PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS QUALITY OF SWINE INJECTED DAILY WITH BACTERIALLY-SYNTHESIZED HUMAN GROWTH-HORMONE

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 47  (3) , 225-236
Abstract
Growth rate, feed intake, feed efficiency and carcass quality were measured in pigs (24 barrows and 24 gilts, initial body weight = 23.0 .+-. 4 kg) administered 0, 0.015, 0.30 or 0.060 mg/kg per day bacterially produced human growth hormone (hGH) until slaughter weight of 90 kg. Administration of hGH on the 1st treatment day resulted in a dose-dependent peak in serum concentration after 2 h and concentrations gradually returned to baseline by 22 h after treatment. Measurement of glucose, insulin and glucagon on the first and last days of treatment showed variable effects of treatment. In pigs treated with 0.015 mg/kg per day hGH average daily weight gain (0.89 vs 0.82 kg, P < 0.05) and feed intake (4.59 vs. 4.25 kg, P < 0.006) were increased, while feed efficiencies were not different among groups. The carcass data did not show consistent differences to indicate a hGH growth response. Thus hGH may be effective in pigs for improving growth rate and at doses lower than those shown effective for porcine GH.