Birth Defects in Wildlife: The Role of Environmental Contaminants as Inducers of Reproductive and Developmental Dysfunction

Hamlin, Heather J.; Guillette, Louis J.

doi:10.3109/19396360903244598

Cited by 84 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…There is sufficient information from laboratory animal studies that DDT (and the metabolites) causes reproductive and developmental effects (ATSDR, 2002). Similar reports come from observations in wildlife (Blomquist et al, 2006; Guillette et al, 1994; Hamlin and Guillette, 2010; Kolaja and Hinton, 1977). …”

Section: Examples Of Chemicals In Our Lives and Their Regulationsupporting

confidence: 84%

Public health decisions: Actions and consequences

Pohl

Jones

Holler

et al. 2014

Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology

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The goal of public health is to promote the best possible health for the whole population. Public health issues are numerous and can be unbelievably complex in form, scope, and possible consequence. Most public health decisions involve assessing several different options, weighing the respective benefits and risks of those options, and making difficult decisions that hopefully provide the greatest benefit to the affected populations. Many risk management decisions involve a variety of societal factors which modify risk assessment choices. The purpose of this paper is to point out difficulties in making decisions that impact public health. The intent of such decisions is to improve public health, but as illustrated in the paper, there can be unintended adverse consequences. Such unplanned issues require continued attention and efforts for responsible officials in the protection of environmental public health. This article presents examples of such events, when in the past, it was necessary to assess and regulate a number of potentially hazardous chemicals commonly used as insecticides, gasoline additives, and wood preservatives.

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Section: Examples Of Chemicals In Our Lives and Their Regulationsupporting

confidence: 84%

Public health decisions: Actions and consequences

Pohl

Jones

Holler

et al. 2014

Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology

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“…Current reports suggest immunotoxic effect of environmental contaminants (Esser and Jux 2009;Grove et al 2009). Accumulation of environmental contaminants in soil and water, as well as bioaccumulation in prey species, can lead to disturbances in wildlife and even extinction of species (Hamlin and Guillette 2010). Agrochemicals or industrial contaminants are regarded as major environmental pollutants that can adversely impact wildlife (Zutshi and Prasad 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immunotoxicity and disease resistance in Japanese quail (Corturnix coturnix japonica) exposed to malathion

Nain

Bour²,

Chalmers

et al. 2011

Ecotoxicology

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of malathion on the immune system of wild birds, using Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) as a model. Quail were exposed to malathion in drinking water at environmentally realistic concentrations (0 ppm, 1 ppm, and 10 ppm). In the fifth week, several arms of the immune response were tested using the T-cell based phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin test, the B-cell mediated antibody response, and the chemiluminescence assay measuring innate immunity. After the sixth week of malathion exposure, quail were challenged with E. coli O2. The bursa of Fabricius and the spleen were assessed for histopathology. No clinical signs of malathion toxicity were observed. Morbidity or mortality subsequent to E. coli exposure tended (P = 0.08) to be higher in the high exposure group (50.0%) compared to the control (22.2%) group. There was no difference in the innate immune response in the malathion exposed birds, however, humoral immunity was suppressed (P = 0.03) with the higher malathion exposure. Histopathological evaluation revealed an immunosuppressive effect of malathion on the bursa of Fabricius; bursal atrophy, decreased B-cell density and increased apoptosis in the medulla, and increased connective tissue thickness of the follicular epithelium. Antibody suppression was correlated with bursal changes and peripheral blood lymphocyte count, the organ and cells involved in antibody production. Following the same pattern as other immunotoxicity tests, the PHA T-cell proliferative response also tended to be suppressed in the high exposure group. This study provides evidence that subchronic, moderate malathion exposure is immunotoxic to quail and that testing integrated, functional immunity using an infectious challenge is a better predictor of immunotoxicity than individual responses to immunotoxicity tests. The secondary antibody response, circulating lymphocyte populations, and bursal histopathology were the most sensitive indicators of immune status, as these predicted decreased disease resistance with malathion exposure.

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“…Sexual differentiation in these animals is also strongly influenced by chemicals that disrupt hormone systems (25)(26)(27)(28). Some endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are highly potent pollutants, and exposure concentrations occurring in natural surface waters have been shown to affect reproductive development negatively in reptiles (29), amphibians (28), and fish (30,31).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and pollution speed declines in zebrafish populations

Brown

Owen

Peters

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are potent environmental contaminants, and their effects on wildlife populations could be exacerbated by climate change, especially in species with environmental sex determination. Endangered species may be particularly at risk because inbreeding depression and stochastic fluctuations in male and female numbers are often observed in the small populations that typify these taxa. Here, we assessed the interactive effects of water temperature and EDC exposure on sexual development and population viability of inbred and outbred zebrafish (Danio rerio). Water temperatures adopted were 28°C (current ambient mean spawning temperature) and 33°C (projected for the year 2100). The EDC selected was clotrimazole (at 2 μg/L and 10 μg/L), a widely used antifungal chemical that inhibits a key steroidogenic enzyme [cytochrome P450(CYP19) aromatase] required for estrogen synthesis in vertebrates. Elevated water temperature and clotrimazole exposure independently induced maleskewed sex ratios, and the effects of clotrimazole were greater at the higher temperature. Male sex ratio skews also occurred for the lower clotrimazole exposure concentration at the higher water temperature in inbred fish but not in outbred fish. Population viability analysis showed that population growth rates declined sharply in response to male skews and declines for inbred populations occurred at lower male skews than for outbred populations. These results indicate that elevated temperature associated with climate change can amplify the effects of EDCs and these effects are likely to be most acute in small, inbred populations exhibiting environmental sex determination and/or differentiation.

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Birth Defects in Wildlife: The Role of Environmental Contaminants as Inducers of Reproductive and Developmental Dysfunction

Cited by 84 publications

References 85 publications

Public health decisions: Actions and consequences

Public health decisions: Actions and consequences

Immunotoxicity and disease resistance in Japanese quail (Corturnix coturnix japonica) exposed to malathion

Climate change and pollution speed declines in zebrafish populations

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