Sex identification and evidence of gonadal activity in the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) (Monotremata : Tachyglossidae): non-invasive analysis of faecal sex steroids

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Oates ◽  
F. J. Bradshaw ◽  
S. D. Bradshaw ◽  
R. A. Lonsdale
Keyword(s):  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Gonadal Activity ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Steroid Analysis ◽  
Tachyglossus Aculeatus

The sex of three short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), part of a captive colony in which no successful births have occurred, was determined by measuring levels of faecal sex steroids over a period of two months. Levels of faecal oestradiol-17β were found not to differ between male and female short-beaked echidnas. However, measurement of the oestradiol : androgen ratio (E : A ratio) and androgen concentrations successfully identified one male and two female echidnas. Mean E : A ratios for the two females were 18 ± 6 and 23 ± 8, compared with 1.3 ± 0.6 for the male. The mean androgen concentration for the male was 10.1 ± 2.3 ng g–1 dried faeces, and 1.7 ± 0.5 and 2.2 ± 0.6 ng g–1 dried faeces for the two females. The E : A ratio allowed correct identification of the sex of the echidnas 80% of the time, whereas the androgen concentration correctly identified the sex 75% of the time but was reliable only during the breeding season. Both the male and female echidnas showed evidence of gonadal activity; lack of breeding in captivity was therefore not due to all animals being of the same sex or lacking reproductive activity. The study has demonstrated that faecal steroid analysis is an accurate method for sex determination in the short-beaked echidna and further monitoring of these hormones may elucidate many of the unknown aspects of their reproductive biology.

scholarly journals Fecal cortisol metabolites as indicators of stress in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous) in captivity

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 859-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina C.R. Paz ◽  
Nely P. Souza ◽  
Janine L. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Fold Increase ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Fecal Cortisol ◽  
Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites ◽  
Physiological Relevance ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Invasive Method ◽  
Cortisol Metabolites

Abstract: Blood samples collection is a common method in biological research using domestic animals. However, most blood sampling techniques are complicated and highly invasive and may therefore not be appropriate for wildlife animals in research concerning stress. Thus, a non-invasive method to measure steroid hormones is critically needed. The first goal of this study was to determine how glucocorticoids concentrations are impacted by translocation and reproductive activity in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous) in captivity. The physiological relevance of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites was further validated by demonstrating: (1) The translocation of a male to a females enclosure resulted in a 3.5-fold increase compared to baseline concentrations, (2) changes in adrenocortical activity, as reflected in concentrations of fecal cortisol metabolites during reproduction, gestation and lactation in females foxes, indicating that social interactions resulted in large increases of fecal glucocorticoids metabolites during the reproductive season. From these findings we conclude that fecal samples can be used for the non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical status in crab-eating-fox.

Faecal steroid analysis and urinary cytology of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis)

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly Woodd ◽  
Natasha A. Czarny ◽  
Ian M. G. Gunn ◽  
Wayne Sturrock
Keyword(s):  
Post Partum ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Urinary Cytology ◽  
Gestational Length ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Steroid Analysis ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Invasive Techniques

Non-invasive techniques were used to investigate the reproductive biology of captive squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis) for 3 months during the breeding season. The squirrel glider is a medium-sized marsupial glider of eastern Australia and is currently listed as a threatened species as a result of habitat destruction and fragmentation. Urinary cytology was used to determine the timing of oestrus, and the presence of sperm confirmed mating. Progesterone and oestradiol-17β were identified in faecal samples via thin-layer chromatography, and were used to characterise the reproductive cycle. Reproductive activity was observed in three of four females, with births occurring during June and July. A preoestrus increase in faecal oestradiol-17β was detected in a single female, whilst significant increases occurred post partum (±2 days) in two of four females, suggesting that the squirrel glider may undergo a postpartum oestrus. Faecal progesterone profiles showed low concentrations before oestrus and significantly elevated concentrations after oestrus, which were maintained throughout pregnancy. Parturition coincided with a decrease in progesterone concentrations (±1 day). This study successfully used non-invasive monitoring of urinary cytology and faecal steroids to define luteal and gestational length as 16–17 days, a previously unpublished detail.

