Records |
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 |
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0077-8923 |
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PMID:16055841 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4082 |
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Author |
Li, C.; Jiang, Z.; Tang, S.; Zeng, Y. |
Title |
Influence of enclosure size and animal density on fecal cortisol concentration and aggression in Pere David's deer stags |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2007 |
Publication |
General and Comparative Endocrinology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Gen Comp Endocrinol |
Volume |
151 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
202-209 |
Keywords |
*Aggression; Animals; *Deer; *Environment; Feces/*chemistry; Handling (Psychology); Housing, Animal; Hydrocortisone/*analysis; Male; Population Density |
Abstract |
We investigated the impact of enclosure size and animal density on behavior and adrenocortical secretion in Pere David's deer in Dafeng Nature Reserve, China. From February 15 to April 16 in 2004, we conducted two experiments. First, we studied maintenance behavior and conflict behavior of Pere David's deer stags in a large enclosure (200 ha) with low animal density (0.66 deer/ha) and a small display pen (0.75 ha) with high animal density (25.33 deer/ha). The maintenance behavior we recorded included standing, locomotion, foraging and rest. During the behavioral observations, we collected fresh voided fecal samples from the stags periodically, and analyzed the fecal cortisol concentrations in those samples using radioimmunoassay technique. Second, we monitored the fecal cortisol concentrations of one group of stags (12 deer lived in an enclosure of 100 ha) before and after transferred into a small pen (0.5 ha). We found that in the first experiment: (1) there were significant differences in standing and rest whereas no significant differences of locomotion and foraging between the free-ranging group and the display group; (2) frequency of conflict behavior in the display group was significantly higher than those in the free-ranging group; and (3) fecal cortisol concentration of the display group (326.17+/-16.98 ng/g dry feces) was significantly higher than that of the free-ranging group (268.98+/-15.21 ng/g dry feces). In the second experiment, there was no significant difference of the fecal cortisol concentrations among sampling days, but the mean fecal cortisol concentration of the day after transferring (337.46+/-17.88 ng/g dry feces) was significantly higher than that of the day before transferring (248.44+/-7.99 ng/g dry feces). Comparison with published findings, our results indicated that enclosure size and animal density affect not only behaviors, but also adrenocortical secretion in Pere David's deer. Small living space with high animal density may impose physiological stress to captive Pere David's deer. Moreover, long-term physiological stress and increase of conflict behavior may subsequently affect survival and reproduction of the deer. |
Address |
Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China |
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0016-6480 |
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PMID:17324429 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5475 |
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Author |
Kralj-Fiser, S.; Scheiber, I.B.R.; Blejec, A.; Moestl, E.; Kotrschal, K. |
Title |
Individualities in a flock of free-roaming greylag geese: behavioral and physiological consistency over time and across situations |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Hormones and Behavior |
Abbreviated Journal |
Horm Behav |
Volume |
51 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
239-248 |
Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; Corticosterone/metabolism; Feces; Female; Geese/*physiology; Individuality; Male; Personality/*physiology; Population Density; Reproducibility of Results; Seasons; *Social Behavior; Social Environment; Testosterone/*metabolism |
Abstract |
The concept of personality implies individual differences in behavior and physiology that show some degree of repeatability/consistency over time and across contexts. Most studies of animal personality, particularly studies of individuals' variation in physiological mechanisms, have been conducted on selected individuals in controlled conditions. We attempted to detect consistent behaviors as well as physiological patterns in greylag ganders (Anser anser) from a free-roaming flock living in semi-natural conditions. We tested 10 individuals repeatedly, in a handling trial, resembling tests for characterization of “temperaments” in captive animals. We recorded the behavior of the same 10 individuals during four situations in the socially intact flock: (1) a “low density feeding condition”, (2) a “high density feeding condition”, (3) a “low density post-feeding situation” and (4) while the geese rested. We collected fecal samples for determination of excreted immuno-reactive corticosterone (BM) and testosterone metabolites (TM) after handling trials, as well as the “low density feeding” and the “high density feeding” conditions. BM levels were very highly consistent over the repeats of handling trials, and the “low density feeding condition” and tended to be consistent over the first two repeats of the “high density feeding condition”. Also, BM responses tended to be consistent across contexts. Despite seasonal variation, there tended to be inter-test consistency of TM, which pointed to some individual differences in TM as well. Aggressiveness turned out to be a highly repeatable trait, which was consistent across social situations, and tended to correlate with an individual's resistance during handling trials. Also, “proximity to the female partner” and “sociability” – the average number of neighboring geese in a close distance while resting – were consistent. We conclude that aggressiveness, “affiliative tendencies” and levels of excreted corticosterone and testosterone metabolites may be crucial factors of personality in geese. |
