We developed and validated a non-invasive thyroid hormone measure in feces of a diverse
array of birds and mammals. An I(131) radiolabel ingestion study in domestic dogs
coupled with High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis, showed that peak
excretion in feces occurred at 24-48h post-ingestion, with I(131)-labelled thyroid
hormone metabolites excreted primarily as triiodothyronine (T3) and relatively little
thyroxine (T4), at all excretion times examined. The immunoreactive T3 profile across
these same HPLC fractions closely corresponded with the I(131) radioactive profile.
By contrast, the T4 immunoreactive profile was disproportionately high, suggesting
that T4 excretion included a high percentage of T4 stores. We optimized and validated
T3 and T4 extraction and assay methods in feces of wild northern spotted owls, African
elephants, howler monkeys, caribou, moose, wolf, maned wolf, killer whales and Steller
sea lions. We explained 99% of the variance in high and low T3 concentrations derived
from species-specific sample pools, after controlling for species and the various
extraction methods tested. Fecal T3 reflected nutritional deficits in two male and
three female howler monkeys held in captivity for translocation from a highly degraded
habitat. Results suggest that thyroid hormone can be accurately and reliably measured
in feces, providing important indices for environmental physiology across a diverse
array of birds and mammals.
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