Female Iguana Research Articles

Faecal Triiodothyronine Hormone Levels in Female Iguana during Weekday and Weekend in In Situ Conservation

Iguanas are exotic animals that are widely kept as pets in our society,their performance and color being their main attraction. Jogja Exotarium is anin situ conservation park that carries the back to nature concept. Animals thatare kept at the Jogja Exotarium are allowed direct contact with visitors. Thisstudy aims to determine the hormone triiodothyronine in female iguanas that are raised and conserved in situ. This study used feces obtained from iguanas kept in Jogja Exotarium, sampling was carried out on Wednesdays and Sundays for 2 weeks. The collected faecal samples were processed by usingfreeze-drying method and then extracted using 80% methanol. The extracted samples were analyzed using the enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA) method. The results showed during the week day was 107.1 ± 7.01 ng/gr dry feces, while the week end was 119.95 ± 4.3 ng/gr dry feces. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that there is no difference in the hormone triiodothyronine in female iguanas during weekday and weekend

Human Infection ofSalmonellaMatadi in Korea

To the Editor: Salmonella Matadi (S. Matadi) was firstly isolated in 19541 from Matadi, the regional capital of Belgian Congo which was the former name of Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a very rare serotype, and a few cases have been reported in Denmark during 1960 and 19682 and USA in 1993,3 although the incidence of S. Matadi has recently increased in USA, Canada and Japan. Reptile is regarded as a source of infection, particularly the intestine of adult female iguana,4 and there is also a report on the infection of 2 teenage boys who handled a green iguana.3 In Korea, S. Matadi was first isolated recently from 15-month old baby who suffered from severe fever and mucous diarrhea for 5 days. Cefotiam as antimicrobial and general medicines for intestinal disorder were given as the first treatments on 5 days after symptom appeared. However, fever and diarrhea continued until cefotaxime treatment on 7 days after the appearance of the symptoms. S. Matadi was isolated from diarrhea samples and its serotype was determined by agglutination test and MLST. Hematological test was performed twice; on the day of hospitalization and second treatment. MCV, MCH and Hb showed relatively low rate, compared with normal range, indicating dehydrated body condition. S. Matadi was susceptible, but not resistant to antimicrobial agents that were given along with 17 agents which are generally used for Enterobactericeae. Cefotiam is a good antimicrobial agent, however, it may not be appropriate choice to treat Salmonella spp. infection. It is not clear how 15-month old baby was infected with S. Matadi: whether through infected reptile or contaminated food. He was too young and fed only powdered milk and weaning food. He was not in nursing facility or did not travel foreign country. His family members did not bring in any reptiles as a pet and did not show similar symptoms. However, his father was suspected as carrier because he worked in the import and export shipments Co. at Busan port and used to handle luggage by hands. Susceptibility of Salmonella infection in children younger than five years of age is five times higher than in adults. Therefore, small amount of S. Matadi in father's hand might have infected 15-month old baby who was more sensitive than his parents. In recent years, new Salmonella serovar has often been brought in from other countries by travelers, such as S. Wandsworth from Vietnam to Korea in 2012. Such cases are not common, nevertheless, the possibility is increasing because of increase of international trade.

Plasma protein electrophoresis ofTrachemys scriptaandIguana iguana

Protein electrophoresis is widely applied in veterinary medicine, but is not used often in reptiles, in part because of lack of reference values. The goals of this study were to compare plasma protein profiles obtained by cellulose acetate electrophoresis (CAE) and agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE), measure precision and examine interference by sample hemolysis, and establish preliminary reference intervals for 2 reptile species. Heparinized plasma samples from healthy and diseased adult female Iguana iguana (n=40) and Trachemys scripta (n=60) were analyzed by CAE and AGE. Total protein concentration was measured by the biuret method. Electrophoresis results were compared using Bland-Altman plots and Passing-Bablok regression analysis. Precision and the effects of sample hemolysis were determined. Results from clinically healthy animals were used to determine reference intervals. Five protein fractions were identified in both species, with bisalbuminemia observed in 23/40 iguanas. High correlation was observed between the 2 methods for all fractions, with few proportional and systematic errors. Coefficients of variation were lower using AGE vs CAE and for I. iguana vs T. scripta. Two additional bands were observed in hemolyzed samples from T. scripta; 1 additional band was observed for I. iguana. Minimum and maximum values were reported for healthy I. iguana (n=14) and T. scripta (n=22). Although both methods are acceptable, the performance of AGE was slightly better than that of CAE for analysis of plasma from reptiles. Furthermore, reptile electrophoretic patterns should be interpreted based on the method used, the species analyzed, and the quality of the plasma sample.

Ovarian Torsion in a Green, Iguana iguana, and a Rhinoceros, Cyclura cornuta, Iguana

ABSTRACT Unilateral ovarian torsion was diagnosed in two unrelated iguanas based on gross and microscopic findings. Case No. 1 was an adult female green iguana, Iguana iguana, that died with severe egg retention and systemic bacterial infection with unilateral granulomatous oophoritis and a 360° clockwise torsion of the left ovary. Case No. 2 was a two year-old female rhinoceros iguana, Cyclura cornuta, that died after a seven day history of marked weakness, lethargy, anorexia and tremors, and had a 270° counterclockwise torsion in the right ovary with oophoritis and a coelomic serosanguineous effusion. This is believed to be the first report of ovarian torsion in iguanas, although follicular torsion has been recently documented in a green iguana.

