title: Organochlorine detection in the shed skins of snakes.
abstract: Lizards and snakes eliminate heavy metals in their shed skins. There are no data with regard to reptilian skin as a depuration route for organochlorine (OC) compounds; however, birds deposit OCs in feathers. Corn snakes (Elaphe guttata) were therefore fed thawed mice that had been injected with a mixture of alpha-chlordane, Aroclor 1254 (a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture), and lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane) at 2, 8, and 4 mg/kg, respectively. Feeding of contaminated mice occurred on the first weekly feeding of each month, with remaining weekly feedings consisting of noncontaminated mice, and was continued for 6 months. Shed skins were evaluated in a multiresidue OC scan by gas chromatography. All three chemical contaminants were readily detected in the shed skins: chlordane, 0.155-0.213 ppm; PCB, 3.49-7.01 ppm; lindane: 0.028-0.042 ppm. These data suggest that the shed skin of snakes may serve as an elimination route for OC contaminants and as such may have utility as a noninvasive, nondestructive indicator tissue for assessing environmental contamination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442, USA. dejones@vt.edu
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gogal
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Nader
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Holladay
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002706:Chlordan / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D020111:Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine) / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D017812:Colubridae / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D018978:Molting; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D020111:Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine); D002706:Chlordan; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane