Memphis Zoo Researchers Accomplish Breakthrough in Panda Biology
Memphis Zoo researcher, Dr. Erin Willis, will befeatured in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) online publication PLoS ONE this month for her work in researching the pregnancy of giant pandas. Dr. Willis’ recent breakthrough has unveiled a potential method of early pregnancy detection among giant pandas. The findings of this initial study could prove monumental in managing captive breeding programs.
Giant pandas display a phenomenon known as “pseudo-pregnancy,” a physiological and hormonal reaction to their annual estrous cycle in which their body displays all the signs of pregnancy, which many times turn out to be false.
“For decades, researchers all over the world have been searching for a ‘magic bullet’ that would provide a pregnancy test for giant pandas and other exotic wildlife that undergo pseudo-pregnancy,” Dr. Willis states in her article titled The Acute Phase Protein Ceruloplasmin as a Non-invasive Marker of Pseudo-pregnancy, Pregnancy and Pregnancy Loss in the Giant Panda. Dr. Willis’ research included samples from female pandas at the four U.S. zoos which house giant pandas: Memphis Zoo, National Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Zoo Atlanta.
“We examined the possibility of whether a marker of inflammation, the acute phase protein ceruloplasmin, could be measured in urine collected non-invasively and also whether it could be used to distinguish between pregnancy and pseudo-pregnancy in the giant panda,” Dr. Willis writes.”Using this approach, we discovered that the activity of ceruloplasmin increased in urine of pregnant giant pandas compared to non-pregnant animals and that this increase occurs early in gestation allowing for a diagnosis of pregnancy within one week after breeding.
“The researchers also found elevated ceruloplasmin in the urine of pandas with confirmed lost pregnancies, though the pattern and timing of these changes differed when compared to term pregnancies. Similarly, altered patterns of elevated ceruloplasmin were also found in animals that were not known to be pregnant; these events were designated as suspected lost pregnancies on the basis of the urine test, though it is not possible to confirm conception took place, Further analysis of full term pregnancies and confirmed lost pregnancies is needed to understand more about the patterns of ceruloplasmin levels, and to verify the rate of lost pregnancies suggested by the authors of the study.
Until now, scientists have been unable to detect certain pregnancy in giant pandas in the early stages. Pseudo-pregnancies have hindered the ability to know whether or not the animal is pregnant by simply measuring hormone levels. Ultrasound is not a viable method of early pregnancy detection because female pandas experience delayed implantation after breeding. This, combined with the small size of a panda fetus makes it extremely difficult to detect the pregnancy using ultrasound until just two to three weeks prior to birth.
“This finding strengthens a growing body of literature linking immune system function and pregnancy dynamics”, said Dr. Andy Kouba Director of Conservation and Research for the Memphis Zoo. Dr. Kouba added that knowing an animal is definitely pregnant helps managers to modify the animal’s dens, diets, remove them from other bears that might injure a newborn, prepare for the possibility of hand-raising the young, or even install the necessary cameras to monitor a cub.
“This newfound information can be critical to the success of a captive breeding program,” said Kouba. “The new assay developed by Dr. Willis and the Memphis Zoo will provide the necessary tools to manage pregnancies in giant pandas and has the potential to assist in managing many other bear and canine species.”
The entire article can be found at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0021159
Source: Memphis Zoo
