2018 participants
Wei Yan Soh
Kyphosis is a backbone disorder affecting 10% of farm pigs. It is hypothesised that these pigs lack an important bone mineral, phosphate. Zinc supplementation by farmers replacing banned antibiotics to enhance growth might have formed an insoluble precipitate with phosphate, thus reducing the amount of absorbed phosphate. Supporting evidence showed that all pigs developed kyphosis when phytase, an enzyme releasing phosphate from organic materials, was absent from their diets.
The study aims to investigate whether phosphate deficiency causes kyphosis in farm piglets. Expression levels of zinc and phosphate transporters in kidney and intestinal samples were compared to normal piglets. Results show that kyphosis piglets express more phosphate transporters in intestines hence supporting the hypothesis that phosphate-deficient pigs develop kyphosis. The expression of phosphate transporters in kidneys is unaffected, possibly because phosphate transport is already at its maximum in rapidly growing piglets. No relationship is seen between zinc transporters and kyphosis.
Funding source: Newcastle University
Supervisor: Dr Andreas Werner