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Agusti C, Carbajal A, Olvera-Maneu S, Domingo M, Lopez-Bejar M. Blubber and serum cortisol concentrations as indicators of the stress response and overall health status in striped dolphins. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 272:111268. [PMID: 35817193 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111268] [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: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The impacts of environmental changes and anthropogenic threats in marine mammals are a growing concern for their conservation. In recent years, efforts have been directed to understand how marine mammals cope with stressors and to assess and validate stress biomarkers, mainly levels of glucocorticoid hormones (e.g. cortisol) in certain body tissues. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of different causes of stranding (chronically affected and bycaught striped dolphins) on cortisol concentrations in serum and in blubber; and to evaluate the association between cortisol levels in these tissues. Blubber and blood samples were collected from striped dolphins (n = 42) stranded on the Mediterranean coast between 2012 and 2018. Cortisol concentrations were measured by using enzyme immunoassay. A high correlation was found between circulating and blubber cortisol concentrations (R2 = 0.85, p < 0.01). Necropsies and pathological studies concluded that a third of the dolphins were bycaught in fishing nets and released by fishermen (Bycaught animals group), while the other two thirds were euthanized, or died, due to a disease or chronic condition (e.g. calves separated from the mother or animals infected with dolphin morbillivirus or Brucella ceti) that impeded survival (Chronically affected animals group). Cortisol concentrations (mean ± SD) were six times higher in chronically affected animals (35.3 ± 23 ng cortisol/g blubber and 6.63 ± 3.22 μg cortisol/dl serum) compared to those bycaught in fishing nets (6.2 ± 4.3 ng cortisol/g blubber and 1.15 ± 1.51 μg cortisol/dl serum). Results suggests that serum and blubber cortisol concentrations can contribute in inferring the overall health and welfare of free-ranging cetaceans. However, further research is required to understand better the kinetics of blubber cortisol incorporation and removal, the factors involved in these processes, and the local conversion of cortisol in the blubber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Agusti
- Zoo Animal Welfare Education Centre (ZAWEC), Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Annaïs Carbajal
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Olvera-Maneu
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariano Domingo
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; CRESA (Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal), Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Lopez-Bejar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona 91766, CA, USA
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Segura-Göthlin S, Fernández A, Arbelo M, Felipe-Jiménez I, Colom-Rivero A, Almunia J, Sierra E. The Validation of a Non-Invasive Skin Sampling Device for Detecting Cetacean Poxvirus. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11102814. [PMID: 34679836 PMCID: PMC8532937 DOI: 10.3390/ani11102814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The current growing social awareness of animal welfare has led to the development of welfare indicators, which are effective tools for assessing each of the integrated aspects of this multidisciplinary issue. Hence, skin diseases have been suggested as potential general health indicators for use in cetaceans. Particularly cetacean poxvirus causes distinguishable hyperpigmented “ring” or “tattoo” lesions that affect cetaceans both in the wild and in managed facilities. However, most studies have analyzed these characteristic lesions through visual appraisal, while only a few have implemented diagnostic methods to corroborate the presence of the virus. To this end, skin biopsies are usually the sampling method selected, although they are considered to be an intrusive procedure. In this study, we analyzed sloughed skin sampled with cytology cell samplers (CCSs) in 12 tattoo-like lesions from two free-ranging cetaceans stranded in the Canary Islands. We employed two different DNA extraction methods and compared the effectiveness of the device with that of biopsies. All the lesions resulted positive for cetacean poxvirus, obtaining reliable data from the use of this device. Thus, CCS is considered to be a promising non-invasive tool for further assessing skin diseases in cetaceans, particularly those under human care, without affecting their welfare. Abstract Poxvirus-like lesions are widely used as a potential health indicator in cetaceans, although for this application, corroboration of Poxvirus skin disease is imperative. Aiming to address skin biopsies intrusiveness, a preliminary investigation of a non-invasive skin sampling procedure to molecularly detect CePV-1 in 12 tattoo-like-lesions from two free-ranging stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands was performed. Skin lesions were brushed with cytology cell samplers (CCSs) and placed into 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes with 1 mL of RNAlaterTM Stabilization Solution. For factual comparisons, DNA extractions from sloughed skin obtained with CCS and biopsies from the same lesions were accomplished with DNA Tissue Kit STM (QuickGene, Kurabo, Japan). Moreover, a second DNA extraction from sloughed skin with DNeasyTM Blood and Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, CA, USA) was performed to ascertain kit suitability for CCS. Molecular detection of CePV-1 was performed through a real-time PCR. As a result, a 91.7% and 83.3% rates of positivity were obtained with biopsies and CCS through Quickgene, respectively, compared to the rate of 100% using CCS with Qiagen. Accordingly, CCS is a reliable non-invasive sampling device to obtain sufficient genetic material to be analyzed for CePV-1 in tattoo-skin-lesions as well as for other purposes in cetaceans under human care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Segura-Göthlin
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Trasmontaña, s/n, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain; (S.S.-G.); (M.A.); (I.F.-J.); (A.C.-R.); (E.S.)
| | - Antonio Fernández
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Trasmontaña, s/n, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain; (S.S.-G.); (M.A.); (I.F.-J.); (A.C.-R.); (E.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-928-451-095
| | - Manuel Arbelo
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Trasmontaña, s/n, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain; (S.S.-G.); (M.A.); (I.F.-J.); (A.C.-R.); (E.S.)
| | - Idaira Felipe-Jiménez
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Trasmontaña, s/n, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain; (S.S.-G.); (M.A.); (I.F.-J.); (A.C.-R.); (E.S.)
| | - Ana Colom-Rivero
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Trasmontaña, s/n, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain; (S.S.-G.); (M.A.); (I.F.-J.); (A.C.-R.); (E.S.)
| | - Javier Almunia
- Loro Parque Foundation, Avda. Loro Parque, s/n, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Spain;
| | - Eva Sierra
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Trasmontaña, s/n, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain; (S.S.-G.); (M.A.); (I.F.-J.); (A.C.-R.); (E.S.)
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