Address |
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty, Slovenia. simona.kralj@guest.arnes.si |
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0018-506X |
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PMID:17196200 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4189 |
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Author |
Nowlan, S.S.; Deibel, R.H. |
Title |
Group Q streptococci. I. Ecology, serology, physiology, and relationship to established enterococci |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1967 |
Publication |
Journal of Bacteriology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Bacteriol |
Volume |
94 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
291-296 |
Keywords |
Animals; Antigens/analysis; Cattle; Dogs; Enterococcus faecalis/metabolism; Feces/microbiology; Horses; Humans; Poultry; Precipitin Tests; Rabbits; Sheep; *Streptococcus/immunology/isolation & purification/metabolism; Swine |
Abstract |
The group Q streptococci possess unique serological and physiological characteristics which differentiate them from established enterococci. The group Q antigen was not demonstrable in all strains; however, all possessed the group D antigen. All group Q strains were physiologically similar regardless of whether or not they possessed the group Q antigen. These strains differed from the established enterococcal species, as they neither hydrolyzed arginine nor initiated growth in 1.0% methylene blue-milk. They also differed radically in the fermentation of various carbohydrates, especially the polyhydric sugar alcohols. The results indicate that the group Q streptococci constitute a unique taxonomic entity; the species designation Streptococcus avium sp. n. is suggested, owing to their characteristic occurrence in chicken fecal specimens. |
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0021-9193 |
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Notes |
PMID:4962699 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2746 |
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Author |
Keay, J.M.; Singh, J.; Gaunt, M.C.; Kaur, T. |
Title |
Fecal glucocorticoids and their metabolites as indicators of stress in various mammalian species: a literature review |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Zoo Wildl Med |
Volume |
37 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
234-244 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Animals, Wild/metabolism; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods/veterinary; Circadian Rhythm; Conservation of Natural Resources; *Ecosystem; Feces/*chemistry; Glucocorticoids/*analysis/metabolism; Humans; Seasons; Species Specificity; Specimen Handling/methods/veterinary; Stress, Psychological/*metabolism |
Abstract |
Conservation medicine is a discipline in which researchers and conservationists study and respond to the dynamic interplay between animals, humans, and the environment. From a wildlife perspective, animal species are encountering stressors from numerous sources. With the rapidly increasing human population, a corresponding increased demand for food, fuel, and shelter; habitat destruction; and increased competition for natural resources, the health and well-being of wild animal populations is increasingly at risk of disease and endangerment. Scientific data are needed to measure the impact that human encroachment is having on wildlife. Nonbiased biometric data provide a means to measure the amount of stress being imposed on animals from humans, the environment, and other animals. The stress response in animals functions via glucocorticoid metabolism and is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Fecal glucocorticoids, in particular, may be an extremely useful biometric test, since sample collection is noninvasive to subjects and, therefore, does not introduce other variables that may alter assay results. For this reason, many researchers and conservationists have begun to use fecal glucocorticoids as a means to measure stress in various animal species. This review article summarizes the literature on many studies in which fecal glucocorticoids and their metabolites have been used to assess stress levels in various mammalian species. Variations between studies are the main focus of this review. Collection methods, storage conditions, shipping procedures, and laboratory techniques utilized by different researchers are discussed. |
Address |
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 0442 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA |
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ISSN |
