Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites can be used as a stress indicator in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
Background: Glucocorticoids increase in response to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis stimulation, and their metabolites can be measured in dolphins' feces. Aim: This study aimed to assess the welfare of bottlenose dolphins under human care by measuring fecal glucocorticoid metabo...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Tripoli University
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Open Veterinary Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ejmanager.com/fulltextpdf.php?mno=225646 |
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| Summary: | Background:
Glucocorticoids increase in response to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis stimulation, and their metabolites can be measured in dolphins' feces.
Aim:
This study aimed to assess the welfare of bottlenose dolphins under human care by measuring fecal glucocorticoid metabolites.
Methods:
Our study consisted of measuring glucocorticoid metabolites concentration by enzyme immunoassay in fecal samples from five bottlenose dolphins housed in a dolphinarium. Dolphins were sampled once a month over a year, and one day before and two days after the three stressful events.
Results:
We confirmed the validation of an extraction technique and an enzyme immunoassay to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolites and we observed an increase in their concentration after the stressful events, which provides a biological validation of this method. In parallel, we confirmed that males had a higher concentration of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites than females, with a basal concentration of around 80 and 50 ng/g of dried feces, respectively.
Conclusion:
Our study confirms that fecal glucocorticoid metabolites measurement is a relevant indicator of stress response in bottlenose dolphins under human care, although it needs to take into account the sex and reproductive status of the animals. [Open Vet J 2025; 15(2.000): 911-922] |
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| ISSN: | 2226-4485 2218-6050 |