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Undernutrition in relation to changed tissue composition in wild boar (Sus scrofa)
J Wolkers1, T Wensing, J T Schonewille
1Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Large Animal Medicine and Nutrition, The Netherlands.
Summary
Dietary restriction in wild boar significantly impacts tissue composition, reducing protein content and altering cell size and number in organs like the liver and kidney. These changes offer insights into assessing nutritional status.
Area of Science:
- Animal physiology
- Nutritional science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Assessing the nutritional status of wild animals is crucial for ecological and conservation efforts.
- Tissue composition analysis can provide valuable indicators of an animal's physiological condition.
- Understanding the effects of dietary restriction on wild boar (Sus scrofa) is important for wildlife management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of dietary restriction on the tissue composition of wild boar.
- To evaluate the utility of tissue protein content as an indicator of nutritional status in wild boar.
- To determine how undernutrition affects protein concentration, cell size, and cell number in different wild boar tissues.
Main Methods:
- Wild boar were subjected to long-term dietary restriction.
- Analysis of tissue composition, including total protein content and DNA concentration, was performed on liver, kidney, and muscle samples.
- Protein/DNA ratios were calculated to assess changes in cell size and number.
Main Results:
- Extreme undernutrition led to significant weight reduction in the liver and kidney.
- Total protein content and protein/DNA ratios decreased in the liver and kidney, indicating reduced cell number and size.
- Muscle tissues showed reduced protein/DNA ratios and increased DNA concentration, suggesting a reduction in cell size only.
- The response to undernutrition varied between different muscle types.
Conclusions:
- Tissue DNA concentrations and protein/DNA ratios serve as valuable indicators for assessing the nutritional status of wild boar.
- These biochemical markers can be applied to both living and deceased animals, aiding in wildlife health assessments.
- The differential response of various tissues to undernutrition highlights the complexity of physiological adaptations to food scarcity.
