Application of a score for evaluation of pain, distress and discomfort in pigs with lameness and prolapses: Correlation with saliva biomarkers and severity of the disease

Publication date: Available online 6 August 2019Source: Research in Veterinary ScienceAuthor(s): María Dolores Contreras-Aguilar, Damián Escribano, Silvia Martínez-Miró, Marina López-Arjona, Camila P. Rubio, Silvia Martínez-Subiela, José J. Cerón, Fernando TeclesAbstractA score system was used to evaluate pain, distress and discomfort in healthy pigs and pigs with two different diseases: lameness and rectal prolapse. In order to evaluate if the score was repetitive, 10 pigs were scored by three different researchers twice with a gap of 3 hours between, achieving repetitive results. Correlations between the results of this score and a panel of salivary biomarkers and severity of disease were evaluated. This panel included biomarkers of stress (cortisol, salivary α-amylase (sAA), total esterase activity (TEA), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and lipase (Lip)), immunity (adenosine deaminase isozymes 1 (ADA1) and 2 (ADA2)) and oxidative status (uric acid (UA), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric reducing ability (FRAS), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)). Based on their score, diseased animals were subdivided in those without and with evident pain. Lame pigs and prolapsed pigs with pain showed higher salivary levels of cortisol, sAA, TEA, BChE, ADA1 and ADA2 compared with the healthy pigs. In addition, the prolapsed pigs with pain showed higher levels of FRAS, AOPP and H2O...
Source: Research in Veterinary Science - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research