Effect of transport on rabbit’s welfare: serum lysozyme determination

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of transport and lairage on serum lysozyme concentration to study animals’ stress. Lysozyme is considered as a component of the earlier protective mechanisms. Studies of the stress influence on lysozyme concentration are scarce. In this work the effects exerted on welfare by different times of journey (1 vs 3h) and lairage (0 vs 5h) were tested on 70 rabbits. To analyse lysozyme, two blood samples have been taken immediately before and after the animal transport and lairage. Lysozyme concentration was determined using a micromethod assay set up at DIPAV starting from the lysoplate Ossermann’s method. In short transport without lairage (14.7±8.8 vs 11.8±6.6 μg/ml) and short transport with lairage (8.9±3.0 vs 6.0±3.6 μg/ml) groups, a decrease of lysozyme activity was observed after transport, whereas in long transport without lairage (7.4±2.3 vs 9.4±3.9 μg/ml) and long transport with lairage (13.7±11.3 vs 16.8±13.0 μg/ml) groups, an increased activity after transport was noticed from initial values. Probably transport leads to changes in neuroendocrine and immune system-derived substances, which influence the innate immune factors, but a detailed explanation of these mechanisms needs some additional studies.