scholarly journals Non-invasive monitoring of male and female numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus: Myrmecobiidae) reproductive activity

2012 ◽  
Vol 133 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 237-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Hogan ◽  
A.T. Lisle ◽  
L. Valentine ◽  
S.D. Johnston ◽  
H. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Invasive Monitoring ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Non Invasive

scholarly journals Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical and gonadal activity in male and female guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus)

2008 ◽  
Vol 156 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Bauer ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
Ivo H. Machatschke ◽  
John Dittami ◽  
Susanne Huber
Keyword(s):  
Guinea Pigs ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Gonadal Activity ◽  
Cavia Aperea ◽  
Invasive Measurement

Advances in the captive breeding and reproductive biology of the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Wallage ◽  
Lauren Clarke ◽  
Lindy Thomas ◽  
Michael Pyne ◽  
Lyn Beard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Before And After ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Difficult Challenge ◽  
Tachyglossus Aculeatus

Captive breeding of the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) has proven a difficult challenge; as recently as 2009, there were fewer than 10 echidnas born in captivity. We present observations of captive reproductive behaviour following video surveillance and measurements of body temperature collected from six captive female echidnas over a six-year period. In the first series of observations (2009–10) we examined the efficacy of artificial burrow boxes as possible aids for reproductive success. Females with access to burrow boxes had significantly higher levels of reproductive activity (P = 0.001), there was coincidental improvement in the production of eggs or pouch young (two eggs, one unhatched and one offspring). During 2009–10, a range of reproductive behaviours (courtship, copulation and postcopulation) were documented and analysed, as were new observations of oestrous cycle activity. Female body temperature was characteristically stable during egg incubation during this study and has the potential to be used as a tool for the assessment of reproductive status. Following initial observations, burrow boxes and infrared lamps were implemented as standard husbandry in our echidna breeding facility and the effects on reproductive success were monitored, albeit less intensively, for a further four years (2011–14). Although no direct causal effect could be ascribed, the use of burrow boxes and heat lamps coincided with a total of 13 young being born to four females in the last four years (2011–14). These female echidnas were found to be receptive at intervals throughout the breeding season, both before and after presumed incubation phases, suggesting that captive animals exhibit polyoestry. In 2012 and 2014, the same female showed evidence of producing two young from one breeding event.

Sex steroids regulate pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine release by macrophages after trauma-hemorrhage

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (1) ◽  
pp. C35-C42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin K. Angele ◽  
Markus W. Knöferl ◽  
Martin G. Schwacha ◽  
Alfred Ayala ◽  
William G. Cioffi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophage ◽  
Kupffer Cell ◽  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Sham Operation ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Splenic Macrophage ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
17Β Estradiol ◽  
Tissue Trauma

Studies indicate that macrophage immune responses in males are depressed after trauma-hemorrhage, whereas they are enhanced in females under such conditions. Nonetheless, the involvement of male and female sex steroids in this gender-dependent dimorphic immune response after trauma-hemorrhage remains unclear. To study this, male C3H/HeN mice were castrated and treated with pellets containing either vehicle, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), 17β-estradiol, or a combination of both steroid hormones for 14 days before soft tissue trauma (i.e., laparotomy) and hemorrhagic shock (35 ± 5 mmHg for 90 min followed by adequate fluid resuscitation) or a sham operation. Twenty-four hours later the animals were killed, plasma was obtained, and Kupffer cell and splenic and peritoneal macrophage cultures were established. For DHT-treated mice, we observed significantly decreased releases of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 by splenic macrophage (−50 and −57%, respectively) and peritoneal macrophage (−51 and −52%, respectively) cultures after trauma-hemorrhage compared with releases by cultures of cells from mice subjected to a sham operation; in contrast, responses of splenic and peritoneal macrophage cultures from other groups subjected to trauma-hemorrhage did not change significantly. In addition, only DHT-treated animals exhibited increased Kupffer cell IL-6 release (+634%). The release of IL-10 in DHT-treated hemorrhaged animals was increased compared with that in sham-operated animals but was decreased in estrogen-treated mice under such conditions. These results suggest that male and female sex steroids exhibit divergent immunomodulatory properties with respect to cell-mediated immune responses after trauma-hemorrhage.

