Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?

Over the last decades, exhaled breath sampling has been established for laboratory analysis in various cetacean species. Due to their small size, the usability of respiratory vapor for hormone assessments was questionable in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). This pilot study compared three diffe...

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Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Anja Reckendorf, Marion Schmicke, Paulien Bunskoek, Kirstin Anderson Hansen, Mette Thybo, Christina Strube, Ursula Siebert
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907
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spelling ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-2615/11/3/907/ 2023-08-20T04:09:17+02:00 Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments? Anja Reckendorf Marion Schmicke Paulien Bunskoek Kirstin Anderson Hansen Mette Thybo Christina Strube Ursula Siebert agris 2021-03-22 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Aquatic Animals https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Animals; Volume 11; Issue 3; Pages: 907 harbor porpoise animal welfare non-invasive method exhaled breath blow sampling cortisol stress diagnostic techniques Text 2021 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907 2023-08-01T01:20:26Z Over the last decades, exhaled breath sampling has been established for laboratory analysis in various cetacean species. Due to their small size, the usability of respiratory vapor for hormone assessments was questionable in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). This pilot study compared three different blow collection devices for their suitability in the field and during laboratory processing: a sterile petri dish covered by a Nitex membrane, as well as sterile 50 mL centrifuge tubes with or without manganese(II) chloride as a stabilizer. Collected exhales varied between three, five or ten, depending on feasibility. Hormones were extracted through an ether mix, followed by centrifugal evaporation and cortisol analysis using an immunoassay. Although close to the lower end of the assay’s dynamic range, the ELISA produced results (n = 110, 0.102–0.937 ng/mL). Hence, a simple 50 mL centrifuge tube was determined as the best suited blow collection device, while three consecutive exhales proved sufficient to yield results. These findings are promising regarding the suitability of exhaled breath as a matrix for future endocrine and immune system-related studies in harbor porpoises. If further advanced, blow sampling can become an important, non-invasive tool for studying and monitoring health, stress levels and diseases in harbor porpoises. Text Phocoena phocoena MDPI Open Access Publishing Animals 11 3 907
institution Open Polar
collection MDPI Open Access Publishing
op_collection_id ftmdpi
language English
topic harbor porpoise
animal welfare
non-invasive method
exhaled breath
blow sampling
cortisol
stress
diagnostic techniques
spellingShingle harbor porpoise
animal welfare
non-invasive method
exhaled breath
blow sampling
cortisol
stress
diagnostic techniques
Anja Reckendorf
Marion Schmicke
Paulien Bunskoek
Kirstin Anderson Hansen
Mette Thybo
Christina Strube
Ursula Siebert
Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?
topic_facet harbor porpoise
animal welfare
non-invasive method
exhaled breath
blow sampling
cortisol
stress
diagnostic techniques
description Over the last decades, exhaled breath sampling has been established for laboratory analysis in various cetacean species. Due to their small size, the usability of respiratory vapor for hormone assessments was questionable in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). This pilot study compared three different blow collection devices for their suitability in the field and during laboratory processing: a sterile petri dish covered by a Nitex membrane, as well as sterile 50 mL centrifuge tubes with or without manganese(II) chloride as a stabilizer. Collected exhales varied between three, five or ten, depending on feasibility. Hormones were extracted through an ether mix, followed by centrifugal evaporation and cortisol analysis using an immunoassay. Although close to the lower end of the assay’s dynamic range, the ELISA produced results (n = 110, 0.102–0.937 ng/mL). Hence, a simple 50 mL centrifuge tube was determined as the best suited blow collection device, while three consecutive exhales proved sufficient to yield results. These findings are promising regarding the suitability of exhaled breath as a matrix for future endocrine and immune system-related studies in harbor porpoises. If further advanced, blow sampling can become an important, non-invasive tool for studying and monitoring health, stress levels and diseases in harbor porpoises.
format Text
author Anja Reckendorf
Marion Schmicke
Paulien Bunskoek
Kirstin Anderson Hansen
Mette Thybo
Christina Strube
Ursula Siebert
author_facet Anja Reckendorf
Marion Schmicke
Paulien Bunskoek
Kirstin Anderson Hansen
Mette Thybo
Christina Strube
Ursula Siebert
author_sort Anja Reckendorf
title Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?
title_short Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?
title_full Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?
title_fullStr Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?
title_full_unstemmed Is Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Exhaled Breath Sampling Suitable for Hormonal Assessments?
title_sort is harbor porpoise (phocoena phocoena) exhaled breath sampling suitable for hormonal assessments?
publisher Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
publishDate 2021
url https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907
op_coverage agris
genre Phocoena phocoena
genre_facet Phocoena phocoena
op_source Animals; Volume 11; Issue 3; Pages: 907
op_relation Aquatic Animals
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907
op_rights https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
op_doi https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030907
container_title Animals
container_volume 11
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