Interpretive Summary: Biological sex: an understudied factor driving disease susceptibility in pigs

By: Adam J Moeser, Andrew Roney, Mahsa Fardisi, Kyan Thelen

It has become increasingly evident that females and males differ in their susceptibility to disease and mortality. Females typically have higher survivability rates during pandemics and environmental challenges compared with males. In many cases, females mount a greater immune response compared with males which may have survival benefits, but at the same time may predispose them to chronic inflammatory disorders. Despite this accumulated knowledge on the key role that sex plays on immunity and disease outcomes in humans, little attention has been placed on sex differences in agriculturally important species such as the pig. The objective of this review is to highlight the literature on sex differences in swine with a focus on mortality, immunity, and GI health.

Read the full article on the Journal of Animal Science.