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Olopade JO, Mustapha OA, Fatola OI, Ighorodje E, Folarin OR, Olopade FE, Omile IC, Obasa AA, Oyagbemi AA, Olude MA, Thackray AM, Bujdoso R. Neuropathological profile of the African Giant Rat brain (Cricetomys gambianus) after natural exposure to heavy metal environmental pollution in the Nigerian Niger Delta. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:120496-120514. [PMID: 37945948 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30619-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollution by heavy metals is a threat to public health because of the adverse effects on multiple organ systems including the brain. Here, we used the African giant rat (AGR) as a novel sentinel host to assess the effect of heavy metal accumulation and consequential neuropathology upon the brain. For this study, AGR were collected from distinct geographical regions of Nigeria: the rain forest region of south-west Nigeria (Ibadan), the central north of Nigeria (Abuja), and in oil-polluted areas of south Nigeria (Port-Harcourt). We found that zinc, copper, and iron were the major heavy metals that accumulated in the brain and serum of sentinel AGR, with the level of iron highest in animals from Port-Harcourt and least in animals from Abuja. Brain pathology, determined by immunohistochemistry markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, was most severe in animals from Port Harcourt followed by those from Abuja and those from Ibadan were the least affected. The brain pathologies were characterized by elevated brain advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) levels, neuronal depletion in the prefrontal cortex, severe reactive astrogliosis in the hippocampus and cerebellar white matter, demyelination in the subcortical white matter and cerebellar white matter, and tauopathies. Selective vulnerabilities of different brain regions to heavy metal pollution in the AGR collected from the different regions of the country were evident. In conclusion, we propose that neuropathologies associated with redox dyshomeostasis because of environmental pollution may be localized and contextual, even in a heavily polluted environment. This novel study also highlights African giant rats as suitable epidemiological sentinels for use in ecotoxicological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Olukayode Olopade
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
| | - Oluwaseun Ahmed Mustapha
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Olanrewaju Ifeoluwa Fatola
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Ejiro Ighorodje
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Oluwabusayo Racheal Folarin
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | | | - Irene Chizubelu Omile
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Adedunsola Ajike Obasa
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Ademola Adetokunbo Oyagbemi
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Matthew Ayokunle Olude
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Alana Maureen Thackray
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Raymond Bujdoso
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK
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Can animal personalities save human lives? Evidence for repeatable differences in activity and anxiety in African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei). Appl Anim Behav Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Golden GJ, Opiekun M, Martin-Taylor T, Kimball BA. Training the domestic ferret to discriminate odors associated with wildlife disease. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259415. [PMID: 34723972 PMCID: PMC8559940 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent avian influenza infection outbreaks have resulted in global biosecurity and economic concerns. Mallards are asymptomatic for the disease and can potentially spread AI along migratory bird flyways. In a previous study, trained mice correctly discriminated the health status of individual ducks on the basis of fecal odors when feces from post-infection periods were paired with feces from pre-infection periods. Chemical analyses indicated that avian influenza infection was associated with a marked increase of acetoin (3-hydroxy-2-butanone) in feces. In the current study, domesticated male ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) were trained to display a specific conditioned response (i.e. active scratch alert) in response to a marked increase of acetoin in a presentation of an acetoin:1-octen-3-ol solution. Ferrets rapidly generalized this learned response to the odor of irradiated feces from avian influenza infected mallards. These results suggest that a trained mammalian biosensor could be employed in an avian influenza surveillance program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen J. Golden
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
| | - Maryanne Opiekun
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | | | - Bruce A. Kimball
