Concentrations of selected immunological parameters in the serum and processing fluid of suckling piglets and the serum and colostrum of their mothers.

BACKGROUND: Blood sampling from neonatal piglets is related to multiple disadvantages. Therefore, a new, alternative matrix is required to assess piglets' early immune status efficiently. The present study aimed to assess the usefulness of processing fluid for determining selected piglets' immune parameters. 264 pigs - 31 sows, 146 male piglets, and 87 female piglets from commercial indoor farrow-to-finish pig herd were included in this study. 264 serum, 31 colostrum, and 146 processing fluid samples were collected. Serum was collected from all animals, colostrum was collected from sows, and processing fluid was collected from male piglets only. Using commercial ELISA tests, the concentration of various immunoglobulins, cytokines, and acute phase proteins was assessed in each matrix. Statistical analyses were employed to determine differences in the concentration of measured indices between piglets' serum and processing fluid and correlations in the concentration of tested indices between particular sets of matrices.

RESULTS: Statistical analyses did not reveal significant differences in the IgG, IgA, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ concentration between piglets' serum and processing fluid (p > 0.05). A positive correlation (p < 0.05) regarding the concentration of some indices between processing fluid and samples collected from sows was also observed.

CONCLUSIONS: Processing fluid can be considered a promising alternative to blood for assessing some immunological indices in piglets, such as IgG, IgA, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ, and, possibly, in the indirect assessment of some indices in lactating sows, including IgA, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ, or Pig-MAP.