La notion de robustesse peut se définir par le maintien des performances et de la santé quelles que soient les conditions d’environnement. Le sevrage constitue la phase où la plus grande quantité d’antibiotiques est utilisée car il est source de perturbations multiples pour le porcelet. L’identification de porcs robustes permettrait d’envisager des soins spécifiques et/ou une sélection génétique sur ce caractère. Les objectifs de cette thèse étaient d’identifier certains marqueurs physiologiques associés à la robustesse du porcelet au sevrage et de prédire cette robustesse par des variables physiologiques décrivant ces réponses mesurées avant et après sevrage. Pour répondre à cet objectif, des variables physiologiques ont d’abord été mesurées dans des environnements très divers puis celles associées à la robustesse ont été identifiées. Une première étude a été conduite en installation expérimentale visant à étudier les effets de l’âge, des conditions de sevrage et de la santé sur l’évoPar ailleurs, dans une deuxième étude, des variables physiologiques ont été mesurées dans 16 élevages commerciaux autour du sevrage. Les performances de croissance et le statut sanitaire étaient les 2 facteurs de variations d’élevages contrôlés. L’analyse des données a permis de mettre en évidence une forte influence du statut sanitaire sur les variables physiologiques mesurées autour du sevrage. Des variables descriptives du statut oxydant, du statut métabolique et de l’activation du système immunitaire ont été associées à la robustesse du porcelet au sevrage. Ainsi, les porcelets les plus / The concept of robustness can be defined as the ability to maintain performances and health whatever environmental conditions. Weaning is the step where the biggest part of antibiotics is used because it is the source of multiple perturbations for the piglet. The identification of robust pigs could allow settling specific care and/or genetic selection on this criteria. The objectives of this thesis were to identify physiological parameters associated with the robustness of piglet at weaning and to predict this robustness by biological variables describing those measured responses before and after weaning. To answer to this objective, physiological variables were first measured in very different environments and, then, those ones associated with the robustness were identified. A first experiment was realized in experimental unit, aiming to study the effects of age, weaning conditions and health on the evolution of blood variables describing immune and metabolic status, stress and oxidatGrowth performances and health status were the two controlled factors of variations of farms. The analysis of data allowed us to show a high influence of health status on physiological variables around weaning. Some variables describing oxidative status, metabolic status and the activation of immune system were associated with the robustness of piglet at weaning. Thus, the most robust piglets are those ones who, in favorable or unfavorable environments, have a capacity to limit their oxidative stress, to mobilize less body reserves and to activate quickly their immune system. Those variables

The paper describes an attempt to gain insight into the relationship between cash and futures markets for US lean hogs and EU live pigs, and the opportunity of arbitrage hedging. In doing so, the authors use newer methods of threshold cointegration analysis for time series from 1999 until 2008. Besides the existence of a long-run equilibrium, asymmetric price adjustments can be demonstrated. This is especially the case for the EU live pigs, where price variations of the basis are higher and exhibit lower standard deviation. The results also perfectly show that cash prices follow the futures market more than the other way round. Furthermore, a grid search has revealed that the residual-based threshold in either market is near zero and therefore coherent with economic interpretation. Thus, at least theoretically, arbitrageurs in those markets are able to exploit the price differences between the two markets and reap no-risk monetary benefit. Hence, the results are in line with the statement that "speculating the basis" generates a better return. (authors' abstract)

