Cortisol y cortisona en pelo y metabolitos de glucocorticoides en heces de cerdos domésticos

Abstract

: Transportation is one of the most stressful situations in pig production. The maximum duration of a journey should be determined considering the pigs’ coping capacity. The effect of a typical journey (200 km in Argentina) on pig physiological stress response was assessed using animal-friendly techniques. Fattening pigs (n = 18) were transported for three hours; 10 received a dexamethasone injection 7 h after the end of the journey. A control group (n = 18) was not transported, and 10 individuals received dexamethasone. The levels of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites and hair cortisol and cortisone were measured. The transported pigs had higher levels of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites after transportation than the control group. The level of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites returned to normal values faster in transported pigs treated with dexamethasone than in the control group. The amount of glucocorticoids in their hair was not related to the stressful stimuli; in contrast, the cortisone/cortisol ratio yielded better results. Since glucocorticoid measurements in hair are still a questionable stress biomarker in pigs, further studies are needed to develop animal-based transport protocols. The results showed that pigs were able to cope with a 3 h road trip. In the near future, a non-invasive glucocorticoid analysis could be used to characterize pigs’ coping capacity on a farm