Iglesias Pastrana Carlos, Navas González Francisco Javier, Ciani Elena, Marín Navas Carmen, Delgado Bermejo Juan Vicente
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Bari, Italy.
Front Vet Sci. 2023 Dec 19;10:1297412. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1297412. eCollection 2023.
Despite the relatively wide knowledge of camel biomechanics, research into the immediate functional response that accompanies the execution of physical exercise remains unapproached. Therefore, selective breeding programs lack an empirical basis to achieve genetic improvement of physical stress tolerance traits and monitor camel welfare in this regard. Given the fact that physical exercise increases net heat production, infrared thermography (IRT) was selected to study the temperature changes at the skin surface of the different body areas in clinically normal dromedary camels, mostly relegated to leisure activities. Specifically, a lower dispersion at the individual level of the surface temperature at the scapular cartilage region, shoulder joint, and pelvis region, as well as lower values for Tmax and Tmin at the region of the ocular region, pectoral muscles, semimembranosus-semitendinosus muscles, and hind fetlock after exercise, have to be considered as breeding criteria for candidate selection. Such thermophysiological responses can be used as indirect measures of tissue activity in response to exercise and hence are reliable indicators of animal tolerance to physical exercise-induced stress. Additionally, sex, castration, age, and iris pigmentation significantly impacted the thermo-physiological response to exercise in the study sample, which can be attributed to hormones, general vigor, and visual acuity-mediated effects. These specific factors' influence has to be considered for the evaluation of physical performance and the design of selection schemes for physical-related traits in dromedaries.
尽管对骆驼生物力学已有较为广泛的了解，但对于体育锻炼过程中伴随的即时功能反应的研究仍未开展。因此，在这方面，选择性育种计划缺乏实现身体应激耐受性状遗传改良及监测骆驼福利的实证依据。鉴于体育锻炼会增加净产热，本研究选用红外热成像技术（IRT）来研究临床健康单峰驼不同身体部位皮肤表面的温度变化，这些单峰驼大多从事休闲活动。具体而言，肩胛软骨区域、肩关节和骨盆区域的体表温度在个体水平上离散度较低，以及运动后眼部区域、胸肌、半膜肌 - 半腱肌和后跗关节区域的最高温度（Tmax）和最低温度（Tmin）较低，这些都应被视为候选选择的育种标准。这种热生理反应可作为组织对运动反应的间接指标，因此是动物对体育锻炼诱导应激耐受性的可靠指标。此外，性别、去势、年龄和虹膜色素沉着对研究样本中运动的热生理反应有显著影响，这可能归因于激素、总体活力和视力介导的效应。在评估单峰驼的体能表现以及设计与体能相关性状的选择方案时，必须考虑这些特定因素的影响。
