; Esteves, Alexandra
- Abstract
Simple Summary: Osteomyelitis is a significant cause of economic losses in swine production. The present study analysed the data collected in a Portuguese abattoir for finishing pigs. Total carcass condemnations, tail-biting lesions, husbandry invasive procedures, and several other factors were considered. The main cause of total carcass condemnation was osteomyelitis, with most cases being present in the skull and posterior region. Osteomyelitis in the skull was mainly located in the mandibular bone. Pigs with clipped teeth were associated with a higher occurrence of osteomyelitis. Tail-biting lesions and pleurisies were also linked to a higher occurrence of osteomyelitis. Improvements in veterinary inspection should be made to better correlate welfare and management factors with osteomyelitis in pig carcasses. Osteomyelitis is the leading cause of total carcass condemnation in finishing pigs in Portugal, causing significant economic losses in swine production. The present study sought to determine a possible link between osteomyelitis in pig carcasses, pre-slaughter factors, and concomitant post-mortem inspection findings. For this purpose, meat inspection data were collected from 100,489 finishing pigs slaughtered in a northern Portuguese abattoir. Information regarding total carcass condemnation, slaughter season, origin, sex, tail-biting lesions, and husbandry invasive procedures (tail docking and teeth resection) was collected. The main cause of total carcass condemnation was osteomyelitis (61.03%). A total of 36.16% of osteomyelitis cases were present in the anterior region and 52.20% in the posterior region. In the anterior region, 94.78% of osteomyelitis cases were in the mandibular bone. Pigs with clipped teeth and carcasses with pleurisies were associated with a higher occurrence of osteomyelitis (p = 0.00262 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Second- and third-grade tail-biting lesions were also linked to a higher occurrence of osteomyelitis (p = 0.00128 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Slaughter inspection and monitoring procedures should be revised to better assess welfare factors and correlate management practices with the occurrence of osteomyelitis in pig carcasses.
- Subjects
PORTUGAL; OSTEOMYELITIS; MEAT inspection; MANDIBLE; SWINE; SLAUGHTERING; ERECTOR spinae muscles
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 12, p1794
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani14121794