title: Mutagenicity of fecal extracts from carnivorous and herbivorous animals.
abstract: Extracts of the feces of 3 carnivorous animals (dog, river otter and sea gull) and 5 herbivorous animals (cow, horse, sheep, chicken and goose) induced chromosome aberrations (breaks and exchanges) in cultured CHO cells. The addition of CuII (10(-4)M) enhanced the clastogenic effect of fecal extracts of the examined animals with the exceptiion of 1 dog and 3 cow samples. Catalase reduced the chromosome-breaking and mitosis-inhibiting capacities of fecal extracts. These results indicate the presence of hydrogen peroxide-forming compounds. The possibility must be considered that animal and human excreta may be a major source of mutagens entering man's environment.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000187:drug effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005777:Geese / Q000502:physiology; D006736:Horses / Q000502:physiology; D009153:Mutagens; D010041:Otters / Q000502:physiology; D010053:Ovary; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens