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. 2023 Sep 2;10(9):551.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci10090551.

A Preliminary Study on the Relationship between Gastric Lesions and Anti-Inflammatory Drug Usage in Heavy Pigs

Sergio Ghidini  1 , Federico Scali  2 , Claudia Romeo  2 , Federica Guadagno  2 , Antonio Marco Maisano  2 , Silvio De Luca  1 , Maria Olga Varrà  1 , Mauro Conter  3 , Adriana Ianieri  1 , Emanuela Zanardi  1 , Giovanni Loris Alborali  2
Affiliations

A Preliminary Study on the Relationship between Gastric Lesions and Anti-Inflammatory Drug Usage in Heavy Pigs

Sergio Ghidini et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Gastric lesions in pigs cause welfare and economic losses. Their prevalence in heavy pigs reared for premium products (e.g., Parma ham) requires further investigation. Stress, nutrition, and farm management are known risk factors, but the effects of steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of gastric lesions in Italian heavy pigs and their possible association with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. A total of 9371 pig stomachs from 76 farms were evaluated. Among these, 20.3% showed no lesions, while 30.7%, 42.1%, and 6.8% were scored 1, 2 and 3, respectively. A tendency for an inverse relationship with farm size emerged. The use of steroids and NSAIDs was estimated by calculating a treatment incidence per 1000 (TI1000) in a subset of 36 farms. At least one prescription for NSAIDs and/or steroids was found in 80.6% of the farms (55.6% used NSAIDs and 63.9% used steroids). Median TI1000 was 0.07 (range: 0-30.1) and 0.18 (range: 0-6.2) for NSAIDs and steroids, respectively. Gastric scores were positively associated with NSAID use, but not with steroid use. Although the role of these drugs in gastric lesions needs to be further clarified, these findings suggest a cautious use of non-selective NSAIDs.

Keywords: abattoir; animal welfare; anti-inflammatory drugs; gastric lesions; monitoring schemes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gastric lesion scoring system applied to the area of interest (pars oesophagea). (0) No evidence of lesion; (1) Hyperkeratosis; (2) Erosion and/or mild ulcer; (3) Severe ulcer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of the mean proportions of stomachs by gastric ulcer scores observed on Italian pig farms (n = 76) following the scoring methodology proposed by Robertson et al. [8] (0 = no lesions; 1 = hyperkeratosis; 2 = erosion/mild ulcer; 3 = severe ulcer).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency distribution of farm-level gastric ulcer scores observed on pig farms (n = 76).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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