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Animals
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Saliva and Blood Markers in Animal Welfare and Health Monitoring
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Saliva and Blood Markers in Animal Welfare and Health Monitoring

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Clinical Studies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2025) | Viewed by 5338

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María Dolores Contreras-Aguilar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis of the University of Murcia (Interlab-UMU), Department of Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary School, Campus Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: biomarkers of health; behavioural experiment; salivary biomarkers; stress; animal welfare; behaviour; horse
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria Martín-Cuervo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medicine Animal, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Cáceres, University of Extremadura, Avenida de la Universidad S-N, 10002 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: horses; internal medicine; blood; hemostasis; hematology; biochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of saliva as a biological fluid for determining animal welfare and health status by identifying and quantifying biomarkers has achieved significant interest in the last few decades, since it allows sampling according to the welfare standards to be carried out by minimally invasive procedures, unlike blood. Therefore, this biological fluid is very useful for monitoring disease processes and evaluating stressful status or positive situations over time. Nonetheless, there are different patterns of change in some biomarkers if assessed in saliva or blood and, indeed, biomarkers that could be evaluated differently in blood or saliva. Thus, saliva and blood biomarkers measuring can provide invaluable complementary information.

We are pleased to invite you to submit original studies to this new Special Issue of Animals, which aims to increase the knowledge in animal welfare science by investigating biomarkers in saliva and/or blood that could monitor disease conditions, stressful or positive situations, physical efforts, or any interaction that evaluates any welfare status in animals (veterinarian, zoological or wildlife species).

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: internal medicine, neurophysiology, animal behavioural sciences or animal sport science.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. María Dolores Contreras-Aguilar
Dr. Maria Martín-Cuervo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomarkers
  • saliva
  • serum
  • blood
  • health status
  • welfare
  • stress

