title: Parasites, stress and reindeer: infection with abomasal nematodes is not associated with elevated glucocorticoid levels in hair or faeces.
abstract: Stress hormones (glucocorticoids), incorporated into hair/fur and faeces, have been proposed as biomarkers of overall health in wildlife. Although such biomarkers may be helpful for wildlife conservation and management, their use has rarely been validated. There is a paucity of studies examining the variation of stress hormones in mammals and how they relate to other health measures, such as parasitism. Parasites are ubiquitous in wildlife and can influence the fitness of individual animals and populations. Through a longitudinal experiment using captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), we tested whether animals infected withOstertagia gruehneri, a gastrointestinal nematode with negative impacts on fitness of the host, had higher stress levels compared with those that had been treated to remove infection. Faecal samples were collected weekly for 12 weeks (June-September) and hair was collected at the start and end of the study; glucocorticoids were quantified using enzyme immunoassays. Contrary to what was expected, infected reindeer had similar levels of cortisol in hair and slightly lower glucocorticoid metabolites in faeces compared with uninfected reindeer. Faecal corticosterone levels were higher than faecal cortisol levels, and only corticosterone increased significantly after a handling event. These results suggest that reindeer may use a tolerance strategy to cope with gastrointestinal nematodes and raise the question as to whether moderate infection intensities with nematodes are beneficial to the host. By removing nematodes we may have altered the gut microbiota, leading to the observed elevated faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in the treated reindeer. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering both cortisol and corticosterone in physiological studies, as there is mounting evidence that they may have different functionalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Calgary , 3280 Hospital Drive NW , Calgary, Alberta , Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Physiology Unit, Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1B 5K7.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mastromonaco
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Calgary , 3280 Hospital Drive NW , Calgary, Alberta , Canada T2N 4Z6.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vandervalk
authors.affiliation: Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre Alberta, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N4Z6 , Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kutz
keywords: Glucocorticoids; Ostertagia gruehneri; Rangifer tarandus; nematode; stress; wildlife