Plasma cortisol variations in dairy cows after some usual or unusual manipulations

The increase of blood cortisol is a common consequence of the acute stress; this has generally positive effects, despite not completely understood (Sapolsky et al. 2000). However, at least in human beings under chronic stress, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system – responsible of cortisol release – is deregulated, resulting in pathophysiological changes, which may develop into various types of disorders (Tafet and Bernardini, 2003)