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The ability to quickly and efficiently locate concealed human remains is crucial in forensic investigations and when locating disaster victims. On occasions when human remains are recovered, correctly assigning a postmortem interval (PMI) may become necessary to corroborate statements or make an identification. While Human Remains Detection canines (HRD canines) provide rapid and sensitive searches, the mechanisms behind their sense of smell remain poorly understood. Over the past ten years, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been investigated in an effort to address questions concerning PMI, optimization of training aids, and portable 'sniffing' devices. The approaches taken for investigating VOCs emitted from decomposing tissues buried or otherwise have been diverse. They range from burying entire human bodies and sampling the above-ground volatiles using triple-sorbent traps (TSTs) to isolating small amounts of tissue into glass vials whereby the volatiles are sampled by Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME). The resulting studies have led to large quantities of data that are difficult to interpret and compare between studies. Furthermore, the restrictions surrounding access to human remains have caused many studies to use other animals, (pigs, chickens, cows, and deer) in particular the domestic pig, due to its similarities in hair coverage and tissue ratios. There have been several studies that attempt to address the effects that burial has on the resulting VOCs. However, the addition of a complex matrix to a process that already has many variables has caused difficulty in data interpretation. The purpose of this study was to identify how freezing and the presence of soil affect the VOC profiles of various tissue types (blood, bone, fat, small intestine, muscle, and skin) obtained over six weeks of decomposition. In order to accomplish this, the study was performed in three parts. The first part used fresh pig samples obtained only hours after euthanization, the second part utilized tissues from the same areas of the pig after the samples had been frozen for 6 weeks and the third part combined soil with three of the tissue types (blood, bone, muscle). SPME was employed at room temperature using a 65 µm PDMS/DVB coated fiber as the adsorbent material to extract the VOCs from the headspace. The use of SPME as the extraction method allowed for direct desorption and subsequent analysis into the injection port of the GC/MS. User-defined integration parameters were applied to each resulting chromatogram in an effort to identify what impact, if any, freezing and soil had on the resulting VOC profiles. The results obtained in this study suggest that the freezing and thawing of tissue samples have varying effects on the resulting chromatograms based on the complexity of the tissue-type. This implies that prolonged use and storage of some, commonly utilized, training aids may not be providing the most reliable scent profile for the HRD canines. Results obtained from the soil study were complex, but several overall trends were observed in the release and production of different compound classes. Comparisons to previous studies using similar extraction procedures demonstrate the need for a standardized protocol for future decomposition studies.

The burden of Streptococcus suis infection in humans is increasing worldwide. In Thailand, S. suis is the second most commonly recorded zoonosis. The principal sources of human S. suis infection are pig and pork products. A detailed understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of S. suis and the burden of the disease may help improve prevention and control policy to reduce the burden of this bacterial infection. The work presented in this thesis focuses on human outbreaks of S. suis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in humans and backyard pigs. This thesis examined the characteristics of previous outbreaks of S. suis in humans and calculated the incidence, disease burden and the associated economic burden of S. suis infection in Chiang Mai. The backyard pig system is important for S. suis transmission and this thesis examined the characteristics of the backyard pig production system in Chaing Mai and examined the prevalence and risk factor for S. suis infection in pigs. Finally, to examine transmission of S. suis, isolates collected during this study were identified and subject to molecular characterization. A retrospective analysis of surveillance data for S. suis cases in Chiang Mai between 2005 to 2014 highlighted the annual incidence rate over this ten year period of 15.52 per 1,000,000 population, 6.5 times higher than for the rest of Thailand (2.37 per 1,000,000 population). The case fatality rate was high at 10.12%. The impact on human health of S. suis infection was derived from surveillance data for the year 2013. The health burden measured in term of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) was estimated at 7.41 per 100,000 population. Most of the health burden (98.28%) was in adults aged 15-64 years. Males had 3.5 times the health burden of females. The consequences of hearing loss and deafness had significant impacts on affected individuals quality of life. The economic impact of S. suis outbreaks in Chiang Mai was between 2013 and 2014 was estimated from interview data. Most patients were covered for their health costs by the national health security scheme, with expenditure due to S. suis on average being 37,955 baht (£759) per patient. Out of pocket expenses for individuals and their families averaged 5,198 baht (£104) per patient. An epidemiological survey of backyard pig production facilities was undertaken in Chiang Mai province where there was a reported high incidence of S. suis cases in humans occurred each year. Most holdings had between one to five pigs and all holdings shared similar characteristics and management practices. The prevalence of S. suis was in pigs was 4.8% (95%CI=2.2-7.4%). Pigs living in larger spaces (≥ 1.2 m2) showed a lower risk for S. suis infection (OR = 4.35, 95% CI = 1.07-25.21). Examination of the isolates from this study revealed a diversity of serotypes. Only one isolate was identified as S. suis serotype 9. The rest did not match any common serotypes for S. suis (1, 2, 7 or 9) and known virulent strains were not identified. Twelve independent sequence profiles were determined by MLST, of which, 11 were novel. Backyard pigs were found to be commonly infected with a range of previously unidentified S. suis and may be a significant reservoir of human infection.