The growth of Moniliformis (Acanthocephala) in rats fed on various monosaccharides and disaccharides

1980 ◽  
Vol 209 (1175) ◽  
pp. 299-315 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Anterior Part ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Host Diet ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

Aspects of the course of infection, growth and reproductive activity of Moniliformis were studied in adult male and female rats fed on iso -energetic purified diets containing various sugars. When rats were infected and fed on experimental diets containing either 3% glucose or 3% galactose for 5 weeks, very little growth of the worms and no signs of reproduction were observed. In contrast, Moniliformis grew well and showed many signs of normal reproduction when the rats were fed on diets containing either 3% fructose or 3% mannose. The ability of the worms to grow and reproduce was not lost by maintaining them first for 5 weeks in rats fed on diets containing 3% glucose and 3% galactose. When the diets of such rats were changed to ones containing 3% starch and 3% fructose, respectively, for a further 5 weeks, the worms grew and normal reproduction occurred. Similar experiments were carried out in which groups of infected rats were fed for 5 weeks on diets containing gradually increasing amounts of glucose (6-36%). It was not until the rats were fed on diets containing 24% glucose that the mean dry mass of the worms approached that of worms from rats fed on the diet con­taining 3% fructose; no host diet was found to be as effective a supporter of worm growth as 3% mannose. Under no circumstances, not even when the host’s diet contained 36%, was galactose found to be a suitable sugar for supporting the growth and reproduction of Moniliformis . Results consistent with those recorded for worms from rats fed on the diets containing monosaccharides were obtained when infected rats were fed for 5 weeks on diets containing 3% of various disaccharides. Considerable growth and reproduction of Moniliformis occurred when sucrose was included in the host’s diet, but not when lactose, maltose or trehalose was present. Several of these observations may be related to the fact that different sugars are absorbed at different rates from the intestinal tract. It is suggested that all of a given sugar, when present in the diet at a low concentration, may be removed rapidly from the anterior part of the small intestine with the result that none will be available to the parasites. Significant amounts, however, of those sugars that are absorbed more slowly may reach the region of the intestine in which the parasite normally lives.

scholarly journals Challenges and opportunities for monitoring wild Nile crocodiles with scute mark-recapture photography

Koedoe ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard W.T. Coetzee ◽  
Sam M. Ferreira ◽  
Kristine Maciejewski
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Open Population ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild

The global conservation status of Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) was last assessed in 1996. The species presents particular difficulty in monitoring because it can be cryptic, require expertise to handle, and caudal tail tags and transmitters are often lost. Some studies advocate mark-recapture techniques based on photograph identification of the unique scute markings of crocodile tails as a non-invasive means of monitoring their populations. Researchers developed this method with crocodiles in captivity. In this study, we test the technique under field conditions by monitoring crocodiles from 2015 to 2017 in the Sunset Dam in the Kruger National Park. Using a Cormack-Jolly-Seber open population model, we found that the dam may host 15–30 individuals, but that there is a high turnover of individuals and much uncertainty in model outputs. The dam’s population thus has high rates of immigration and emigration. The method proved challenging under field conditions, as there was bias in identifying scute markings consistently. The efficient use of the method requires an exceptional quality of photographic equipment. Animal crypsis, however, remains an issue. In this study, we discuss how to improve the mark-recapture photography methodology, especially to adapt the technique for citizen science initiatives.Conservation implications: Using scute mark-recapture photography presents challenges under field conditions. These challenges require innovative, practical and analytical solutions to successfully use the technique before monitoring programmes, aimed at ensuring the persistence of crocodiles in the wild, can be implemented.

