Investigating the interplay of stressors and health in horses through fecal cortisol metabolite analysis
Our findings emphasize the complexity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in horses, suggesting that while high FCM levels can indicate stress, they may not be reliable biomarkers for early disease detection. Particularly in the light of climate change, the impact of heat stress in the summer months should not be neglected and measures to improve the housing conditions accordingly should become an essential part of equine health management.
Authors
- Nora M. Biermann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7780-3827)
- Franziska Dengler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2178-2270)
- A Nowak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9158-1055)
- Rupert Palme (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9466-3662)
- Sabine Macho‐Maschler
Institutions
- University of Hohenheim (DE)
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (AT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Veterinary Science
- Published
- 2025-04-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1545577
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Veterinary Equine Medical Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 10.92
Funders
- OeAD-GmbH
- Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung