Sampling the Body Odor of Primates: Cotton Swabs Sample Semivolatiles Rather
          Than Volatiles

Birkemeyer, Claudia; Thomsen, Ruth; Jänig, Susann; Kücklich, Marlen; Slama, Anna; Weiß, B.; Widdig, Anja

doi:10.1093/chemse/bjw056

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Microbiota composition on fecal samples and rectal swabs profiles seemed to be comparable [46], whereas we observed significant differences in VOC profiles between the two niches. Possibly, VOCs deriving from the swab itself may interact with the eNose sensors, influencing the measured VOC profile, thereby explaining the observed differences [47]. However, the observation that rectal swab profiles differ from empty swab profiles indicates that rectal swabs could be of value in clinical diagnostics, since a signal different from an empty swab was obtained.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Sampling Conditions and Environmental Factors on Fecal Volatile Organic Compound Analysis by an Electronic Nose Device

Berkhout

Benninga

Stein

et al. 2016

Sensors

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Prior to implementation of volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis in clinical practice, substantial challenges, including methodological, biological and analytical difficulties are faced. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of several sampling conditions and environmental factors on fecal VOC profiles, analyzed by an electronic nose (eNose). Effects of fecal sample mass, water content, duration of storage at room temperature, fecal sample temperature, number of freeze–thaw cycles and effect of sampling method (rectal swabs vs. fecal samples) on VOC profiles were assessed by analysis of totally 725 fecal samples by means of an eNose (Cyranose320®). Furthermore, fecal VOC profiles of totally 1285 fecal samples from 71 infants born at three different hospitals were compared to assess the influence of center of origin on VOC outcome. We observed that all analyzed variables significantly influenced fecal VOC composition. It was feasible to capture a VOC profile using rectal swabs, although this differed significantly from fecal VOC profiles of similar subjects. In addition, 1285 fecal VOC-profiles could significantly be discriminated based on center of birth. In conclusion, standardization of methodology is necessary before fecal VOC analysis can live up to its potential as diagnostic tool in clinical practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Sampling Conditions and Environmental Factors on Fecal Volatile Organic Compound Analysis by an Electronic Nose Device

Berkhout

Benninga

Stein

et al. 2016

Sensors

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“…Eccrine and apocrine sweat glands are distributed over the whole body but concentrated in the axillary organ (Ellis & Montagna, ; Montagna & Yun, ). Body odor (i.e., chemicals on the skin) was collected by rubbing a cleaned (baked) cotton pad (60% cotton wool, 20% microfiber from polyester, and 15% polyester; for details see also Birkemeyer et al, ) over the skin/fur of the animal for approx. 20 s. Samples were stored in glass vials (washed with methanol and diethyl ether) at −80°C within a few hours after sampling.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative chemical analysis of body odor in great apes

Jänig

Weiß

Birkemeyer

et al. 2019

American J Primatol

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Olfaction is important across the animal kingdom for transferring information on, for example, species, sex, group membership, or reproductive parameters. Its relevance has been established in primates including humans, yet research on great apes still is fragmentary. Observational evidence indicates that great apes use their sense of smell in various contexts, but the information content of their body odor has not been analyzed.Our aim was therefore to compare the chemical composition of body odor in great ape species, namely Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii (Lesson, 1827), one adult male, five adult females, four nonadults), Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla (Savage, 1847), one adult male, two adult females, one nonadult), common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes (Blumenbach, 1775), four adult males, nine adult females, four nonadults), and bonobos (Pan paniscus (Schwarz, 1929), two adult males, four adult females, two nonadults). We collected 195 samples (five per individual) of 39 captive individuals using cotton swabs and analyzed them using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. We compared the sample richness and intensity, similarity of chemical composition, and relative abundance of compounds. Results show that species, age, and potentially sexhave an impact on the variance between odor profiles. Richness and intensity varied significantly between species (gorillas having the highest, bonobos the lowest richness and intensity), and with age (both increasing with age). Richness and intensity did not vary between sexes. Odor samples of the same species were more similar to each other than samples of different species. Among all compounds identified some were associated with age (N = 7), sex (N = 6), and species-related (N = 37) variance. Our study contributes to the basic understanding of olfactory communication in hominids by showing that the chemical composition of body odor varies across species and individuals, containing potentially important information for social communication.

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“…In addition, we tested the attractiveness of the volatile samples to anthropophilic An. coluzzii and zoophilic Anopheles quadriannulatus mosquitoes (Athrey et al, 2017;Pates et al, 2014;Takken and Knols, 1999). As an external reference, we included cow skin bacterial and volatile samples and tested the volatiles for attractiveness to the two mosquito species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do apes smell like humans? The role of skin bacteria and volatiles of primates in mosquito host selection

Verhulst

Umanets

Weldegergis

et al. 2018

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Anthropophilic mosquitoes are effective vectors of human disease because of their biting preferences. To find their host, these mosquitoes are guided by human odours, primarily produced by human skin bacteria. By analysing the skin bacterial and skin volatile profiles of humans, bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, lemurs and cows, we investigated whether primates that are more closely related to humans have a skin bacterial community and odour profile that is similar to that of humans. We then investigated whether this affected discrimination between humans and closely related primates by anthropophilic and zoophilic mosquitoes that search for hosts. Humans had a lower skin bacterial diversity than the other animals and their skin bacterial composition was more similar to that in other primates than it was to the skin bacteria of cows. Like the skin bacterial profiles, the volatile profiles of the animal groups were clearly different from each other. The volatile profiles of cows and lemurs were more closely related to the human profiles than expected. Human volatiles were indeed preferred above cow volatiles by anthropophilic mosquitoes and no preference was observed when tested against non-human primate odour, except for bonobo volatiles, which were preferred over human volatiles. Unravelling the differences between mosquito hosts and their effect on host selection is important for a better understanding of cross-species transmission of vector-borne diseases.

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Sampling the Body Odor of Primates: Cotton Swabs Sample Semivolatiles Rather Than Volatiles

Cited by 20 publications

References 26 publications

Effects of Sampling Conditions and Environmental Factors on Fecal Volatile Organic Compound Analysis by an Electronic Nose Device

Effects of Sampling Conditions and Environmental Factors on Fecal Volatile Organic Compound Analysis by an Electronic Nose Device

Comparative chemical analysis of body odor in great apes

Do apes smell like humans? The role of skin bacteria and volatiles of primates in mosquito host selection

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