Forty-seven hybrid progenies from crossbreeding between the Nigerian indigenous pig (NIP) and Large white pigs were used. Body measurements and live weight were recorded weekly from first week of birth to their weaning date. Body measurements taken were Body Weight (BW), Body Length (BL), Body Height (BH), Heart girth (HG) and Rump circumference (RC) of crossbred progenies. The correlation between the reproductive parameters and growth performance of hybrid pigs were established with good management practice. The mean for weaning weight was 6.72 ± 0.02, birth weight 0.91 ± 0.13, litter size at birth 5.36 ± 1.87, litter size at weaning 5.29 ± 1.97, litter weight at birth 4.56 ± 1.57, total litter weight at weaning 33.91 ± 11.6, average daily weaning weight 0.73 ± 0.12, average litter size at birth 0.93 ± 0.11 and sex ratio 97.78% ± 8.61%. The male and female mean values for weight of animals were 6.96 ± 1.0 and 6.52 ± 0.9 with male heavier in weight and higher in morphometric traits such as body length, heart girth and rump circumference, while the female were high in morphometric traits such as snout length, ear length and body height. The correlation matrix for body weight against linear body measurements in preweaned NIP crossbreds indicates that all the parameters could be used to select for body weight. The linear equation generated by regressing body weight on snout length, body height, rump circumference, heart girth and body length could be used by resource poor pig farmers in the estimation of body weight of pre weaned crossbreds pigs if they cannot afford weighing scales.
African wild suids consist of several endemic species that represent ancient members of the family Suidae and have colonized diverse habitats on the African continent. However, limited genomic resources for African wild suids hinder our understanding of their evolution and genetic diversity. In this study, we assembled high-quality genomes of a common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), a red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), as well as an East Asian Diannan small-ear pig (Sus scrofa). Phylogenetic analysis showed that common warthog and red river hog diverged from their common ancestor around the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, putatively predating their entry into Africa. We detected species-specific selective signals associated with sensory perception and interferon signaling pathways in common warthog and red river hog, respectively, which contributed to their local adaptation to savannah and tropical rainforest environments, respectively. The structural variation and evolving signals in genes involved in T cell immunity, viral infection, and lymphoid development were identified in their ancestral lineage. Our results provide new insights into the evolutionary histories and divergent genetic adaptations of African suids.
BackgroundThe history of pig populations in Africa remains controversial due to insufficient evidence from archaeological and genetic data. Previously, a Western ancestry for West African pigs was reported based on loci that are involved in the determination of coat color. We investigated the genetic diversity of Nigerian indigenous pigs (NIP) by simultaneously analyzing variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome sequence and the melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) gene.ResultsMedian-joining network analysis of mtDNA D-loop sequences from 201 NIP and previously characterized loci clustered NIP with populations from the West (Europe/North Africa) and East/Southeast Asia. Analysis of partial sequences of the Y-chromosome in 57 Nigerian boars clustered NIP into lineage HY1. Finally, analysis of MC1R in 90 NIP resulted in seven haplotypes, among which the European wild boar haplotype was carried by one individual and the European dominant black by most of the other individuals (93%). The five remaining unique haplotypes differed by a single synonymous substitution from European wild type, European dominant black and Asian dominant black haplotypes.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate a European and East/Southeast Asian ancestry for NIP. Analyses of MC1R provide further evidence. Additional genetic analyses and archaeological studies may provide further insights into the history of African pig breeds. Our findings provide a valuable resource for future studies on whole-genome analyses of African pigs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12711-017-0326-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Pigs play a major role in socioeconomic life of the people; it serves as a source of income for rural population and fulfill important role in culture and food security. Fifty-one weaners were randomly selected at 9, 17 and 25 weeks of age for analysis. Blood from the jugular vein of the weaners was taken to the laboratory for analysis. The leaukocyte parameters used for this study were White blood cell count (WBC), Lymphocyte (LYM) count, Neutrophil (NEU) count, Eosinophil (EOS) and Monocyte (MON) count) and Platelet (PLT) count. Data collected on these leaukocyte parameters were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) while the means were separated using Duncan's Multiple Range Test. The results showed that at 9 weeks of age, compared with the female hybrid, the male hybrid had higher PCV, NEU and EOS (33.12% ± 2.73%, 31.00% ± 3.37% and 0.38% ± 0.18% respectively) values, while the female NIP had higher WBC, LYM and MON (24.55 ± 1.09 × 10 3 /µl, 56.00% ± 3.24% and 0.50% ± 0.50%) values respectively. At 17 weeks of age, the male hybrid had higher WBC and NEU (32.18 ± 1.92 × 10 3 /µl and 32.38% ± 3.56%) values while the female had higher PCV, LYM, EOS and MON (42.50% ± 1.50%, 63.00% ± 5.0%, 2.50% ± 2.50% and 4.50% ± 1.50%) values. At 25 weeks of age, the female hybrid had higher values in all the parameters with the exception of NEU and MON where male had higher values. These ages can be used as criteria for selection for immunocompetence in pigs.
This work investigated the presence of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) in Nigerian Indigenous Pig (NIP) using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) screening method on the extracted DNA from the pig blood. NIP population selected from south western Nigeria were used for this study. ASFV infected blood samples collected from the University of Ibadan were used as positive control. Adiscrete and specific band was observed in both NIP and the infected samples show the presence of ASFV in NIP. The bands were of the expected size 278 base pairs (bp). The implication of this finding is that NIPs have domiciled ASFV without showing any clinical symptoms.
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