Latex laboratory-gloves: an unexpected pitfall in amphibian toxicity assays with tadpoles

Gutleb, Arno C.; Bronkhorst, M.; Berg, J.H.J. van den; Murk, Albertinka J.

doi:10.1016/s1382-6689(01)00091-6

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Test solutions were replaced completely three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), at which time tadpoles were removed from the test tanks by gentle scooping using a small strainer in order to avoid any injury of the test organisms. Toxic effects arising from the use of latex gloves [45] have been reported, and so we recommend using vinyl or nitril gloves during exchange of test solutions. Before refilling the test tanks with fresh test solution, the inner tank sides, the bottom, and the glass covers were cleaned with warm tap water, followed by thorough rinsing with deionized water.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Description and initial evaluation of a Xenopus metamorphosis assay for detection of thyroid system‐disrupting activities of environmental compounds

Opitz

Braunbeck

Bögi³

et al. 2005

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

106

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A need is recognized for the development and evaluation of bioassays for detection of thyroid system-disrupting compounds. The issue of testing for thyroid disruption can be addressed by exploiting amphibian metamorphosis as a biological model. In the present study, a test protocol for a Xenopus metamorphosis assay (XEMA) was developed and its interlaboratory transferability was evaluated in an informal ring test with six laboratories participating. In the XEMA test, exposure of Xenopus laevis tadpoles was initiated at stages 48 to 50 and continued for 28 d. Development and growth of tadpoles were assessed by means of developmental stage and whole body length determinations, respectively. For initial test protocol evaluation, thyroxine (T4), and propylthiouracil (PTU) were used as positive controls for thyroid system-modulating activity, and ethylenethiourea (ETU) was used as a test compound. Exposure of tadpoles to 1 microg/L T4 produced a significant acceleration of metamorphosis whereas PTU concentrations of 75 and 100 mg/L completely inhibited metamorphosis. Five different ETU concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg/L) were tested and a concentration-dependent inhibition of metamorphosis was observed. None of the compounds affected tadpole survival, and only PTU caused a slight retardation in tadpole growth. This study demonstrates that the XEMA test provides a sensitive, robust, and practical testing approach for detection of compounds with both agonistic and antagonistic effects on the thyroid system in Xenopus tadpoles.

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Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Description and initial evaluation of a Xenopus metamorphosis assay for detection of thyroid system‐disrupting activities of environmental compounds

Opitz

Braunbeck

Bögi³

et al. 2005

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

106

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“…The adverse effects of NO 3 -N exposure in amphibians however, may vary among species [ 42 ] and among populations of the same species [ 43 ]. High nitrate concentrations may explain well known negative effects of nitrile, latex and vinyl gloves on tadpoles, even after short-term exposures during routine handling [ 18 ] or after exposure to water in which gloves had been soaked [ 17 , 19 ]. As a consequence, when working with amphibian larvae, it is important to verify NO 3 -N levels on the gloves that are used.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These highly virulent pathogens, caused widespread amphibian mortality and extinctions [ 16 ] and resulted in advocacy for glove-use when manipulating more than one amphibian, to prevent dissemination of emerging infectious diseases. Despite the use of gloves being recommended to prevent disease transmission, there have also been reports of deleterious effects on amphibians (both adult and juveniles) after contact with latex [ 17 ], nitrile and vinyl gloves [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instant killing of pathogenic chytrid fungi by disposable nitrile gloves prevents disease transmission between amphibians

et al. 2020

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To prevent transmission of the pathogenic chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ), hygiene protocols prescribe the single use of disposable gloves for handling amphibians. We discovered that rinse water from nitrile gloves instantly kills 99% of Bd and Bsal zoospores. Transmission experiments using midwife toads ( Alytes obstetricans ) and Bd , and Alpine newts ( Ichthyosaura alpestris ) and Bsal , show that the use of the same pair of gloves for 2 subsequent individuals does not result in significant transmission of any chytrid fungus. In contrast, handling infected amphibians bare-handed caused transmission of Bsal in 4 out of 10 replicates, but did not result in transmission of Bd . Based on the manufacturer’s information, high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and colorimetric tests, calcium lactate and calcium nitrate were identified as compounds with antifungal activity against both Bd and Bsal . These findings corroborate the importance of wearing gloves as an important sanitary measure in amphibian disease prevention. If the highly recommended single use of gloves is not possible, handling multiple post-metamorphic amphibians with the same pair of nitrile gloves should still be preferred above bare-handed manipulation.

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“…We performed two experiments for this investigation: one where the researcher did not change examination gloves between handling animals and one where infected and uninfected animals were co-housed for different durations. Although biologists increasingly use examination gloves when processing animals in the wild [ 13 , 14 ], there is some skepticism about using them [ 15 ] and in some cases, gloves are not changed between animals (MJG, personal observation). Also, captured animals may be co-housed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poor biosecurity could lead to disease outbreaks in animal populations

et al. 2018

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Human-mediated disease outbreaks due to poor biosecurity practices when processing animals in wild populations have been suspected. We tested whether not changing nitrile gloves between processing wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles and co-housing individuals increased pathogen transmission and subsequent diseased-induced mortality caused by the emerging pathogen, ranavirus. We found that not changing gloves between processing infected and uninfected tadpoles resulted in transmission of ranavirus and increased the risk of mortality of uninfected tadpoles by 30X. Co-housing tadpoles for only 15 minutes with 10% of individuals infected resulted in ranavirus transmission and 50% mortality of uninfected tadpoles. More extreme mortality was observed when the co-housing infection prevalence was >10%. Our results illustrate that human-induced disease outbreaks due to poor biosecurity practices are possible in wild animal populations.

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Latex laboratory-gloves: an unexpected pitfall in amphibian toxicity assays with tadpoles

Cited by 16 publications

References 7 publications

Description and initial evaluation of a Xenopus metamorphosis assay for detection of thyroid system‐disrupting activities of environmental compounds

Description and initial evaluation of a Xenopus metamorphosis assay for detection of thyroid system‐disrupting activities of environmental compounds

Instant killing of pathogenic chytrid fungi by disposable nitrile gloves prevents disease transmission between amphibians

Poor biosecurity could lead to disease outbreaks in animal populations

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