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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Bobak CA, Kang L, Workman L, Bateman L, Khan MS, Prins M, May L, Franchina FA, Baard C, Nicol MP, Zar HJ, Hill JE. Breath can discriminate tuberculosis from other lower respiratory illness in children. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2704. [PMID: 33526828 PMCID: PMC7851130 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-80970-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health crisis. Despite progress, pediatric patients remain difficult to diagnose, with approximately half of all childhood TB patients lacking bacterial confirmation. In this pilot study (n = 31), we identify a 4-compound breathprint and subsequent machine learning model that accurately classifies children with confirmed TB (n = 10) from children with another lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) (n = 10) with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 100% observed across cross validation folds. Importantly, we demonstrate that the breathprint identified an additional nine of eleven patients who had unconfirmed clinical TB and whose symptoms improved while treated for TB. While more work is necessary to validate the utility of using patient breath to diagnose pediatric TB, it shows promise as a triage instrument or paired as part of an aggregate diagnostic scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly A. Bobak
- grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA ,grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Lili Kang
- grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Lesley Workman
- grid.415742.10000 0001 2296 3850Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lindy Bateman
- grid.415742.10000 0001 2296 3850Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mohammad S. Khan
- grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Margaretha Prins
- grid.415742.10000 0001 2296 3850Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lloyd May
- grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Flavio A. Franchina
- grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA ,grid.4861.b0000 0001 0805 7253Molecular Systems, Organic and Biological Analytical Chemistry Group, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Cynthia Baard
- grid.415742.10000 0001 2296 3850Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mark P. Nicol
- grid.7836.a0000 0004 1937 1151Division of Medical Microbiology and Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa ,grid.1012.20000 0004 1936 7910School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Heather J. Zar
- grid.415742.10000 0001 2296 3850Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, MRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jane E. Hill
- grid.254880.30000 0001 2179 2404Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
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Fiebig L, Beyene N, Burny R, Fast CD, Cox C, Mgode GF. From pests to tests: training rats to diagnose tuberculosis. Eur Respir J 2020; 55:55/3/1902243. [DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02243-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Abstract
One of the most logical applications of modern breath analysis techniques is to provide information on respiratory infections. Ongoing work in various types of pulmonary infections has begun to denote candidate breath biomarkers of bacterial, viral, and fungal lung infections. Groundbreaking studies have been performed in naturally occurring cases with humans and with animal models of the disease. This has been coupled with cell culture work to understand the nature of the origins of breath biomarkers generated from the pathogen itself as it proliferates. Much work remains to be done, and the published studies described in this chapter are helping to set a foundation for this research area.
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Information preferences across species: Pigeons, rats, and dogs. Behav Processes 2019; 170:104016. [PMID: 31785322 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.104016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We tested the information preferences of three different species; pigeons, rats and dogs. Eight animals of each species received forced trials that produced one of two stimulus sequences. In the first sequence, response to an initial stimulus led to one of two other stimuli, one of which guaranteed a food reward was coming and the other of which guaranteed no food reward was coming. In the second sequence, response to an initial stimulus led to one of two other stimuli, both of which predicted food reward on 50 % of the trials. The net reinforcement rate for both of the sequences was 50 %. On probe test trials, both initial stimuli were presented, and the subject chose between the informative and the non-informative cue, and the percent choice of the information sequence, in which stimuli predicted food or no food reliably, was recorded for each species across 10 sessions. Statistical tests showed that although pigeons showed a preference for the information sequence, neither rats nor dogs showed this preference. Experimental and ecological explanations are discussed.
