Identification of koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal cortisol metabolites using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and enzyme immunoassays
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal folivorous marsupial endemic to Australia. Anthropogenic activities and climate change are threats to this species’ survival and are potential stressors. A suitable non-invasive method is needed to objectively detect stress in koalas. Under conditions of stress, the concentration of the hormone cortisol in plasma or in saliva is […]
Challenges, pitfalls and surprises: development and validation of a monoclonal antibody for enzyme immunoassay of the steroid 1 alpha -hydroxycorticosterone in elasmobranch species
Sharks and rays are popular species used in wildlife ecotourism and aquariums to educate the public on the behavior, ecology and conservation challenges of elasmobranchs. To understand long-term physiological health and welfare under varying social and husbandry conditions, we developed and validated an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to measure stress/ionoregulatory hormones in managed and semi-free range […]
A description of unique fluorescent yellow pigments in penguin feathers
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Noninvasive monitoring of adrenocortical activity in carnivores by fecal glucocorticoid analyses
Measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites in feces has become an accepted method for the noninvasive evaluation of adrenocortical activity. The objective of this study was to determine if a simple cortisol enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was suitable for monitoring adrenocortical activity in a variety of carnivore species. Performance of the cortisol EIA was gauged by comparison to […]
Effect of a cage divider permitting social stimuli on stress and food intake in rats
The need to obtain data from individual laboratory animals has forced many researchers to singly-house small animals. This is costly to the researcher and isolation can adversely affect animal physiology and behavior which in turn may threaten the validity and generalization of experiment results to humans. We assessed the practical use of a housing device […]