Porcine stress syndrome

Porcine stress syndrome, also known as malignant hyperthermia or PSS, is a condition in pigs.

It is characterised by hyperthermia triggered by stress, anaesthesia with halothane or intense exercise.

It is an inherited, autosomal recessive disorder due to a defective ryanodine receptor leading to huge calcium influx, muscle contracture and increase in metabolism.

The genes may have been favoured in the past due to a larger muscle bulk in these breeds.

[citation needed] Psychologist Melanie Joy has likened PSS to post-traumatic stress disorder in humans.