The weaning transition period in pigs is linked to increased vulnerability to enteric disorders, which is partly attributed to destabilisation of the gut microbiota. Post-weaning colibacillosis is an economically important disease of the small intestine, which is most commonly caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains. This disease has been variably linked to a diarrhoeal phenotype and decreased growth rate under clinical or sub-clinical conditions, and has been associated with shifts in particular bacterial populations using culturing methods. The emergence of next-generation sequencing technologies such as 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding now allows higher resolution study of complex microbial communities, without being reliant on the ability to culture fastidious micro-organisms. As part of this project, a 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding method was developed and validated to allow qualitative and quantitative measurement of gut microbiota shifts. A series of experimental ETEC challenge trials were carried out to monitor temporal faecal microbiota dynamics (Chapter 2), to further understand ETEC adhesion and shedding dynamics (Chapter 3) and to study potential changes in both ileal and faecal microbiota populations in response to dietary protein manipulation (Chapter 4). The effects of experimental treatments on pig health and performance were also measured as part of each experiment. Temporal shifts in ileal and faecal microbiota structure and stability were observed over the post-weaning period, as well as shifts in relative abundances of particular bacterial phylotypes (P < 0.05) (Chapter’s 2 and 4). ETEC challenge had no effects on faecal microbiota composition, pig health and performance when comparing to samples obtained from sham-challenged pigs (P > 0.05). However, when taking ETEC shedding level into account, variations in both microbiota structure and stability were observed at specific time points (P < 0.05) (Chapter 2). After a single-dose ETEC challenge, ETEC adhesion in the ileum and faecal shedding were evident up to 4 and 6 days post-challenge, respectively (Chapter 3). Changes in ileal microbiota structure and stability were observed in response to ETEC challenge (P < 0.05), with no changes exerted at faecal level (P > 0.05). Additionally, different dietary protein levels were linked to changes in ileal microbiota structure, stability and phylotype relative abundances (P < 0.05). Interestingly, significant differences in ileal microbiota structure were evident in samples obtained from ETEC-challenged pigs fed the low and high protein diets, with the pigs fed the high protein diet having significantly less stable ileal communities at population level (P < 0.05) (Chapter 4). The treatments had no effect on host performance (P > 0.05), but faecal consistency scores were higher in pigs fed the high protein diet (P < 0.05). In conclusion, both ETEC challenge and manipulation of dietary protein level had profound effects on ileal microbiota composition and faecal microbial communities were variable according to ETEC shedding status. These findings have implications for the development of alternative management strategies for enteric diseases in weaner pigs.

L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer si trois souches de levure Saccharomycescerevisiae (Lv01, Lv02, Lv03) exercent in vitro des propriétés immuno-modulatrices suite àl’exposition de cellules épithéliales intestinales porcines à Escherichia coli entérotoxinogène(ETEC). Ensuite, nous avons évalué si ces propriétés sont associées à une protection des porceletscontre une infection colibacillaire au post-sevrage et à une stimulation de l’immunité maternellepassive chez la truie.In vitro, nous avons montré que Lv01 exerce une activité anti-inflammatoire suite àl’exposition de cellules épithéliales intestinales porcines à ETEC. Cette activité réside dans 1) lasécrétion des facteurs solubles et est associée 2) à la diminution de la phosphorylation des protéinesERK1/2, p38 et 3) à l’agglutination des ETEC par Lv01. Cependant, Lv01 ne prévient pasl’altération de la barrière épithéliale induite par ETEC.In vivo, à la différence d’expérimentations antérieures, les levures Lv01 et Lv02 neprotègent pas les porcelets contre une colibacillose expérimentale au post-sevrage. Par ailleurs, lestrois souches de levure stimulent l’accroissement des IgG et IgA dans le colostrum et le lait destruies suggérant la transmission d’une meilleure protection immunitaire aux porcelets. / The objective of this work is to investigate whether three Saccharomyces cerevisiaeyeast strains (Lv01, Lv02, Lv03) induce in vitro immuno-modulatory properties in pig intestinalepithelial cells exposed to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Thereafter, we assessedwhether these properties are associated to a piglet protection against post-weaning colibacillosisand to a stimulation of maternal passive immunity in sows.In vitro, we have shown that Lv01 induces an anti-inflammatory activity in pig intestinalepithelial cells exposed to ETEC. This activity is induced by 1) secreted soluble factors and isassociated with 2) a decrease of both ERK1/2 and p38 phosphorylation and 3) an agglutination ofETEC by Lv01. However, Lv01 does not prevent the alteration of epithelial barrier integrityinduced by ETEC.In vivo, we have shown that in contrast to previous data, Lv01 and Lv02 do not protectweaned piglets against an experimental ETEC infection. Elsewhere, the three yeast strainsstimulate the immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA) in colostrum and milk of sows suggesting thetransfer of a better immune protection to piglets.