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 1493 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Impact of Social Stress on Serum Metabolome and Saliva Biomarkers in Growing–Finishing Pigs
by Marc Bagaria, Núria Tous, David Torrallardona, Jose Joaquín Cerón, Estefanía Pérez-Calvo, Wen Ren, Rosa Argamasilla and Emma Fàbrega
Animals 2025, 15(9), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15091228 - 27 Apr 2025
Viewed by 374
Abstract
High levels of social stress are known to negatively impact pig welfare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of social stress in growing–finishing pigs by measuring serum metabolome changes and saliva biomarkers. Seventy-two undocked pigs (thirty-six males and thirty-six [...] Read more.
High levels of social stress are known to negatively impact pig welfare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of social stress in growing–finishing pigs by measuring serum metabolome changes and saliva biomarkers. Seventy-two undocked pigs (thirty-six males and thirty-six females) were housed in single-sex pens of four, with the second dominant pig in each pen selected as the focal pig. A social challenge was conducted by mixing the focal pig with three new pigs in its home pen on two consecutive days on trial days 62–64. Saliva and blood samples were collected, and the pigs’ behaviour and body lesions were evaluated pre- and post-challenge. A total of 630 serum metabolites were analysed, 292 of which could be statistically compared using Biocrates WebIDQ v5 software. Salivary haptoglobin concentrations and the number of body lesions significantly increased after the challenge (p < 0.001), whereas the average daily weight gain decreased (p < 0.05). The serum showed decreases in essential amino acids (Thr, Met, and Phe), non-essential amino acids (Glu, Asn, Asp, Pro, and Tyr), betaine, ornithine, indoxyl sulphate, taurine, and some blood di- and triacylglycerols (q < 0.05), and increases in oleic, eicosanoic, eicosadienoic, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acids; EPA; and DHA post-challenge (q < 0.05). Overall, the results suggest the potential of metabolomics as a tool providing a more holistic view of the impact of social stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saliva and Blood Markers in Animal Welfare and Health Monitoring)
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12 pages, 867 KiB  
Article
Endogenous Symmetric Dimethylarginine (SDMA) and Asymmetrical Dimethylarginine (ADMA) Levels in Healthy Cows and Cows with Subclinical and Clinical Mastitis—A Comparative Study
by Valerio Bronzo, Giulia Sala, Irene Ciabattini, Chiara Orsetti, Giovani Armenia, Valentina Meucci, Lucia De Marchi, Fabrizio Bertelloni, Micaela Sgorbini and Francesca Bonelli
Animals 2025, 15(4), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15040527 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 619
Abstract
Mastitis is one of the most frequent diseases in dairy farms and occurs in both clinical and subclinical forms, resulting in substantial economic losses. Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetrical dimethylarginine (SDMA) are biomarkers that inhibit nitric oxide synthesis. Elevated ADMA levels are associated [...] Read more.
Mastitis is one of the most frequent diseases in dairy farms and occurs in both clinical and subclinical forms, resulting in substantial economic losses. Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetrical dimethylarginine (SDMA) are biomarkers that inhibit nitric oxide synthesis. Elevated ADMA levels are associated with an increased risk of mortality both in human medicine and in dogs and a potential need for intensive care, while SDMA correlates with poor prognoses in humans and the progression of renal disease in horses, though its impact varies depending on renal function. This study examines the plasma levels of ADMA and SDMA in healthy cows (H) and cows with subclinical mastitis (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM). Cows were classified as having mastitis when CMT > 1 and SCC ≥ 250,000 cells/mL. The SCM group showed no clinical signs or milk alterations, whereas the CM group exhibited udder and/or milk changes. The study included 196 blood samples to determine ADMA and SDMA concentrations, with 96 from healthy cows and 100 from pathological cows (58 SCM and 42 CM). The descriptive statistics were reported as the median because the data were not normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk test). Data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test with Bonferroni post hoc correction, and the cut-off and accuracy index were calculated using the gold-standard measurement, the SCC. Statistically significant differences in ADMA levels were observed between healthy cows (0.11 µmol/L) and cows with mastitis (SCM 0.26 µmol/L; CM 0.26 µmol/L), but no differences were found in their SDMA levels. The cut-off for ADMA was >0.164 µmol/L, with a sensitivity of 80.41% and specificity of 77.78%. This study suggests that the blood concentration of ADMA is statistically higher in cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis and could be further explored as a potential biomarker for diagnosing these diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saliva and Blood Markers in Animal Welfare and Health Monitoring)
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11 pages, 994 KiB  
Article
Association between Eosinophil Count and Cortisol Concentrations in Equids Admitted in the Emergency Unit with Abdominal Pain
by María Villalba-Orero, María Dolores Contreras-Aguilar, Jose Joaquín Cerón, Beatriz Fuentes-Romero, Marta Valero-González and María Martín-Cuervo
Animals 2024, 14(1), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010164 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1953
Abstract
Stress leukogram includes eosinopenia as one of its main markers (neutrophilia, eosinopenia, lymphopenia, and mild monocytosis). Cortisol is the main stress biomarker, which is also strongly correlated with the severity of gastrointestinal diseases. This study aimed to determine the relationship between salivary cortisol [...] Read more.
Stress leukogram includes eosinopenia as one of its main markers (neutrophilia, eosinopenia, lymphopenia, and mild monocytosis). Cortisol is the main stress biomarker, which is also strongly correlated with the severity of gastrointestinal diseases. This study aimed to determine the relationship between salivary cortisol and the eosinophil cell count (EC) in equids with abdominal pain. To do this, 39 horses with abdominal pain referred to an emergency service were included. All samples were taken on admission, and several parameters and clinical data were included. Equids were classified according to the outcome as survivors and non-survivors. Non-surviving equids presented higher salivary cortisol concentrations (Non-Survivors: 1.580 ± 0.816 µg/dL; Survivors 0.988 ± 0.653 µg/dL; p < 0.05) and lower EC (Non-Survivors: 0.0000 × 103/µL (0.000/0.0075); Survivors: 0.0450 × 103/µL (0.010/0.1825); p < 0.01). In addition, the relationship between salivary cortisol concentration, EC, and the WBC was determined. Only a strong correlation (negative) was observed between cortisol and EC (r = −0.523, p < 0.01). Since cortisol is not an analyte that can be measured routinely in clinical settings such as emergencies, the EC could be a good alternative. While the results are promising, further studies are needed before EC can be used confidently in routine practice to predict survival in cases of abdominal pain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saliva and Blood Markers in Animal Welfare and Health Monitoring)
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Review

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13 pages, 272 KiB  
Review
Welfare Assessment in Pigs Using the Salivary Proteome
by Sara Prims, Chris Van Ginneken, Xaveer Van Ostade and Christophe Casteleyn
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1703; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111703 - 5 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Identifying the potential presence of stress at the pig farm is fundamental since it affects pig welfare. As a result, a reliable and straightforward tool to monitor stress could record the welfare status of the animals. Although numerous methods to assess the welfare [...] Read more.
Identifying the potential presence of stress at the pig farm is fundamental since it affects pig welfare. As a result, a reliable and straightforward tool to monitor stress could record the welfare status of the animals. Although numerous methods to assess the welfare of pigs have been developed in the past, no gold standard has been established yet. Recently, the value of saliva as a tool to identify chronic stress in piglets was explored, as it can be collected fast and non-invasively. Since the protein composition, i.e., the proteome of porcine saliva, responds to stress, the affected proteins could be used as salivary stress biomarkers. The present review first defines stress and its relationship with welfare. Next, the porcine gland-specific salivary proteome is characterized. Finally, six potential salivary biomarkers for stress are proposed, i.e., odorant-binding protein, vomeromodulin-like protein, chitinase, lipocalin-1, long palate lung and nasal epithelium protein, and alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saliva and Blood Markers in Animal Welfare and Health Monitoring)
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