1042-7260 |
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Notes |
PMID:17319120 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
616 |
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Author |
Manning, G.S.; Ratanarat, C. |
Title |
Fasciolopsis buski (Lankester, 1857) in Thailand |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1970 |
Publication |
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene |
Abbreviated Journal |
Am J Trop Med Hyg |
Volume |
19 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
613-619 |
Keywords |
Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animals; Buffaloes; Cattle; Child; Child, Preschool; *Disease Reservoirs; Dogs; Ecology; *Fasciolidae; Feces; Female; Health Surveys; Horses; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; *Plants, Edible; Sex Factors; *Snails; Swine; Thailand; Trematode Infections/*epidemiology |
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0002-9637 |
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PMID:5425498 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2734 |
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Author |
Touma, C.; Sachser, N.; Mostl, E.; Palme, R. |
Title |
Effects of sex and time of day on metabolism and excretion of corticosterone in urine and feces of mice |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
General and Comparative Endocrinology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Gen Comp Endocrinol |
Volume |
130 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
267-278 |
Keywords |
Animals; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Circadian Rhythm/*physiology; Corticosterone/*metabolism/urine; Feces/*chemistry; Female; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Kinetics; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Reference Values; Sex Factors; Stress/metabolism; Time Factors; Tritium |
Abstract |
Non-invasive techniques to monitor stress hormones in small animals like mice offer several advantages and are highly demanded in laboratory as well as in field research. Since knowledge about the species-specific metabolism and excretion of glucocorticoids is essential to develop such a technique, we conducted radiometabolism studies in mice (Mus musculus f. domesticus, strain C57BL/6J). Each mouse was injected intraperitoneally with 740 kBq of 3H-labelled corticosterone and all voided urine and fecal samples were collected for five days. In a first experiment 16 animals (eight of each sex) received the injection at 9 a.m., while eight mice (four of each sex) were injected at 9 p.m. in a second experiment. In both experiments radioactive metabolites were recovered predominantly in the feces, although males excreted significantly higher proportions via the feces (about 73%) than females (about 53%). Peak radioactivity in the urine was detected within about 2h after injection, while in the feces peak concentrations were observed later (depending on the time of injection: about 10h postinjection in experiment 1 and about 4h postinjection in experiment 2, thus proving an effect of the time of day). The number and relative abundance of fecal [3H]corticosterone metabolites was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC separations revealed that corticosterone was extensively metabolized mainly to more polar substances. Regarding the types of metabolites formed, significant differences were found between males and females, but not between the experiments. Additionally, the immunoreactivity of these metabolites was assessed by screening the HPLC fractions with four enzyme immunoassays (EIA). However, only a newly established EIA for 5alpha-pregnane-3beta,11beta,21-triol-20-one (measuring corticosterone metabolites with a 5alpha-3beta,11beta-diol structure) detected several peaks of radioactive metabolites with high intensity in both sexes, while the other EIAs showed only minor immunoreactivity. Thus, our study for the first time provides substantial information about metabolism and excretion of corticosterone in urine and feces of mice and is the first demonstrating a significant impact of the animals' sex and the time of day. Based on these data it should be possible to monitor adrenocortical activity non-invasively in this species by measuring fecal corticosterone metabolites with the newly developed EIA. Since mice are extensively used in research world-wide, this could open new perspectives in various fields from ecology to behavioral endocrinology. |
Address |
Department of Behavioral Biology, Institute of Neuro and Behavioral Biology, University of Muenster, Badestrasse 9, D-48149 Muenster, Germany. touma@uni-muenster.de |
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0016-6480 |
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PMID:12606269 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4086 |
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Author |
Takai, S.; Fujimori, T.; Katsuzaki, K.; Tsubaki, S. |
Title |
Ecology of Rhodococcus equi in horses and their environment on horse-breeding farms |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1987 |
Publication |
Veterinary Microbiology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Vet Microbiol |
Volume |
14 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
233-239 |
Keywords |
