The use of social network analysis to describe the effect of immune activation on group dynamics in pigs

Veit, Christina; Foister, Simone; Valros, Anna; Munsterhjelm, Camilla; Sandercock, DA; Janczak, Andrew M.; Ranheim, Birgit; Nordgreen, Janicke

doi:10.1016/j.animal.2021.100332

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This suggests healthy calves did not avoid challenged penmates, and instead increased social lying connectedness. Although it may be advantageous to avoid infectious conspecifics 49 , increased social interaction with sick penmates has also been reported in group-housed pigs 50 , 51 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social networks respond to a disease challenge in calves

Burke

Nascimento-Emond

Hixson

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Changes in network position and behavioral interactions have been linked with infectious disease in social animals. Here, we investigate the effects of an experimental disease challenge on social network centrality of group-housed Holstein bull dairy calves. Within group-housed pens (6/group) calves were randomly assigned to either a previously developed challenge model, involving inoculation with Mannheimia haemolytia (n = 12 calves; 3 calves/group) or a control involving only saline (n = 12 calves; 3 calves/group). Continuous behavioral data were recorded from video on pre-treatment baseline day and for 24 h following inoculation to describe social lying frequency and duration and all active social contact between calves. Mixed-model analysis revealed that changes in network position were related to the challenge. Compared to controls, challenged calves had reduced centrality and connectedness, baseline to challenge day. On challenge day, challenged calves were less central in the directed social contact networks (lower degree, strength and eigenvector centrality), and initiated contact (higher out-degree) with more penmates, compared to healthy calves. This finding suggests that giving rather than receiving affiliative social contact may be more beneficial for challenged calves. This is the first study demonstrating that changes in social network position coincide with an experimental challenge of a respiratory pathogen in calves.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%