title: Relocation and Hair Cortisol Concentrations in New Zealand White Rabbits.
abstract: To investigate how long relocation modified hair cortisol concentrations in New Zealand white rabbits, 19 rabbits were subjected to a change in their breeding facility at the beginning of the trial and then were kept under stable environmental conditions. Hair samples were collected at the time of arrival to the nonhuman animal facility and at 40-day intervals from the same skin area for up to 440 days after the animals' arrival to the facility. A period effect on the hair cortisol concentration was found (p < .01). The transfer of the rabbits to the new facility might have induced an increase in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity (p < .01). A second increase in hair cortisol concentration (p < .01) occurred at 320 days, after a change of personnel at the facility that occurred at 280 days, which was the only environmental change. The relocation of rabbits to the facility resulted in a stress response leading to elevated cortisol levels. The effect of relocation on mean cortisol concentrations was exhausted within 120 days when all environmental factors were kept stable.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Udine , Udine , Italy.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peric
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Udine , Udine , Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Comin
authors.affiliation: b Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences , University of Udine , Udine , Italy.
authors.forename: Mirco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corazzin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Udine , Udine , Italy.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montillo
authors.affiliation: c Hôpital Estaing, Centre Hospitalier University of Clermont Ferrand , Clermont Ferrand , France.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Canavese
authors.affiliation: d Department of Life Sciences , University of Trieste , Trieste , Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stebel
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science , University of Udine , Udine , Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prandi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D007558:Italy; D008016:Life Change Events; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits / Q000523:psychology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; HPA axis; hair; rabbit; relocation