A New Look at Relationships between Size at Maturity and Asymptotic Size

Comparative studies have revealed positive correlations between size at maturity and asymptotic size in several taxa with asymptotic growth after maturity. Using a simple growth model, we show that positive correlations between size at maturity and asymptotic size are predicted for different individuals in the same species if growth costs of reproduction are inversely related to size at maturity. Several processes might lead to higher growth costs of reproduction for smaller individuals; these include effects of body size on competition for resources required for breeding, on the space available within the body cavity for food processing in gravid individuals, and on the costs of transporting eggs or young in relation to the total energy budget. We confirm several key elements of the growth model using data from female Iguana iguana lizards, including the novel assumption that instantaneous growth rates of adults of the same length will be positively related to their length at maturity. These analyses suggest a simple and possibly general explanation for positive correlations between size at maturity and asymptotic size within-and perhaps also among-species that continue to grow after maturity.

Hypocalcemia and Hyperphosphatemia in a Green Iguana, Iguana iguana, with Concurrent Elevation of Serum Glutamic Oxalic Transaminase

Summary: A three-year old female iguana, Iguana iguana, weighing 1.2 kg, was examined for a one day duration of lethargy, edema and paresis. A complete blood count and serum chemistry profile revealed hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia and elevation of serum glutamic oxalic transaminase (SGOT). The diagnostic, therapeutic and etiologic rationales are discussed.

Estimation of Age in Nesting Female Iguana iguana: Testing Skeletochronology in a Tropical Lizard

Abstract Skeletal elements of female Iguana iguana nesting in Panama show a distinct pattern of periosteal rings or marks of skeletal growth (MSGs), thereby indicating a pattern of cyclic growth. The numbers of MSGs, assuming one MSG is formed each year, slightly underestimate the known ages of a small sample of female iguanas. Based on the estimated age data, female iguanas probably reach sexual maturity in their fourth or fifth years. Age estimates and size are poorly correlated, and females nesting for the first time on Slothia are 292-415 mm in body length (SVL) and range in estimated minimum age from 3-8 yr.

Communication By Agonistic Displays: What Can Games Theory Contribute To Ethology ?

i. In this paper I examine the way in which predictions from a model based on games theory can help us understand ethological data about agonistic displays. 2. The War of Attrition is a model which explains how contests might be settled entirely by display. The model can be extended to deal with contests involving attack as well as display, assuming that the cost of attack is greater than the cost of display. It predicts that information about the aggressiveness should not be transferred in the display. 3. This prediction contrasts with the traditional ethological view that aggressive displays evolved to transmit information about the probability of attack or escape. 4. Data from the ethological literature on Parus species, Pheucticus ludovicianus and Stercorarius skua are examined in which both the sender's action after displaying, and the receiver's response, were recorded. 5. Attack could be predicted much less well than escape in all species. In contrast to the displays indicating escape, aggressive displays were not consistent in the probability of attack they signalled at different times, and were sometimes as likely to be followed by escape as by attack. It is concluded that information about attack is poorly encoded in the aggressive displays. 6. In three of four species, the most highly aggressive display had no effect on the behaviour of the receiver. Other displays did modify its behaviour. To find whether information about attack was responsible, the effects of this information must be separated from those of information about escape which is correlated with it in the displays. When this is done, the evidence suggests that information about attack is unimportant in affecting the behaviour of the receiver, while information about escape is important (at least in the Blue Tit and Great Skua). 7. The data support the prediction from the War of Attrition, and suggest that the importance of transferring information about escape should be examined theoretically. 8. The War of Attrition model also predicts the distribution of contest lengths. Contests between female Iguana agreed roughly with the prediction, but contests between female Betta splendens or male Molothrus ater did not. The distributions in these species can be understood if the cost of display is not linearly related to the length of the contest, and a generalized model is described. More work is required on the form of cost-functions. 9. In the discussion, the implications of the results for the methodology of ethological investigations of displays are reviewed, and alternative models from ethology and games theory briefly discussed. 10. Theoretical models are of necessity highly simplified, but may sometimes lead to predictions which throw new light on data. Ethologists should treat models as null hypotheses against which to compare their data, and should use the development of a model as an occasion to re-examine their data and assumptions.

Circulating androgen and estrogen concentrations in lizards (Iguana iguana).

To determine whether the sex of an adult reptile could be established by measuring the levels of circulating sex steroids, a study was conducted on 11 iguanas during January and February of 1975. Blood samples were obtained either by cardiac puncture or phlebotomy of the tail vessels. Serum or plasma testosterone, androstenedione, 17β-estradiol, and estrone were measured on each sample (estrone and estradiol could not be measured on all samples because of small specimen volumes). For testosterone, the mean (± SE) level was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the males (10,167 ± 2916 pg/ml) than in the females (258 ± 46 pg/ml). There was no overlap of values between the two sexes with ranges of 2177 to 15,652 pg/ml and 66 to 431 pg/ml for the same respective animals. For the estrogens the mean levels were higher in the females for both estradiol (258 ± 46 pg/ml) and estrone (205 ± 147 pg/ml) than in the males (estradiol, 79 ± 42 pg/ml; estrone, 37 ± 2 pg/ml). Although higher levels were found in the female iguana, there was no clear division between the two sexes for both estrogens. In the majority of animals androstenedione concentration was below the level of detectability of the assay (<100 pg/ml). The level was lower than 400 pg/ml in the remainder. These data suggest that the sex of a mature iguana can be established during the breeding season by measuring circulating sex steroid levels, particularly testosterone.