Records |
Author |
Palme, R. |
Title |
Measuring fecal steroids: guidelines for practical application |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ann N Y Acad Sci |
Volume |
1046 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
75-80 |
Keywords |
Animals; Feces/*chemistry; Immunoassay/methods; Reproducibility of Results; Specimen Handling/methods; Steroids/*analysis |
Abstract |
During the past 20 years, measuring steroid hormone metabolites in fecal samples has become a widely appreciated technique, because it has proved to be a powerful, noninvasive tool that provides important information about an animal's endocrine status (adrenocortical activity and reproductive status). However, although sampling is relatively easy to perform and free of feedback, a careful consideration of various factors is necessary to achieve proper results that lead to sound conclusions. This article aims to provide guidelines for an adequate application of these techniques. It is meant as a checklist that addresses the main topics of concern, such as sample collection and storage, time delay extraction procedures, assay selection and validation, biological relevance, and some confounding factors. These issues are discussed briefly here and in more detail in other recent articles. |
Address |
Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria. Rupert.Palme@vu-wien.ac.at |
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
English |
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0077-8923 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
Notes |
PMID:16055844 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4081 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Mostl, E.; Rettenbacher, S.; Palme, R. |
Title |
Measurement of corticosterone metabolites in birds' droppings: an analytical approach |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ann N Y Acad Sci |
Volume |
1046 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
17-34 |
Keywords |
Animals; Birds/*metabolism; Corticosterone/*analysis/metabolism; Feces/*chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Immunoassay; Molecular Structure; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity |
Abstract |
Fecal steroid analyses are becoming increasingly popular among both field and laboratory scientists. The benefits associated with sampling procedures that do not require restraint, anesthesia, and blood collection include less risk to subject and investigator, as well as the potential to obtain endocrine profiles that are not influenced by the sampling procedure itself. In the feces, a species-specific pattern of metabolites is present, because glucocorticoids are extensively metabolized. Therefore, selection of adequate extraction procedures and immunoassays for measuring the relevant metabolites is a serious issue. In this review, emphasis is placed on the establishment and analytical validation of methods to measure glucocorticoid metabolites for a noninvasive evaluation of adrenocortical activity in droppings of birds. |
Address |
Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinarplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria. erich.moestl@vu-wien.ac.at |
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
English |
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0077-8923 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
Notes |
PMID:16055841 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4082 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Palme, R.; Rettenbacher, S.; Touma, C.; El-Bahr, S.M.; Mostl, E. |
Title |
Stress hormones in mammals and birds: comparative aspects regarding metabolism, excretion, and noninvasive measurement in fecal samples |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ann N Y Acad Sci |
Volume |
1040 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
162-171 |
Keywords |
Adrenal Glands/chemistry/metabolism; Animals; Birds; Catecholamines/analysis/chemistry/*metabolism; Feces/*chemistry; Glucocorticoids/analysis/chemistry/*metabolism; Hormones/analysis/metabolism; Mammals; Species Specificity; Stress/*metabolism |
Abstract |
A multitude of endocrine mechanisms are involved in coping with challenges. Front-line hormones to overcome stressful situations are glucocorticoids (GCs) and catecholamines (CAs). These hormones are usually determined in plasma samples as parameters of adrenal activity and thus of disturbance. GCs (and CAs) are extensively metabolized and excreted afterwards. Therefore, the concentration of GCs (or their metabolites) can be measured in various body fluids or excreta. Above all, fecal samples offer the advantages of easy collection and a feedback-free sampling procedure. However, large differences exist among species regarding the route and time course of excretion, as well as the types of metabolites formed. Based on information gained from radiometabolism studies (reviewed in this paper), we recently developed and successfully validated different enzyme immunoassays that enable the noninvasive measurement of groups of cortisol or corticosterone metabolites in animal feces. The determination of these metabolites in fecal samples can be used as a powerful tool to monitor GC production in various species of domestic, wildlife, and laboratory animals. |
Address |
Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. rupert.palme@vu-wien.ac.at |
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
English |
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0077-8923 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
