title: Ovarian cycle approach by rectal temperature and fecal progesterone in a female killer whale, Orcinus orca.
abstract: This study aimed to validate the measurements of body temperature and fecal progesterone concentrations as minimally invasive techniques for assessing ovarian cycle in a single sexually mature female killer whale. Rectal temperature data, fecal and blood samples were collected in the dorsal position using routine husbandry training on a voluntary basis. The correlations between rectal temperature and plasma progesterone concentration and between fecal and plasma progesterone concentrations were investigated. Fecal progesterone metabolites were identified by a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme immunoassay. Plasma progesterone concentrations (range: 0.2-18.6 ng/ml) and rectal temperature (range: 35.3-35.9°C) changed cyclically, and cycle lengths were an average (±SD) of 44.9±4.0 days (nine cycles) and 44.6±5.9 days (nine cycles), respectively. Rectal temperature positively correlated with the plasma progesterone concentrations (r=0.641, P<0.01). There was a visual trend for fecal progesterone profiles to be similar to circulating plasma progesterone profiles. Fecal immunoreactive progestagen analysis resulted in a marked immunoreactive peak of progesterone. The data from the single killer whale indicate that the measurement of rectal temperature is suitable for minimally invasive assessment of the estrous cycle and monitoring the fecal progesterone concentration is useful to assess ovarian luteal activity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan. kusuda@gifu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusuda
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kakizoe
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sengoku
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.forename: Itsuki
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Doi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D050685:Whale, Killer / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone