Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, 100 Cheatham Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0321, USA.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2012 Nov 1;179(2):178-83. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.08.011. Epub 2012 Aug 20.
Free-ranging banded mongooses are infected by the novel pathogen, Mycobacterium mungi in northern Botswana. A reliable method for determining stress-related physiological responses in banded mongooses will increase our understanding of the stress response in M. mungi infection. Therefore, our aim was to examine the suitability of four enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for monitoring adrenocortical endocrine function in captive and free-ranging banded mongooses based on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) analysis. A conducted adrenocorticotropic hormone challenge revealed suitability of a valid measurement of FGM levels in banded mongoose feces for all four tested EIAs, with an 11-oxoetiocholanolone assay detecting 11,17-dioxoandrostanes (11,17-DOA) performing best. Subsequent analyses using only this EIA showed the expected decrease in FGM concentrations 48 h after administering dexamethasone sodium phosphate. Furthermore, captive mongooses showed higher FGM concentrations during reproductive activity, agonistic encounters and depredation events. Finally, a late-stage, tuberculosis-infected moribund mongoose in a free-ranging troop had a 54-fold elevation in FGM levels relative to the rest of the troop. Measurements of gastrointestinal transit times and FGM metabolism post-defecation indicate that the time delay of FGM excretion approximately corresponded with food transit time and that FGM metabolism is minimal up to 8h post-defecation. The ability to reliably assess adrenocortical endocrine function in banded mongoose now provides a solid basis for advancing our understanding of infectious disease and endocrinology in this species.
在博茨瓦纳北部，自由放养的条纹獴感染了新型病原体——分枝杆菌。一种可靠的方法来确定条纹獴应激相关的生理反应将增加我们对分枝杆菌感染应激反应的理解。因此，我们的目的是检验四种酶联免疫吸附测定法（EIAs）在基于粪便糖皮质激素代谢物（FGM）分析的情况下，监测圈养和自由放养条纹獴肾上腺皮质内分泌功能的适用性。进行的促肾上腺皮质激素刺激试验表明，所有四种测试的 EIA 都适合用于测量条纹獴粪便中的 FGM 水平，其中 11-氧代雄烷酮检测 11,17-二氧雄烷（11,17-DOA）的效果最好。随后仅使用这种 EIA 的分析表明，在给予地塞米松磷酸钠后 48 小时，FGM 浓度预期会下降。此外，圈养獴在繁殖活动、争斗和掠夺事件中显示出更高的 FGM 浓度。最后，在一个自由放养的群体中，一只处于晚期、患有肺结核的濒死条纹獴的 FGM 水平相对于群体中的其他獴升高了 54 倍。粪便后胃肠道转运时间和 FGM 代谢的测量表明，FGM 排泄的时间延迟与食物转运时间大致对应，并且 FGM 代谢在粪便后 8 小时内最小。现在，能够可靠地评估条纹獴的肾上腺皮质内分泌功能为我们在该物种的传染病和内分泌学研究提供了坚实的基础。