Notes |
PMID:15891021 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4083 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Polley, L. |
Title |
Strongylid parasites of horses: experimental ecology of the free-living stages on the Canadian prairie |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1986 |
Publication |
American Journal of Veterinary Research |
Abbreviated Journal |
Am J Vet Res |
Volume |
47 |
Issue |
8 |
Pages |
1686-1693 |
Keywords |
Animals; Canada; Ecology; Feces; Female; Horse Diseases/*epidemiology/parasitology; Horses; Larva; Ovum/cytology; Seasons; Strongyloides/isolation & purification; Strongyloidiasis/epidemiology/*veterinary |
Abstract |
Each month for a 1-year period (October through September), equine fecal masses containing eggs of strongylid nematodes were placed outdoors on small grass plots in Saskatchewan, Canada. Thereafter, feces and grass from the plots were sampled after intervals of 1 week or longer, and the strongylid eggs and larvae recovered were counted. These observations were made over a 2-year period. Development of eggs to infective larvae occurred in all experiments, except those established in October, December, and January. Infective larvae from experiments set up in April through September survived that winter. During the summer, there was a gradual build up of infective larvae in the fecal masses, which reached a peak in August and September and then decreased into the winter. These results are discussed in the context of the control of strongylid parasites of horses on the Canadian prairie and in other areas of the world with a similar climate and similar horse management practices. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
English |
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0002-9645 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
Notes |
PMID:3752676 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2682 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Heistermann, M.; Palme, R.; Ganswindt, A. |
Title |
Comparison of different enzyme-immunoassays for assessment of adrenocortical activity in primates based on fecal analysis |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
American journal of primatology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Am. J. Primatol. |
Volume |
68 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
257-273 |
Keywords |
11-Hydroxycorticosteroids/*analysis; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/pharmacology; Anesthesia; Animals; Corticosterone/analysis; Feces/*chemistry; Glucocorticoids/*analysis; Haplorhini/*metabolism; Hydrocortisone/analysis; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/drug effects/physiology; Immunoenzyme Techniques/*methods; Pituitary-Adrenal System/drug effects/physiology; Species Specificity |
Abstract |
Most studies published to date that used fecal glucocorticoid measurements to assess adrenocortical activity in primate (and many nonprimate) species applied a specific cortisol or corticosterone assay. However, since these native glucocorticoids are virtually absent in the feces of most vertebrates, including primates, the validity of this approach has recently been questioned. Therefore, the overall aim of the present study was to assess the validity of four enzyme-immunoassays (EIAs) using antibodies raised against cortisol, corticosterone, and reduced cortisol metabolites (two group-specific antibodies) for assessing adrenocortical activity using fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (GCM) measurements in selected primate species (marmoset, long-tailed macaque, Barbary macaque, chimpanzee, and gorilla). Using physiological stimulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis by administering exogenous ACTH or anesthesia, we demonstrated that at least two assays detected the predicted increase in fecal GCM levels in response to treatment in each species. However, the magnitude of response varied between assays and species, and no one assay was applicable to all species. While the corticosterone assay generally was of only limited suitability for assessing glucocorticoid output, the specific cortisol assay was valuable for those species that (according to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis data) excreted clearly detectable amounts of authentic cortisol into the feces. In contrast, in species in which cortisol was virtually absent in the feces, group-specific assays provided a much stronger signal, and these assays also performed well in the other primate species tested (except the marmoset). Collectively, the data suggest that the reliability of a given fecal glucocorticoid assay in reflecting activity of the HPA axis in primates clearly depends on the species in question. Although to date there is no single assay system that can be used successfully across species, our data suggest that group-specific assays have a high potential for cross-species application. Nevertheless, regardless of which GC antibody is chosen, our study clearly reinforces the necessity of appropriately validating the respective assay system before it is used. |
Address |
Department of Reproductive Biology, German Primate Center, Gottingen, Germany. mheiste@gwdg.de |
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
English |
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0275-2565 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
Notes |
PMID:16477600 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4078 |
Permanent link to this record |