"Detecciòn de los niveles de cortisol sanguìneo en bovinos destinados a sacrificio en el centro de faenamiento Municipal de Portoviejo".

Abstract

The objective of the research was to detect blood cortisol levels in bovines destined for slaughter at the Portoviejo Municipal Slaughterhouse. When developing the practical work of the investigation, 132 blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of the bovines landed at the slaughter center that came from different places in the province and outside it during 4 working weeks. The 132 samples obtained were separated and grouped according to age, sex and transport time to create the relationship between the resulting cortisol values and the variables. The results of the investigation indicated that transport itself is not the trigger for high cortisol production, as a whole, sex, age and the conditions of transport from the place of origin raise blood cortisol levels and in addition to this , there are more factors that contributed to the increase in these levels that were not studied, but they did influence each individual, such as the environment, physiological processes such as pregnancy, pathological processes such as infections, among others. The handling of bovines upon their arrival at the slaughter center is a key point prior to slaughter. The insufficient adequate conditions and the quality of life in their production and transport sites from these places to the slaughter center are the main causes of elevated blood cortisol levels in the bovines studied.