title: Acetylcholinesterase concentrations in heparinized blood of Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis).
abstract: Organophosphate and carbamate pesticides inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at nerve synapses. Blood samples from 22 Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis) were assayed for cholinesterase levels by two different techniques. Using the modified Michel method, the whole-blood cholinesterase activity levels ranged from 0.082 to 0.616 deltapH/hr with a mean value of 0.35 deltapH/hr. A reference range (0.08-0.62 deltapH/hr) for cholinesterase was established in birds. The modified Ellman spectrophotometric method was used to measure AChE activity by adding acetylthiocholine or pseudocholinesterase (plasma cholinesterase) activity by adding butyrylthiocholine. The reference range of the AChE activity using the modified Ellman spectrophotometric method was 0-1.12 micromol/ml/min with a mean of 0.48 micromol/ml/min, and for pseudocholinesterase the range was 0.09-0.98 micromol/ml/min with a mean of 0.53 micromol/ml/min.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Tully
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osofsky
authors.forename: Peter L H
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Jowett
authors.forename: Giselle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hosgood
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D002219:Carbamates; D007306:Insecticides / Q000506:poisoning*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010311:Parrots / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D002219:Carbamates; D007306:Insecticides; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D000109:Acetylcholine