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Lazarus M, Sergiel A, Ferenčaković M, Orct T, Kapronczai L, Pađen L, Janz DM, Reljić S, Zwijacz-Kozica T, Zięba F, Selva N, Huber Đ. Stress and reproductive hormones in hair associated with contaminant metal(loid)s of European brown bear (Ursus arctos). CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 325:138354. [PMID: 36907481 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Environmental contaminants like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) or lead (Pb) may disrupt hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes due to their endocrine toxicity potential. Resulting long-term physiological stress or adverse effects on wildlife reproduction and ontogeny may cause detrimental effects at the individual and population levels. However, data on environmental metal(loid)s' impact on reproductive and stress hormones in wildlife, especially large terrestrial carnivores, are scarce. Hair cortisol, progesterone and testosterone concentrations were quantified and modelled with hair As, Cd, total Hg, Pb, biological, environmental and sampling factors to test for potential effects in free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) from Croatia (N = 46) and Poland (N = 27). Testosterone in males (N = 48) and females (N = 25) showed positive associations with Hg and an interaction between Cd and Pb, but a negative association with interaction between age and Pb. Higher testosterone was found in hair during its growth phase compared to quiescent phase. Body condition index was negatively associated with hair cortisol and positively associated with hair progesterone. Year and conditions of sampling were important for cortisol variation, while maturity stage for progesterone variation (lower concentrations in cubs and yearlings compared to subadult and adult bears). These findings suggest that environmental levels of Cd, Hg and Pb might influence the HPG axis in brown bears. Hair was shown to be a reliable non-invasive sample for investigating hormonal fluctuations in wildlife while addressing individual and sampling specificities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Lazarus
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation of Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
| | | | - Tatjana Orct
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | | | - Lana Pađen
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - David M Janz
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
| | - Slaven Reljić
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
| | | | | | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation of Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland; Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Física, Matemáticas y Computación, Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, Spain.
| | - Đuro Huber
- Institute of Nature Conservation of Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
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Babic NL, Johnstone CP, Reljić S, Sergiel A, Huber Đ, Reina RD. Evaluation of physiological stress in free-ranging bears: current knowledge and future directions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:168-190. [PMID: 36176191 PMCID: PMC10086944 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Stress responses, which are mediated by the neurogenic system (NS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis help vertebrates maintain physiological homeostasis. Fight-or-flight responses are activated by the NS, which releases norepinephrine/noradrenaline and epinephrine/adrenaline in response to immediate stressors, whilst the HPA axis releases glucocorticoid hormones (e.g. cortisol and corticosterone) to help mitigate allostatic load. There have been many studies on stress responses of captive animals, but they are not truly reflective of typical ranges or the types of stressors encountered by free-ranging wildlife, such as responses and adaptation to environmental change, which are particularly important from a conservation perspective. As stress can influence the composition of age and sex classes of free-ranging populations both directly and indirectly, ecological research must be prioritised towards more vulnerable taxa. Generally, large predators tend to be particularly at risk of anthropogenically driven population declines because they exhibit reduced behavioural plasticity required to adapt to changing landscapes and exist in reduced geographic ranges, have small population sizes, low fecundity rates, large spatial requirements and occupy high trophic positions. As a keystone species with a long history of coexistence with humans in highly anthropogenic landscapes, there has been growing concern about how humans influence bear behaviour and physiology, via numerous short- and long-term stressors. In this review, we synthesise research on the stress response in free-ranging bear populations and evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of current methodology in measuring stress in bears to identify the most effective metrics for future research. Particularly, we integrate research that utilised haematological variables, cardiac monitors and Global Positioning System (GPS) collars, serum/plasma and faecal glucocorticoid concentrations, hair cortisol levels, and morphological metrics (primarily skulls) to investigate the stress response in ursids in both short- and long-term contexts. We found that in free-ranging bears, food availability and consumption have the greatest influence on individual stress, with mixed responses to anthropogenic influences. Effects of sex and age on stress are also mixed, likely attributable to inconsistent methods. We recommend that methodology across all stress indicators used in free-ranging bears should be standardised to improve interpretation of results and that a wider range of species should be incorporated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natarsha L Babic
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher P Johnstone
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Slaven Reljić
