Changes in Blood Constituents of Rabbits Subjected to Transportation under Hot, Humid Tropical Conditions

Abstract

Unlike Europe (particularly, Italy and Spain), where a number of studies have been conducted on the stressful effects of transport on rabbit welfare, few studies have been conducted on transportation of rabbits under hot, humid tropical conditions experienced in countries like Malaysia. We studied the effects of transportation in hot humid tropical conditions of Malaysia on physiometabolic changes in New Zealand white rabbits. Eighty experimental animals were divided into two groups of 40 bucks each and transported for either 3 or 1 h. Transportation caused a significant upsurge of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and creatine kinase activities (p<0.001) though did not significantly affect lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (p = 0.0706). Both transportation periods caused elevation in plasma glucose levels, lactic acidosis and dehydration as evidenced through elevated packed cell volume and plasma protein concentration. It was concluded that regardless of the duration, transport of rabbits under hot humid tropical conditions, resulted in heat distress since the rabbits showed hyperglycemia, hypercalcemia, lactacidemia, lymphocytopenia, dehydration and increase in blood enzyme activities.

Evaluation of secondary stress biomarkers during road transport in rabbit

“…In this study, the glucose increased following road transport, probably in relation to glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis associated with the increase in catecholamine and glucocorticoids during stressful conditions (Shaw and Tume, 1992;Mazzone et al, 2010). This glucose increase could be also due to involvement of glucose in energy metabolism during transport inducing a mobilisation of body energy reserve and resulting in its quantification as a useful tool for assessing stress (Warriss, 2010;Nakyinsige et al, 2013). According to previous works (Choe and Kim, 2014), the results of this study showed that animals with high blood glucose levels also had high blood lactate levels.…”

“…As for glucose levels, the pattern of lactate concentration has been characterised by a significant increase after the road transport and a consequent decrease to basal values that we can interpret as part of the physiological response to a stressor. For example, when the circulating system permits working of muscle with adequate oxygen, a shift to anaerobic oxidation with consequent increment in blood lactate concentration occurs (Nakyinsige et al, 2013). In addition, PCV increased significantly after the road transport and this is in contrast with Mazzone et al (2010) and Liste et al (2008), who did not find any variation of PCV in rabbits after a short transport.…”

“…Other authors (Nakyinsige et al, 2013) declared an increase of blood glucose in transported animals than in those that were transported for lesser time or not transported. In this study, the glucose increased following road transport, probably in relation to glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis associated with the increase in catecholamine and glucocorticoids during stressful conditions (Shaw and Tume, 1992;Mazzone et al, 2010).…”

“…The response to thermal stress in the context of transport has been also evaluated to monitor the welfare of rabbits during their transport to the slaughterhouse (de la Fuente et al, 2007). In addition, changes in electrolytes, metabolites and enzymes of rabbits subjected to transport under potential transport-related stressors have been evaluated (Nakyinsige et al, 2013). Some researchers showed that stress conditions play a central role in the release of hormones and in the stimulation of the hypothalamic-adrenal-axis (Möstl and Palme, 2002), but also in the activation of a secondary response as consequence of the released hormones, that causes changes in the blood and tissue chemistry (Everds et al, 2013).…”

“…Particularly, some authors studied in rabbits the variations in plasma levels of glucose and lactate, packed cell volume (PCV) and total proteins (TP) whose values elevated by stressors may be associated with animal welfare (Mazzone et al, 2010;Vignola et al, 2008;Choe and Kim, 2014). Previous studies have shown the relationship between stress hormones and transport in rabbit (de la Fuente et al, 2004(de la Fuente et al, , 2007Liste et al, 2008;Mazzone et al, 2010), but there is little information on the relationship between the secondary biomarkers of stress and transport of rabbits (de la Fuente et al, 2004(de la Fuente et al, , 2007Liste et al, 2008;Nakyinsige et al, 2013).…”