By Arielly Oliveira Garcia
Lesions and injuries observed on a pig’s body extremities, such as the tail and ears, have traditionally been attributed to damaging behaviors such as tail and ear biting. However, the presence of lesion signs in newborn piglets, before any social interaction with other mates, indicates that these injuries may result from Swine Inflammation and Necrosis Syndrome (SINS), which can develop independently of external trauma.
This study aimed to investigate the genetic basis of Swine Inflammation and Necrosis Syndrome (SINS) across different body regions and to assess its genetic correlation with post-weaning skin damage (DMG). Our results indicate that both SINS and DMG are heritable traits, with heritability estimates ranging from 3% to 9%. Furthermore, we found that SINS and DMG, when measured across various body parts, exhibit genetic correlations as high as 0.70.
These findings suggest that SINS and DMG share a common genetic background. Consequently, genetic selection against SINS at an early stage may effectively complement efforts to reduce skin damage in pigs later in life, offering a promising strategy to improve animal health and welfare through breeding.