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Adama Mickiewicza 33, Krakow, 31120, Poland
| | - Đuro Huber
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia.,Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Adama Mickiewicza 33, Krakow, 31120, Poland
| | - Richard D Reina
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia
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Physical Injuries and Hair Corticosterone Concentration in Rabbit Kits from Single- and Group-Housed Does Kept on a Commercial Farm. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13020196. [PMID: 36670736 PMCID: PMC9854544 DOI: 10.3390/ani13020196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In intense breeding programs, rabbits are exposed to numerous stress factors which could affect their welfare and health. It has been suggested that group housing is more comfortable for does and similar to the living conditions of European wild rabbits. In this study, we compared three different housing systems—single housing; housing in pairs; and housing in groups of three does—to test whether there is a measurable impact on skin lesions, health, and hair corticosterone concentration (HCC) of their kits. The number of kits with lesions increased with the number of does kept together. The probability of kits getting injured was higher in groups of three does than in pens of single-housed does (p = 0.041). When does were pair-housed, kits seemed to have fewer disease symptoms compared to the other treatments. Concerning HCC of kits, there was no significant difference between the housing systems (p > 0.05). The mean HCC of kits was 2.94 pg/mg, while pair housing had the lowest HCC (2.59 pg/mg). This study focused on the welfare of kits from group-housed does. From this perspective, pair housing of does may be appropriate to allow social interaction between does without unduly affecting the welfare of their kits.
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Karaer MC, Čebulj-Kadunc N, Snoj T. Stress in wildlife: comparison of the stress response among domestic, captive, and free-ranging animals. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1167016. [PMID: 37138925 PMCID: PMC10150102 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1167016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The stress response, which involves joint activity of the nervous and endocrine systems, is one of the basic adaptive mechanisms that ensures the survival of the individual. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis enables organisms to respond to endogenous and exogenous challenges. Repeated short-term stress leads to long-term stress, which disrupts physiological homeostasis. Unlike domestic animals, wild animals are not protected from environmental and weather influences or treated for diseases. In addition, climate change, habitat fragmentation and loss, and urban stressors (such as light, noise and chemical pollution; xenobiotics; traffic; and buildings) affect individual wildlife and populations. In this review, we have attempted to depict the magnitude of the stress response in wildlife and related domestic animals as well as in captive and free-ranging animals. The intensity of the stress response can be estimated by determining the concentration of glucocorticoids in body fluids, tissues, and excreta. A comparison of results from different studies suggests that domestic animals have lower fecal and hair glucocorticoid concentrations than related wild animals. Additionally, fecal and hair glucocorticoid concentrations in captive animals are higher than in free-ranging animals of the same species. As there are limited data on this topic, we cannot draw definitive conclusions about glucocorticoid concentration and stress response. Further studies are needed to clarify these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Cansu Karaer
- Food and Agriculture Vocational School, Çankiri Karatekin University, Çankiri, Türkiye
| | - Nina Čebulj-Kadunc
- Veterinary Faculty, Institute of Preclinical Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tomaž Snoj
- Veterinary Faculty, Institute of Preclinical Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Tomaž Snoj
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Saluti G, Ricci M, Castellani F, Colagrande MN, Di Bari G, Vulpiani MP, Cerasoli F, Savini G, Scortichini G, D'Alterio N. Determination of hair cortisol in horses: comparison of immunoassay vs LC-HRMS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 2022; 414:8093-8105. [PMID: 36136115 PMCID: PMC9613578 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-04343-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The measure of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is becoming an emerging approach to monitor mid-/long-term stress in animals, so it is more and more important to develop accurate and reliable methods. In the light of this, the aim of the present study was to compare mane HCCs of 47 horses with different managements, by means of an immunoassay (ELISA) and liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). After the washing step, the ground hair was extracted with methanol. The extract was evaporated and redissolved in two different aqueous solutions, depending on the detection technique. The methods were validated according to EMA guideline for bioanalytical method validation, in the range 2–50 pg mg−1 (ELISA) and 1–100 pg mg−1 (LC-HRMS/MS). Satisfactory quantitative performances were obtained for both of the approaches, but this latter demonstrated better precision. The detected concentrations in real samples were encompassing the range 1.3–8.8 pg mg−1 and 2.0–17.9 pg mg−1 by means of LC-HRMS/MS and ELISA, respectively. Overall, HCCs measured with ELISA technique were 1.6 times higher. The overestimation of immunoassay results might be caused by cross-reactivity phenomena of laboratory reagents and other structurally similar hormones present in the mane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Saluti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy.
