Can Oxidizing Air Purification Technology Improve Air Quality, Pig Health, and Pig Performance During the Nursery Phase of Production?

Abstract Exposure to poor air quality in commercial swine buildings can negatively affect pig health and performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of novel oxidizing air purification technology (OAP) on air quality, pig health, and pig performance during the nursery phase. We hypothesized that OAP exposure would improve air quality parameters, reduce immune indicators associated with illness, and improve pig growth and feed efficiency. Piglets (23.6 ± 4.6 d old; 7.8 ± 2.2 kg) were weaned from their sows and moved into one of two nursery rooms. One nursery room had 2 OAP units (n = 90 pigs, 14 pens) and the other did not have any OAP units (n = 98 pigs, 14 pens). Air samples were collected within each room to measure ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations on d 0, 4, 11, and 18. Blood samples (used for complete blood counts) from two pigs per pen and weights used to calculate average daily gain (ADG) of all pigs were collected on d 0, 5, 12, and 19. Feed offered was weighed and feed weigh-backs were made on d 5 and 19, corresponding to nursery diet phase changes, to calculate average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed efficiency. All data were analyzed using PROC MIXED in SAS 9.4. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations did not differ between nursery rooms on any day (P 0.20). There was no main effect of OAP exposure on any of the complete blood count traits. However, OAP exposure resulted in greater mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration on d 5 (P = 0.0182). Additionally, on d 19, OAP exposure resulted in reduced red blood cell count (P = 0.0182), reduced hemoglobin concentration (P = 0.0124), and increased eosinophil count (P = 0.0460). On d 12, pigs with OAP exposure had greater body weights than those without OAP exposure (P = 0.0465), with no differences on other days (P 0.18). During phase one of the nursery period (d 0 –5), pigs not exposed to OAP had a higher ADFI compared to pigs exposed to OAP (P = 0.001). With no difference in ADG during phase one of the nursery period (P = 0.79), pigs not exposed to OAP had improved feed efficiency for phase one of the nursery period compared to pigs exposed to OAP (P = 0.01). In conclusion, OAP exposure in the nursery did not improve air quality, pig health parameters, or performance during the nursery phase. Future work will evaluate the effect of OAP exposure on nursery pig behavior and microbiome.