Effects of Atmospheric Ammonia on the Pig

Stombaugh, D. P.; Teague, H. S.; Roller, W. L.

doi:10.2527/jas1969.286844x

Cited by 76 publications

(42 citation statements)

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“…Our findings are in contrast to those of several previous studies that found ammonia to have a detrimental effect on the physiological status of pigs, both in terms of growth and the HPA axis (Stombaugh et al, 1969;Drummond et al, 1980;von Borell et al, 2007). However, as previously mentioned, these studies tested the effects of much higher concentrations of ammonia (e.g.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Although pigs are known to actively avoid ammoniated environments Smith et al, 1996) and some studies have found a deleterious effect of high atmospheric ammonia on production parameters such as growth and food conversion efficiency (Stombaugh et al, 1969;Drummond et al, 1980), many studies have examined higher ammonia concentrations than are typical of modern pig units (Groot Koerkamp et al, 1998;Seedorf and Hartung, 1999). Indeed, a recent large study that investigated the impact of housing weaner pigs in more commercially relevant ammonia concentrations (0.6, 10.0, 18.8 or 37.0 ppm) for five and a half weeks actually found no direct impact of ammonia on either growth or food conversion efficiency (Wathes et al, 2004), and nor were there any effects on respiratory health (Done et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of chronic environmental stressors on growing pigs, Sus scrofa (Part 1): stress physiology, production and play behaviour

O’Connor

Parker

McLeman

et al. 2010

Animal

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Commercially farmed animals are frequently housed in conditions that impose a number of concurrent environmental stressors. For pigs housed indoors, elevated levels of mechanical noise, atmospheric ammonia and low light intensities are commonplace. This experiment examined the effects on growing pigs of chronic exposure to combinations of commercially relevant levels of these potential stressors. Four-week-old hybrid female pigs (n 5 224) were housed under experimentally manipulated conditions of nominally either ,5 or 20 ppm atmospheric concentration of ammonia (24 h), a light intensity of 40 lux or 200 lux (12 h) and mechanical noise at either <60 or 80 dB(A) (24 h) for 15 weeks in a fully factorial arrangement (2 3 ) of treatments. The response of pigs to these environmental factors was assessed using a suite of physiological, production and behavioural measures. These included indicators of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation such as salivary cortisol and adrenal morphometry, as well as body weight, food conversion efficiency and general health scores. Play behaviour was recorded as it is thought to be inversely related to stress. Chronic exposure to ammonia produced the strongest effect, shown by lower concentrations of salivary cortisol and larger adrenal cortices in the pigs reared under 20 ppm ammonia, which may have been indicative of a period of HPA activation leading to a downregulation of cortisol production. The pigs in the ammoniated rooms also performed less play behaviour than pigs in non-ammoniated rooms. There was evidence for an interaction between high noise and ammonia on the health scores of pigs and for brighter light to ameliorate the effect of ammonia on salivary cortisol. However, there was no measurable impact of these potential stressors on the productivity of the pigs or any of the other physiological parameters measured. We conclude that there should be little concern in terms of performance about the physical stressors tested here, within current European Union legal limits. However, 20 ppm ammonia may have had an adverse influence on the well-being of growing pigs. In this study, all other aspects of the pigs' husbandry were optimal; therefore, it is possible that under less favourable conditions, more pronounced effects of ammonia, noise and dim light would be observed.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of chronic environmental stressors on growing pigs, Sus scrofa (Part 1): stress physiology, production and play behaviour

O’Connor

Parker

McLeman

et al. 2010

Animal

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“…Similar effects have been reported for the tracheal mucosa, but not systematically (Drummond et al 1978;Urbain et al 1996a). In pigs exposed to ammonia at concentrations up to 100 ppm, investigators failed to link exposure with marked gross or microscopic damage to the lung parenchyma but an enhancement of the permeability of the blood-alveolar barrier to albumin was observed (Stombaugh et al 1969;Curtis et al 1975;Gustin et al 1994;Urbain et al 1993Urbain et al , 1996aUrbain et al & 1998. Moreover, exposure in this range did increase the likelihood of bacterial infection, partly owing to decreased pulmonary clearance Author for correspondence: P. Gustin, Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy and Toxicology, University of Liège, Bd.…”

mentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Ammonia has been used to induce cough experimentally in rabbits, but only very high concentrations were tested (Matsumoto 1988). In pigs, ammonia at concentrations between 100 and 150 ppm is reported to induce coughing (Stombaugh et al 1969;Drummond et al 1980). Lower concentrations seem to have no visible effect, but no quantitative data are available 1996a & b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inhibiting Effect of Ammonia on Citric Acid‐Induced Cough in Pigs: A Possible Involvement of Substance P

Moreaux

Beerens

Gustin³

2000

Pharmacology & Toxicology

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The effect of ammonia on the cough response to citric acid and on substance P release from C-fibers involved in this reflex was assessed. For a period from one to four days, piglets were exposed, in an inhalation chamber, to ammonia at a concentration of 15 or 30 ppm. During exposure, cough induction tests were done every two days. Recovery of the cough reflex after ammonia exposure was also determined. In a separate group of piglets exposed for 2 days to 30 ppm ammonia, substance P content was determined in bronchial and tracheal lavage fluids and in the tracheal and bronchial mucosa. Ammonia (30 ppm) was found to inhibit coughing significantly (the cough frequency was reduced by 64%) after a two-day exposure. In animals exposed for 4 days to this ammonia concentration, the recovery ranged from 3 to 7 days (mean: 5 days). The same ammonia concentration also caused the substance P content to increase significantly in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (to 432% of its initial value) and tracheal lavage fluid (to 149%) and to decrease significantly in the tracheal mucosa (-58%), however the content in bronchial mucosa was not significantly affected (ª43%). Exposure to 15 ppm ammonia had no effect on the frequency of citric acid-induced coughing. In conclusion, ammonia inhibits citric acid-induced coughing in pigs at concentrations that can be detected in piggeries. This inhibitory effect may be related to substance-P depletion in C-fiber endings.

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“…The objective of this study was to elucidate the correlation (Stombaugh et al 1969;Malayer et al 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between pig activity and environmental factors in pig confinement buildings

Kim

et al. 2008

Aust. J. Exp. Agric.

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Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the aerial contaminants affecting pig activity and evaluate the correlation between pig activity and aerial contaminants in a pig confinement building. This experiment was performed in a confinement growing and finishing room, and the data presented in this article was collected over a period of 50 days, with sampling every 2 days from June to September 2003. Air samples were taken in the middle of empty pens on both sides of the pig confinement building. In this study, we demonstrated statistically significant negative relationships between pig activity and temperature, relative humidity and ammonia, while total dust positively regressed with pig activity. Based on these experimental results, we reasoned that increases in temperature, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia in the pig building suppressed pig activity and that high levels of total dust in the pig building was attributable to increases in pig activity. The exposure limit values of aerial contaminants, such as particulate matter, gaseous compounds and airborne microorganisms related to the pigs' health should be established in order to promote the performance and welfare of the pigs.

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Effects of Atmospheric Ammonia on the Pig

Cited by 76 publications

References 1 publication

The impact of chronic environmental stressors on growing pigs, Sus scrofa (Part 1): stress physiology, production and play behaviour

The impact of chronic environmental stressors on growing pigs, Sus scrofa (Part 1): stress physiology, production and play behaviour

Inhibiting Effect of Ammonia on Citric Acid‐Induced Cough in Pigs: A Possible Involvement of Substance P

Association between pig activity and environmental factors in pig confinement buildings

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