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

T. L. Toepfer-Berg, J. Escobar, W. G. Van Alstine, D. H. Baker, J. Salak-Johnson, R. W. Johnson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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-1β (IL-1β) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) 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-γ, and IL-1β 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-1β and IFN-γ. Thus, feeding nursery pigs a diet high in vitamin E may not be useful for mitigating the acute morbidity effects of PRRSV infection.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1942-1951
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of animal science
Volume82
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2004

Keywords

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

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science
  • Animal Science and Zoology
  • Genetics

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