Stress induced by pre-slaughter farm conditions in pigs

ABSTRACT Cortisol is a steroid hormone, one of the glucocorticoids, made in the cortex of the adrenal glands and then released into the blood, which transports it in the entire body. Almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol and so cortisol can have lots of different actions depending on which sort of cells it is acting upon. These effects include controlling the body’s blood sugar levels and thus regulating metabolism, acting as an anti-inflammatory product, controlling salt and water balance and influencing blood pressure. The study was conducted over a period of 3 months, between March-August 2020, in 2 swine farms in Iasi county, Romania, on a total of 46 pigs, 3 to 4 months old, both males and females, in order to investigate stress levels in finishing facilities. The study revealed higher levels of cortisol while eosinophil counts severely decreased, changes which are associated with a strong reaction to stress for individuals that were housed in finishing facilities.摘要 皮质醇（Cortisol）是一种类固醇激素，属于糖皮质激素（glucocorticoids），由肾上腺皮质（adrenal cortex）合成并释放入血，通过血液循环输送至全身各处。几乎所有细胞均表达皮质醇受体，因此皮质醇的生物学效应因作用细胞类型不同而存在差异，具体包括调控机体血糖水平以维持代谢稳态、发挥抗炎作用、调节盐水平衡以及影响血压等。本研究于2020年3月至8月（为期3个月）在罗马尼亚雅西县的2家生猪养殖场开展，共纳入46头3~4月龄的公母猪，旨在探究育肥舍（finishing facilities）内的应激水平。研究结果显示，育肥舍饲养个体的皮质醇水平显著升高，同时嗜酸性粒细胞（eosinophil）计数大幅下降，上述变化与该饲养环境下个体产生强烈应激反应密切相关。