scholarly journals Comparative study of the body composition of different turkey genotypes by means of CT (short communication)

2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-292
Author(s):  
G. Andrássy-Baka ◽  
R. Romvári ◽  
Z. Sütő ◽  
A. Szabó ◽  
P. Horn
Keyword(s):  
Live Weight ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ct Scanner ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Scanning Procedure ◽  
A Value ◽  
Body Fat Content ◽  
Relevant Group ◽  
Total Body

Abstract. Male and female BUT Big 6 and Bronze turkeys (type 1967) kept in a gene reserve were in vivoL investigated with non-invasive high resolution computerized tomography by means of a sipral CT scanner. The imaging procedure was carried out at the ages of 5, 12, 16 and 21 weeks on two turkeys, in both sexes. All animals were kept under intensive conditions according to the demands of the conformation and the body weight of the relevant group average. On the basis of 30–50 scans gathered from each bird during the scanning procedure the volumetric measurement of the total body muscle content was performed. These values were at the 5th week 0.9 and 0.8 vs. 0.3 and 0.2 dm3 in BUT male and female vs. Bronze male and female birds. At the 21st week the respective values were: 12.65 and 7.66 vs. 3.60 and 2.28 dm3. The total body fat content was characterised by the so called "fat index", a value independent of the live weight. This indices were at the 21st week: 0.12 and 0.20 vs. 0.12 and 0.13 following the above order. The investigation of the tissue development in the body was carried out by means of 3D histograms. The morphologic properties of the breast muscles were compared based on real 3D reconstructed images at the age of 21 weeks where the major differences concerned the m. pectoralis superficialis. The applied imaging methods are well applicable to describe the anatomic and body compositional differences in the excessively different genotypes.

OCT-meniscometry as a method for quantifying the balance of the lacrimal system

2021 ◽  
pp. 158-160
Author(s):  
I. Aldarraji ◽  
◽  
S. Shkolnik ◽  
G. Shkolnik ◽  
А. Vasilyeva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Functional Tests ◽  
Dry Eyes ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Lacrimal System ◽  
Lacrimal Apparatus ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Diagnostic Sensitivity And Specificity

All diseases of the lacrimal apparatus of the eye disrupt the balance of the lacrimal system either due to changes in the production of tears, or due to the insufficiency of its removal, so the study of the quantity and quality of tears on the eye surface allows us to reliably assess the effectiveness of methods of treating the pathology of the lacrimal organs. OCT-meniscometry is the only non-contact, non-invasive, accurate method of examining the lacrimal apparatus, which is reflected in the publications of many authors. The aim of our study was to improve the accuracy and automate the process of calculating the area of the lacrimal meniscus, as well as to evaluate the correlation between the indicators of OCT-meniscometry and functional tests. Materials and methods. The study included 50 patients with dacryostenosis (group 1), who were examined before and 1 month after surgical treatment (recanalization of SOP), as well as 30 patients without pathology of the lacrimal organs, who did not complain of lacrimation and dry eyes (group 2). All patients underwent a Schirmer and Norn test according to the generally accepted method, and OCT-meniscometry was performed using an optical coherence tomograph. The resulting OCT-meniscogram was transferred to a special mathematical program. Green's formula was used to calculate the area. Results. Meniscometry data had a strong correlation with functional tests (p<0.05) and high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion. The method of OCT-meniscometry has a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to routine tests, is less invasive, highly informative, which, of course, increases the reliability of the analysis of treatment results. Key words: meniscometry, TMA, lacrimal meniscus area, lacrimal system balance, dacryology.

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