Biochemical and proteomic analyses of the physiological response induced by individual housing in gilts provide new potential stress markers

The objective assessment of animal stress and welfare requires proper laboratory biomarkers. In this work, we have analyzed the changes in serum composition in gilts after switching their housing, from pen to individual stalls, which is generally accepted to cause animal discomfort.This work was supported by grant AGL2011-30598-C03-02 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Innovación and grant 2009SGR-1091 from the Generalitat de Catalunya (AB). Part of the funding was financed by the FEDER program from the European Union. AMR was supported by a fellowship from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación and a Short Term Scientific Mission grant from the COST Action FA1002 (Farm Animal Proteomics)