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Cambau E, Poljak M. Sniffing animals as a diagnostic tool in infectious diseases. Clin Microbiol Infect 2019; 26:431-435. [PMID: 31734357 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2019.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scents and odours characterize some microbes when grown in the laboratory, and experienced clinicians can diagnose patients with some infectious diseases based on their smell. Animal sniffing is an innate behaviour, and animals' olfactory acuity is used for detecting people, weapons, bombs, narcotics and food. OBJECTIVES We briefly summarized current knowledge regarding the use of sniffing animals to diagnose some infectious diseases and the potential use of scent-based diagnostic instruments in microbiology. SOURCES Information was sought through PubMed and extracted from peer-reviewed literature published between January 2000 and September 2019 and from reliable online news. The search terms 'odour', 'scent', 'bacteria', 'diagnostics', 'tuberculosis', 'malaria' and 'volatile compounds' were used. CONTENT Four major areas of using sniffing animals are summarized. Dogs have been used to reliably detect stool associated with toxigenic Clostridioides difficile and for surveillance. Dogs showed high sensitivity and moderate specificity for detecting urinary tract infections in comparison to culture, especially for Escherichia coli. African giant pouched rats showed superiority for diagnosing tuberculosis over microscopy, but inferiority to culture/molecular methods. Several approaches for detecting malaria by analysing host skin odour or exhaled breath have been explored successfully. Some microbial infections produce specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be analysed by spectrometry, metabolomics or other analytical approaches to replace animal sniffing. IMPLICATIONS The results of sniffing animal studies are fascinating, and animal sniffing can provide intermediate diagnostic solutions for some infectious diseases. Lack of reproducibility, and cost of animal training and housing are major drawbacks for wider implementation of sniffing animals. The ultimate goal is to understand the biological background of this animal ability and to characterize the specific VOCs that animals are recognizing. VOC identification, improvement of odour sampling methods and development of point-of-care instruments could allow implementation of scent-based tests for major human pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Cambau
- AP-HP, Groupe hospitalier Lariboisière - Fernand-Widal, Service de Bactériologie, Paris, France; Université de Paris, INSERM, IAME UMR1137, Paris, France.
| | - M Poljak
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Revival of an ancient Greek art: scent detection as diagnostic tool for tuberculosis. Pediatr Res 2018; 84:4-5. [PMID: 29795205 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0015-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Preliminary investigation of human exhaled breath for tuberculosis diagnosis by multidimensional gas chromatography – Time of flight mass spectrometry and machine learning. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2018; 1074-1075:46-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 12/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Heller AR, Ledbetter EC, Singh B, Lee DN, Ophir AG. Ophthalmic examination findings and intraocular pressures in wild-caught African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys spp.). Vet Ophthalmol 2017; 21:471-476. [PMID: 29251400 DOI: 10.1111/vop.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To report ophthalmic examination findings and intraocular pressures (IOPs) in wild-caught African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei and gambianus) from Tanzania and Ghana. PROCEDURES After being placed under general anesthesia for examination, slit-lamp biomicroscopy before and after pharmacologic mydriasis and indirect ophthalmoscopy was performed. Eyes were fluorescein stained and IOPs measured by rebound tonometry using the TonoVet® . RESULTS Thirty-two sexually mature pouched rats (64 eyes) were examined, including 16 males and 16 females. The mean IOP (± standard deviation) was 7.7 (±2.9) mmHg. Fluorescein staining was negative in all eyes. One or more ocular abnormalities were detected in 21 pouched rats (35 eyes). These ocular lesions included the following: lens opacities (n = 23 eyes), persistent pupillary membranes (n = 5), chorioretinal scarring (n = 3), corneal vascularization (n = 2), palpebral margin defect with focal trichiasis (n = 2), phthisis bulbi (n = 1), and posterior synechiae (n = 1). Lens opacities included incipient anterior cortical opacities (n = 7), immature cataract (n = 6), incipient nuclear opacities (n = 5), punctate pigment on anterior lens capsule (n = 2 eyes), incipient suture tip opacities (n = 2), and hypermature cataract (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS Ocular abnormalities were common in the evaluated population of giant pouched rats; however, most of the detected lesions were mild and believed to have minimal impact on vision. Rebound tonometry with the TonoVet® was a reliable and simple technique to measure IOPs in the anesthetized pouched rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Heller
- Department of Clinical Services, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eric C Ledbetter
- Department of Clinical Services, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Bhupinder Singh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Danielle N Lee
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Mulder C, Mgode G, Reid SE. Tuberculosis diagnostic technology: an African solution … think rats. Afr J Lab Med 2017; 6:420. [PMID: 28879158 PMCID: PMC5516919 DOI: 10.4102/ajlm.v6i2.420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christiaan Mulder
- Tuberculosis Department, Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling (APOPO), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.,Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Georgies Mgode
- Tuberculosis Department, Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling (APOPO), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Stewart E Reid
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.,Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
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