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Review
. 2021 Dec 13:8:770480.
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.770480. eCollection 2021.

The Genetics of Thermoregulation in Pigs: A Review

Jean-Luc Gourdine  1 , Wendy Mercedes Rauw  2 , Hélène Gilbert  3 , Nausicaa Poullet  1
Affiliations
Review

The Genetics of Thermoregulation in Pigs: A Review

Jean-Luc Gourdine et al. Front Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Heat stress (HS) affects pig performance, health and welfare, resulting in a financial burden to the pig industry. Pigs have a limited number of functional sweat glands and their thermoregulatory mechanisms used to maintain body temperature, are challenged by HS to maintain body temperature. The genetic selection of genotypes tolerant to HS is a promising long-term (adaptation) option that could be combined with other measures at the production system level. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the genetics of thermoregulation in pigs. It also discusses the different phenotypes that can be used in genetic studies, as well as the variability in thermoregulation between pig breeds and the inheritance of traits related to thermoregulation. This review also considers on-going challenges to face for improving heat tolerance in pigs.

Keywords: genetics; heat stress; pig; selection; thermoregulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagrammatic presentation of the effect of ambient temperature on lactating sow (indicative values in blue) and growing pig (indicative values in green) metabolism and body temperature [adapted from (32)]. The lower critical temperature is the ambient temperature below which pigs must increase heat production to maintain heat balance. The upper critical temperature is the ambient temperature above which pigs must increase heat loss rate to achieve heat balance.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Density distribution of average rectal temperature of Creole and Large White lactating sows according to the average thermal-humidity index (THI) during lactation [adapted from Gourdine et al. (59)].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Density distribution of average skin temperature of Creole and Large White lactating sows according to the average thermal-humidity index (THI) during lactation [adapted from Gourdine et al. (59)].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Density distribution of average respiratory rate of Creole and Large White lactating sows according to the average thermal-humidity index (THI) during lactation [adapted from Gourdine et al. (59)].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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