| | - Matteo Ricci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Federica Castellani
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Maria Novella Colagrande
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Gabriella Di Bari
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, via Tolara di Sopra, 50, 40064, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna, Italy
| | - Michele Podaliri Vulpiani
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerasoli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Savini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Giampiero Scortichini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Nicola D'Alterio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Dell'Abruzzo E del Molise "G. Caporale", Via Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy
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First Look into the Use of Fish Scales as a Medium for Multi-Hormone Stress Analyses. FISHES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fishes7040145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Recent efforts have provided convincing evidence for the use of fish scale cortisol concentration in the assessment of long-term stress in fishes. However, cortisol alone is not sufficient to fully describe this state of long-term stress. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an androgen with actions that oppose those of cortisol. The means by which DHEA negates the effects of cortisol occurs in part via changes in the metabolism of cortisol to cortisone. The quantitation of cortisol, DHEA and cortisone could therefore provide a more comprehensive assessment of the overall status of physiological stress. As DHEA and cortisone have yet to be quantified within the fish scale, our first objective was to ensure our sample processing protocol for cortisol was applicable to cortisone and DHEA. Following this, we induced a state of long-term stress in goldfish (Carassius auratus). Some degree of elevation in all hormones was observed in the stressed fish scales. Additionally, cortisol and cortisone were significantly elevated in the stressed fish serum in comparison to controls while DHEA was undetectable in either group. Overall, these results suggest that fish scales provide an appropriate medium for the assessment of long-term stress in fishes via the quantitation of relevant steroid hormones.
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Automated Video-Based Analysis Framework for Behavior Monitoring of Individual Animals in Zoos Using Deep Learning—A Study on Polar Bears. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12060692. [PMID: 35327089 PMCID: PMC8944680 DOI: 10.3390/ani12060692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Every institution that keeps animals under human care must ensure animal welfare. To analyze the state of an animal, various measurements can be performed, such as blood analysis or fur condition scoring. They also need to be observed as often as possible to gain further insight into their behavior. Such observations are performed manually in most cases, which makes them very labor- and time-intensive and prevent them from being performed on a continual basis. We present a camera-based framework that provides automated observation of animals. The system detects individual animals and analyzes their locations, walking paths, and activity. We test the framework on the two polar bears of the Nuremberg Zoo. Abstract The monitoring of animals under human care is a crucial tool for biologists and zookeepers to keep track of the animals’ physical and psychological health. Additionally, it enables the analysis of observed behavioral changes and helps to unravel underlying reasons. Enhancing our understanding of animals ensures and improves ex situ animal welfare as well as in situ conservation. However, traditional observation methods are time- and labor-intensive, as they require experts to observe the animals on-site during long and repeated sessions and manually score their behavior. Therefore, the development of automated observation systems would greatly benefit researchers and practitioners in this domain. We propose an automated framework for basic behavior monitoring of individual animals under human care. Raw video data are processed to continuously determine the position of the individuals within the enclosure. The trajectories describing their travel patterns are presented, along with fundamental analysis, through a graphical user interface (GUI). We evaluate the performance of the framework on captive polar bears (Ursus maritimus). We show that the framework can localize and identify individual polar bears with an F1 score of 86.4%. The localization accuracy of the framework is 19.9±7.6 cm, outperforming current manual observation methods. Furthermore, we provide a bounding-box-labeled dataset of the two polar bears housed in Nuremberg Zoo.
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