Stress assessment using hair cortisol of kangaroos affected by the lumpy jaw disease

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Vol. 79; no. 5; pp. 852 - 854
• Main Authors: SOTOHIRA, Yukari, SUZUKI, Kazuyuki, SANO, Tadashi, ARAI, Chigusa, ASAKAWA, Mitsuhiko, HAYASHI, Hideaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE 2017; Japan Science and Technology Agency; The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science
• Subjects: Animals; Cortisol; Enzyme immunoassay; Hair; Hair - chemistry; hair cortisol; Hormones; Hydrocortisone - analysis; Hydrocortisone - blood; Jaw; Jaw Diseases - diagnosis; Jaw Diseases - veterinary; kangaroo; Lumpy jaw; lumpy jaw disease; Macropodidae; Methanol; objectively assessment; Osteomyelitis - diagnosis; Osteomyelitis - psychology; Osteomyelitis - veterinary; Stress; Stress, Physiological; Wildlife Science; kangaroo; stress; objectively assessment; hair cortisol; lumpy jaw disease
• ISSN: 0916-7250; 1347-7439
• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.16-0633

The aim of this study was to objectively assess stress of kangaroos affected by lumpy jaw disease (LJD) using plasma and hair cortisol concentrations. The plasma and hair samples were collected from kangaroos with LJD and healthy controls. Collected hair samples were extracted with methanol after washing with isopropanol, following which they were processed with the cortisol enzyme immunoassay kit. The plasma cortisol concentration of LJD animals tended to be higher than that of the control. Ventral hair cortisol, but not dorsal hair, of LJD animals was significantly higher than that of the control. In conclusion, stress in kangaroos infected with LJD could be assessed by measuring ventral hair cortisol.