Actinomycetales Infections/*veterinary; Animals; Animals, Newborn/*microbiology; *Environmental Microbiology; Feces/microbiology; Female; Horse Diseases/*microbiology; Horses/*microbiology; Rhodococcus/*isolation & purification |
Abstract |
Quantitative culture of R. equi in the feces of dams and foals, in the air of the stalls and in the soil of the paddocks was carried out on three horse-breeding farms during the foaling season. The isolation rates of R. equi from the feces of dams from the 3 farms suddenly increased to approximately 80% at the end of March, when the snow in the paddocks finished melting, and remained at that level during April and May. The mean number of R. equi and the isolation rate of R. equi from the feces of dams on the farms were investigated for 5 weeks before and 5 weeks after delivery. During the 10 weeks, there were no differences in the isolation rate or in the mean number of R. equi from the feces of dams. R. equi was first isolated from the feces of the foals born in February and the middle of March at 3-4 weeks of age, on the other hand, it was first isolated from the feces of foals born in the end of March and April at 1-2 weeks of age. The number of R. equi in the soil collected from the paddocks used by dams during the winter was approximately 10(2)-10(4) g-1 of soil during the experiment. R. equi was isolated from the air in the stalls at the end of March and the number of R. equi in the air increased particularly on dry and windy days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) |
Address |
Department of Animal Hygiene, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Kitasato University, Aomori, Japan |
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0378-1135 |
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PMID:3672865 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2679 |
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Author |
Barton, M.D.; Hughes, K.L. |
Title |
Ecology of Rhodococcus equi |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1984 |
Publication |
Veterinary Microbiology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Vet Microbiol |
Volume |
9 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
65-76 |
Keywords |
Actinomycetales/growth & development/immunology/*isolation & purification; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Antigens, Bacterial/immunology; Artiodactyla/*microbiology; Australia; Digestive System/microbiology; Ecology; Feces/*microbiology; Horses/*microbiology; Hypersensitivity, Delayed; Rabbits/microbiology; *Soil Microbiology |
Abstract |
A selective broth enrichment technique was used to study the distribution of Rhodococcus equi in soil and grazing animals. Rhodococcus equi was isolated from 54% of soils examined and from the gut contents, rectal faeces and dung of all grazing herbivorous species examined. Rhodococcus equi was not isolated from the faeces or dung of penned animals which did not have access to grazing. The isolation rate from dung was much higher than from other samples and this was found to be due to the ability of R. equi to multiply more readily in dung. Delayed hypersensitivity tests were carried out on horses, sheep and cattle, but only horses reacted significantly. The physiological characteristics of R. equi and the nature of its distribution in the environment suggested that R. equi is a soil organism. |
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0378-1135 |
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PMID:6719819 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2688 |
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Author |
Takai, S.; Narita, K.; Ando, K.; Tsubaki, S. |
Title |
Ecology of Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi in soil on a horse-breeding farm |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1986 |
Publication |
Veterinary Microbiology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Vet Microbiol |
Volume |
12 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
169-177 |
Keywords |
Actinomycetales/classification/*growth & development; Animals; Corynebacterium/classification/*growth & development; Feces/microbiology; Female; Horses; Serotyping; *Soil Microbiology |
Abstract |
The ecology of Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi in soil was studied on a horse-breeding farm. R. equi was cultured from soil at a depth of 0, 10, and 20 cm on the six sites of the farm at monthly intervals for 10 months from March to December of 1983. The highest numbers of R. equi were found in the surface soil. The mean number of bacteria in soil samples at every depth increased remarkably from 0 or 10(2) to 10(4) colony-forming units (CFU) g-1 of soil in the middle of April, and later decreased gradually. R. equi inoculated into six soil exudate broths prepared from surface soils at separate sites yielded suspensions with different optical densities, indicating differences in growth. The distribution of serotypes in the soil was similar to that in the horses on the farm. These findings indicated that R. equi could multiply in the soil and flourish in the cycle existing between horses and their soil environment. |
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0378-1135 |
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PMID:3750818 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2683 |
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