Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 12;9(8):428.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci9080428.

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Spirulina platensis on the Reproductive Performance of Female Mink

Anna Maria Iatrou  1 , Georgios A Papadopoulos  1 , Ilias Giannenas  2 , Aristotelis Lymberopoulos  3 , Paschalis Fortomaris  1
Affiliations

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Spirulina platensis on the Reproductive Performance of Female Mink

Anna Maria Iatrou et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of providing Spirulina platensis (Spirulina) on reproductive performance of female mink. A total of 100 adult brown female mink (Mustela vison) were randomly and equally allocated to control group (C group), in which mink were fed basal diet and Spirulina group (Sp group), where mink received basal diet supplemented with 100 mg of Spirulina/kg of body weight. The experiment lasted 5 months, starting from 1 month prior to mating till kit weaning. Weight gain during pre-mating period was higher in Sp group compared to C group (p < 0.001). Sp group remained heavier until the onset of lactation. Subsequently, mink of Sp group lost more weight than C group (p < 0.001) but without an adverse effect on kit survival. A tendency for a higher whelping rate was detected in Sp group (93.61%) compared to C group (81.25%) (p = 0.07). Litter size, as well as weight of kits at weaning, did not differ between groups (p > 0.10). Finally, Sp group weaned numerically more kits compared to C group. Results obtained here showed that Spirulina treated animals tended to an increased whelping rate.

Keywords: Spirulina; body weight; mink; reproduction; whelping rate.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental period layout. The experiment lasted since 1 February (one month prior to mating season) till end of June. Mating season started on 1 March and lasted till 15th of the same month. Whelping period lasted from 20 April till 5 May. From 24 May kits had access to solid feed and lactation. Weaning of kits was on 28 June, and after that, offspring were separated from their dams.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Weight differences of female mink for Control (C) and Spirulina (Sp) groups for the following intervals: between weight at 1st month of the experimental period (1 month) and weight at the start (start) (panel (A)); between weight at 2nd month of the experimental period (2 month) and weight at 1st month (1 month) (panel (B)); between weight at 4th month of the experimental period (4 month) and weight at 2nd month (2 month) (panel (C)); between weight at 5th month of the experimental period (5 month) and weight at 4th month (4 month) (panel (D)). ****: p < 0.0001; ***: p < 0.001; ns: non-significant differences.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Korhonen H.T., Huuki H. Effect of Carotenoid Supplement on Production Performance in Mink. Open J. Vet. Med. 2015;5:73–79. doi: 10.4236/ojvm.2015.54010. - DOI
    1. Madsen M.D., Villumsen T.M., Hansen B.K., Møller S.H., Jensen J., Shirali M. Combined analysis of group recorded feed intake and individually recorded body weight and litter size in mink. Animal. 2020;14:1793–1801. doi: 10.1017/S1751731120000762. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boudreau L., Benkel B., Astatkie T., Rouvinen-Watt K. Ideal body condition improves reproductive performance and influences genetic health in female mink. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 2014;145:86–98. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2014.01.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lagerkvist G., Johansson K., Lundeheim N. Selection for litter size, body weight, and pelt quality in mink (Mustela vison): Correlated responses. J. Anim. Sci. 1994;72:1126–1137. doi: 10.2527/1994.7251126x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hunter D.B., Lemieux N. In: Mink…Biology, Health and Disease. Hunter D.B., Lemieux N., editors. Graphic and Print Services; Guelph, ON, Canada: 1996.

LinkOut - more resources