The diploma thesis is aimed on verification of a posibility of using blue lupin as a proteinic fodder in pig fattening and is based on a two-phase experiment that corresponds with two-phase fattening. In the first (from 22 to 41 kg) and second (from 41 to 119 kg) phase, the control group was fed with a mixture based on extracted soybean meal, the treatment group was fed with a mix containing 10 % (first phase) and 13 % (second phase) of blue lupin. The observed statistical indicators were average daily gain in weight, average daily fodder consumption and average nutrients conversion. The first phase of the experiment resulted in growth of all of the observed indicators. The treatment group showed a nutrients conversion increased by 150 g and average daily gain in weight increased by 200 g in comparison with the control group. In the second phase of the experiment (during first 31 days), the observed indicators of the treatment group showed a drop (additional 350 g of mixture were needed for 1 kg gain in weight compared to the control group, the average daily gain was lower by 130 g). Subsequently a gradual stabilization followed, resulting in a final difference of 160 g in nutritions conversion and 50 g of average daily gain in favor of the control group. The economical effect of 34.5 CZK per fattened pig was found despite of worse indicator values in the second phase. Blue lupin has potential to be used as a substitute for soybean, but only when assuming self-sufficiency, because its availability is relatively low when compared to soybean.

The aim of this thesis was to analyse indicators determined during classification of pig carcasses within a selected slaughterhouse. On the basis of such information, a set of animals slaughtered during the period of 2 months was statistically evaluated. In total, 74 024 of carcasses were analysed. The carcasses classified within the SEUROP system were divided into 6 weight intervals from 60 to 120 kg with 10 kg spans. The average weight of all the slaughtered pigs from the set was 91.98 kg. The majority of the slaughtered pigs (40% and 32.2%) was found within the pig carcasses' weight interval of 9099.9 kg and 8089.6 kg with the average lean meat of 59.04% and 59.77%. With increasing carcass weight, the lean meat was decreasing by 0.96, 0.83, 0.73, 0.9, and 0.99% within individual weight intervals. The set of the pigs was incorporated into the three most observed groups, i.e. S, E, and U. The highest lean meat was found in the S group (61.61%). With increasing carcass weight, the lean meat was decreasing by 3.30 and 4.79% within individual groups. Between the carcass weight and the lean meat, the correlation coefficient of -0.34+++ was found.

The aim of this thesis was to obtain information on the genotype and sex influence on carcass characteristics of pigs of the following final hybrids combinations: (CL x CLW) x CLW ? sire line, (CL x CLW) x (CLW ? sire line x Pn), (CL x CLW) x (D x Pn) and (CL x CLW) x (CLW ? sire line x D) with a balanced sex ratio (barrows: gilts). An influence of the genotype on the lean meat content has been proven, while the (CL x CLW) x (D x Pn) combination reached the highest values, with an average of 57.95 %. A statistical significance of differences was also found between the sexes, when gilts reached 58.06 % average lean meat content, compared to the barrows 54.70 % average lean meat content (3.36 % difference). The back fat thickness showed a high statistical significance in terms of genotype, the lowest back fat thickness was measured in the (CL x CLW) x (D x Pn) combination with value of 21.69 mm. Barrows reached higher values, the average height of gilts was 22.03 mm, 25.25 mm in barrows. In the loin eye area indicator, the genotype influence has not been proven. For gilts, the mean value of 5228 mm2, in barrows value of 4707 mm2. Content of main meat parts, or more precisely hams, presented statistically significant differences in terms of genotype. The (CL x CLW) x (D x Pn) combination reached the highest values, with content of 53.23 %, 21.9 % respectively. A significant statistical difference was determined also between sexes, with an average main meat parts of gilts and barrows 51.32 % and 48.45 %, respectively; in the case of ham 21.07 % and 19.98 %. The slaughter weight in relation to the lean meat content showed a very good value in the mass range less than 100 kg (57.84 %), but the muscle proportion 57.16 % has been positive even in the mass range 100 ? 109.9 kg.