Within a hair’s breadth – Factors influencing hair cortisol levels in pigs and cattle

Heimbürge, Susen; Kanitz, Ellen; Tuchscherer, Armin; Otten, Winfried

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113359

Cited by 48 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…It was already shown in pigs that the HCC of the neck was lower than that of the lumbar region (32), which in turn was lower than that of the tail (34). Hair growth rates in these regions partly differed significantly, with the lowest one in the neck (34). To the best of our knowledge, there has not yet been any study performed on pigs measuring the growth rate of hair in different subareas within the same or adjacent body regions.…”

Section: Discussion Hair Growth Ratementioning

confidence: 95%

“…However, several studies on HCC in pigs did not consider the hair growth rate in order to adapt the shaving scheme to the period under investigation, or they did not perform a first shave (28,32). In studies with a non-specific time frame for stress detection (25,33,34), prior shaving of the sampling region seems unnecessary. If the stress level should be studied over a certain period of time, shaving should be carried out beforehand.…”

Section: Discussion Hair Growth Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of Hair Cortisol as an Indicator of Chronic Stress in Pigs in Two Different Farrowing Systems

et al. 2021

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Confinement to farrowing crates is known to prevent sows from performing natural behavior, impairing animal welfare and possibly causing chronic stress. Hair cortisol analyses are increasingly used to detect chronic stress in animals. In the present study, hair samples were collected in the neck of sows kept either in farrowing crates (FC, n = 31) or in a loose-housing system (LH, n = 30) in six batches. Cortisol was extracted and analyzed using chemiluminescence immunoassay. Mean hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) did not differ significantly between the systems (LH: 1.85 ± 0.82 pg/mg, FC: 2.13 ± 1.53 pg/mg, P = 0.631). HCC was also not affected by other factors, such as sows' parity, number of piglets, skin lesion score or sow's weight loss during the farrowing period. However, highly significant differences were found in hair growth rates between different regions within the 20 × 30 cm shaving area. While the hair in both lateral parts of the shaving area grew almost identically (left: 7.48 ± 3.52 mm, right: 7.44 ± 3.24 mm, P = 1.00), the hair grew more in the area above the spine (12.27 + 3.95 mm, P < 0.001). In both systems, the mean individual lesion score of sows declined from the beginning to the end of the housing period (P < 0.001). No difference was found between FC and LH sows at any time (P > 0.05). Since neither the amount of skin lesions nor HCC differed between LH and FC sows, it may be concluded that confining sows in farrowing crates did not affect chronic stress levels. However, results may be affected by a downregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis during long-term stress, resulting in lower cortisol levels over time. HCC in sows may also be influenced by a dominant stressor, such as farrowing or the presence of suckling piglets. Thus, for a comparison of different farrowing systems regarding chronic stress, the use of hair cortisol measurement seems to be limited. The present results revealed that differences in hair growth rate within the same body region exist. This important finding should be considered when collecting hair samples in pigs, since hair cortisol concentrations may vary depending on hair growth and length.

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Section: Discussion Hair Growth Ratementioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussion Hair Growth Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Hair Cortisol as an Indicator of Chronic Stress in Pigs in Two Different Farrowing Systems

et al. 2021

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“…They can also be assayed in urine or milk [ 40 ] but sampling these fluids in beef cattle is complex and calved dams are needed in order to obtain milk. Cortisol levels in blood or saliva reflect the animal’s recent past; levels in feces, the animal’s situation 24–48 h ago; and levels in hair, the animal’s experience weeks or months ago, depending on the rate of hair growth [ 77 , 79 ]. Thus, assaying cortisol in hair can be particularly useful for analyzing chronic stress.…”

Section: Definitions Physiology and Quantification Of Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Stress on Reproduction and Reproductive Technologies in Beef Cattle—A Review

Fernández-Novo¹,

Pérez-Garnelo

Villagrá

et al. 2020

Animals

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Researchers have contributed by increasing our understanding of the factors affecting reproduction in beef, mainly physical health and nutrition aspects, which have been main concerns during decades. Animal welfare is of outmost relevance in all animal production systems and it is strongly associated to stress. Stress responses involve endocrine, paracrine and neural systems and the consequences of this stress on the reproductive efficiency of specifically, beef cattle and bulls, need to be highlighted. We, therefore, describe the fundamentals of stress and its quantification, focusing in beef herds, reviewing the highly valuable pieces of research, already implemented in this field. We examine major factors (stressors) contributing to stress in beef cattle and their effects on the animals, their reproductive performance and the success of reproductive biotechnologies. We include terms such as acclimatization, acclimation or temperament, very relevant in beef systems. We examine specifically the management stress due to handling, social environment and hierarchy or weaning effects; nutritional stress; and thermal stress (not only heat stress) and also review the influence of these stressors on reproductive performance and effectiveness of reproductive biotechnologies in beef herds. A final message on the attention that should be devoted to these factors is highlighted.

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“…As chronic cortisol may be predicted to be an indicator of differential long-term anxiety profiles, we examined whether this phenomenon was observed in secondary fox hosts by detecting chronic stress levels through cortisol competitive immunoassays performed on fur samples (Salimetrics, #1-3002). Fur samples were chosen since it has been demonstrated that fur (and hair) reliably indicates long-term average cortisol levels, instead of providing a measure of acute stressors as do other samples including blood and saliva (84)(85)(86); the latter of which would be expected to be particularly biased since sampling methods for obtaining blood or saliva can stress the animal and lead to temporary cortisol release, independent of its longer term profile (87,88).…”

Section: Biomarkers Of Stress In Relation To Fox T Gondii Infectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infectious Causation of Abnormal Host Behavior: Toxoplasma gondii and Its Potential Association With Dopey Fox Syndrome

et al. 2020

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Within a hair’s breadth – Factors influencing hair cortisol levels in pigs and cattle

Cited by 48 publications

References 58 publications

Analysis of Hair Cortisol as an Indicator of Chronic Stress in Pigs in Two Different Farrowing Systems

Analysis of Hair Cortisol as an Indicator of Chronic Stress in Pigs in Two Different Farrowing Systems

The Effect of Stress on Reproduction and Reproductive Technologies in Beef Cattle—A Review

Infectious Causation of Abnormal Host Behavior: Toxoplasma gondii and Its Potential Association With Dopey Fox Syndrome

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