Ultrasonography in amphibians

Schildger, Bernd; Triet, Hans

doi:10.1053/saep.2001.24673

Cited by 16 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Ultrasound offers great potential to fulfill this function in wildlife species [ 28 , 29 ], being non-invasive, innocuous, and safely repeatable [ 30 ]. It has been successfully applied in amphibians [ 31 , 32 ], which we here reaffirm for the endangered olm. Three valuable aspects can be addressed using this imaging modality: basic physiology, health monitoring, and reproductive monitoring.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

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Monitoring health and reproductive status of olms (Proteus anguinus) by ultrasound

Holtze

Lukač

Cizelj³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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The olm (Proteus anguinus) is a troglomorphic, neotenous amphibian with extraordinary life expectancy and unique adaptations that deserve further investigation. A low reproductive rate and habitat decline render it threatened by extinction. Establishing captive populations for maintenance and artificial breeding may one day become crucial to the species. Longitudinal, in-vivo assessment of inner organs is invaluable to our understanding of reproductive physiology, health, and behavior. Using ultrasound, we measured heart rate and assessed health and reproductive status of 13 captive olms at Zagreb Zoo. Heart rate averaged 42.9 ± 4.6 bpm (32–55 bpm), as determined via pulsed-wave Doppler at 4–12 MHz. By using frequencies of up to 70 MHz (ultrasound biomicroscopy), inner organs were visualized in detail. Assessment of the gastrointestinal tract provided insights into feeding status and digestive processes. Several subclinical pathologies were detected, including biliary sludge, subcutaneous edema, ascites, and skin lesions. Detection of skin lesions by ultrasound was more sensitive than visual adspection. Olms with ultrasonographically detected skin lesions tested positive for Saprolegnia and were treated. Three of the four affected individuals survived and subsequently tested negative for Saprolegnia. Sex was reliably determined; only one individual proved male. The reason for this extreme female-biased sex-ratio remains unknown. However, as most of the individuals were flushed from the caves by strong currents in spring, the sample may not be representative of natural populations. In female olms, different stages of ovarian follicular development were observed with diameters ranging between 0.1 and 1.1 mm. Results were confirmed by comparing ultrasound, necropsy, and histological findings of one dead specimen. In summary, ultrasound proved a valuable tool to support conservation and captive breeding programs by allowing non-invasive assessment of physiological parameters, clinical condition, and reproductive status in olms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…in juveniles or out of breeding season), as well as in small species to which the technique is rarely applied [ 22 ]. Few reports exist on the use of ultrasound as a medical diagnostic tool in amphibians [ 23 – 25 ], and none regarding the assessment of heart rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring health and reproductive status of olms (Proteus anguinus) by ultrasound

Holtze

Lukač

Cizelj³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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“…An alternative option used in certain mammalian species is measurement of subcutaneous fat by ultrasonography; however, anurans do not typically store fat subcutaneously (Pond, ; Schiffmann et al, ). Measurement of intra‐coelomic fat bodies by ultrasonography could be considered; however, they can be difficult to differentiate on coelomic ultrasonography (Pond, ; Schildger, ). Therefore, the authors considered correlation with a body condition index based on morphometric measurements which had been validated in other amphibian species to be the most appropriate method to validate the condition score in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a body condition score for the mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax)

et al. 2018

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The Critically Endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) has undergone drastic population decline due to habitat loss, hunting, invasive species, and chytridiomycosis. In response, several partner institutions initiated a conservation breeding program. It is important to maintain the captive population in good health. Therefore the program partners have recommended establishment of protocols for health examination of the species, including body condition assessment. Visual body condition scoring is a useful means to assess body condition in zoo animals for which regular bodyweight measurements are impractical or associated with capture-related stress. In this study, the authors developed a visual body condition score for the mountain chicken frog based on an ordinal categorical scale from 1 to 5 (1 = lowest body condition, 5 = highest body condition) using anatomical features that vary with total body energy reserves. Veterinary staff, animal managers, keepers, researchers, and students subsequently used the body condition score to assign scores to 98 mountain chicken frogs (41 male, 57 female) aged between 8 months and 12 years housed in five zoos in the UK and Jersey between February and March 2016. Body condition scores showed moderate (rho = 0.54; males) to strong (rho = 0.6; females) correlation with the scaled mass index, an objective measure of total energy reserves. The majority of pairwise comparisons between scores showed slight to substantial intra-observer agreement (93.8%) and slight to almost perfect inter-observer agreement (97.2%). Cases of poor agreement were likely due to limited observer experience working with the species.

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“…Coupling gel was applied on the scanned part of the animal's body, commonly used in veterinary medicine (Schildger and Triet 2001). Despite the fact that salamander skin is fragile and permeable to water and gases, no adverse reactions to the gel were noticed (Schildger andTriet 2001, Krause et al 2013).…”

Section: Ultrasound Imaging Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultrasonography: a method used for pregnancy imaging of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra)

Najbar¹,

Kiełbowicz²,

Szymczak³

et al. 2016

Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences

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Ultrasound imaging has more frequently been used in veterinary medicine of amphibians and reptiles. In this study, we have verified the usefulness of ultrasound imaging in pregnancy determination of the fire salamander Salamandra salamandra. We have also undertaken to estimate the number of larvae and their developmental stage directly in the oviducts. Three gravid females from Lower Silesia (southern Poland) were examined. Due to the small size of the scanned animals, and the particular arrangement of embryos in the oviducts and ultrasound beams dispersal, the method proved to be inaccurate. Therefore, the minimum number of well-visualized larvae was determined. The maximum number of larvae was established on the basis of the visible fragments of embryos. After birth, we found that the number of larvae born was included in the "min-max"range in only one case. In the remaining two salamanders the number of larvae was higher than estimated in 3 to 7 individuals. The results showed that ultrasound imaging allows the minimum number of larvae in salamander; oviducts to be specified. However, total length measurements were possible only for single and clearly visible embryos.

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Ultrasonography in amphibians

Cited by 16 publications

References 4 publications

Monitoring health and reproductive status of olms (Proteus anguinus) by ultrasound

Monitoring health and reproductive status of olms (Proteus anguinus) by ultrasound

Development of a body condition score for the mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax)

Ultrasonography: a method used for pregnancy imaging of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra)

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