Migration and Histologic Effects of Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) and Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags in the Marine Toad (Rhinella marina).

Brigid V Troan,Frank Ridgley,Larry J Minter,Dustin Smith,Megan L Cabot,Rodney W Schnellbacher,Kimberly Ange-Van Heugten

doi:10.3390/ani11113255

Abstract

Simple SummaryPassive integrated transponder (PIT) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags are commonly used to identify reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The aim of this study was to evaluate for pathologic changes associated with these tags in the marine toad (Rhinella marina). For the 56 toads in this study, all PIT tags were functional and 95% remained at the insertion site with little to no damage to the tissue. However, only 48% of VIE tags were functional, i.e., visible through the skin. Although there was little to no damage to the skin at the site of placement, the VIE was found to have migrated to the kidneys in 98% of toads as well as along the legs and sporadically in other internal organs. VIE in the kidney caused inflammation and damage to the vasculature that progressed in severity over time. Based on these findings, the authors recommend the use of PIT tags over VIE tags for identification of adult anurans, when feasible.Passive integrated transponder (PIT) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags are commonly used to identify reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Despite reports of good retention rates and little to no negative effect on survival time, migration remains a concern and histologic changes have not been widely evaluated. Fifty-six wild-caught marine toads (Rhinella marina) were marked with a PIT tag in the left caudal thigh and a VIE tag over the right gastrocnemius muscle prior to transport to the North Carolina Zoo. Fourteen toads were then humanely euthanized on day 9, 15, 32, and 62 for postmortem examination and histopathology which were compared to 10 control toads with no tags. All PIT tags were functional and 95% remained at the insertion site with minimal to no histologic changes. Externally, 48% of VIE tags were visible through the skin at the original site of injection under fluorescent or UV light. Upon gross examination of the tissues, VIE tags had an overall retention rate of 62% at the injection site, with similar retention rates across time points. Migrated VIE material was visible grossly and histologically in the kidneys of 98% of toads and along the right leg, proximally and distally, in 25% of toads. VIE material was also found sporadically in mesentery, colon, and free in the coelomic cavity. Histologically, VIE material in the skin was surrounded by minimal to mild granulomatous inflammation while in the kidney it was associated with dilation of the small vessels, edema, and granulomatous nephritis that progressed in severity over time. Based on these findings, the authors recommend the use of PIT tags over VIE tags for identification of adult anurans, when feasible.

Highlights

Laboratory populations, zoological collections, and mark-recapture research often require identification of individual animals that are small in size, housed in large cohorts, and indistinguishable by external features
The majority of toads (66%; 37/56) had no fibrosis associated with the passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags while 21% (12/56) of toads had minimal fibrosis and 13% (7/56) had mild fibrosis
There was no significant difference in inflammation scoring between toads with PIT tags and control toads, in which inflammation was associated with encysted parasites

Summary

Introduction

Laboratory populations, zoological collections, and mark-recapture research often require identification of individual animals that are small in size, housed in large cohorts, and indistinguishable by external features. Many types of tags have since been utilized to mark individuals for identification with two popular options being the passive integrated transponder (PIT) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags [3]. PIT tags are referred to as “microchips” as they are small tubes containing an integrated circuit chip, capacitor, and antenna coil that sends an alphanumeric code to a reader when activated by the electro-magnetic field of the scanning device. PIT tags come in numerous sizes and are inserted under the skin or into the coelom surgically or using an implantation device. PIT tags can be expensive and require a dedicated scanning device to be functional

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