Disease relevance of Otters

• Domoic acid toxicosis and infection with S. neurona are likely to be 2 important causes of myocarditis in sea otters [1].
• Heinz-body hemolytic anemia associated with ingestion of methylene blue in a river otter [2].
• Basal cell carcinoma with folliculoapocrine differentiation was diagnosed in a male Cape clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) aged >8 years [3].
• Evaluation of urinary and serum metabolites in Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea) with calcium oxalate urolithiasis [4].
• Bilateral uric acid nephrolithiasis and ureteral hypertrophy in a free-ranging river otter (Lontra canadensis) [5].

High impact information on Otters

• Phenotypic and phylogenetic studies were performed on an unknown Gram-positive catalase-negative coccus isolated from a common otter (Lutra lutra) [6].
• River otter carcasses (n = 66) were collected in Ontario and Nova Scotia (Canada) by local trappers in 2002-2004 [7].
• In this study, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS; C8F17SO3-), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA; C8F17SO2NH2), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS; C6F13SO3-), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA; C7F15CO2-) were measured in livers of mink and river otters collected from various locations in the United States. PFOS was found in all mink livers analyzed [8].
• Molecular cloning and sequencing of interleukin 6 cDNA fragments from the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), killer whale (Orcinus orca), and Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) [9].
• This research reports the first data on mercury levels found in Giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) from South America. Mercury concentrations were analyzed from different organs/tissues of two animals found dead floating on the water of the Rio Negro in the Pantanal, Brazil [10].

Biological context of Otters

• Ten North American river otters (Lutra canadensis) were anesthetized with Telazol and instrumented with ingestable radiotelemetry temperature sensors for measuring core body temperature [11].
• Rectal temperatures and heart rates of American river otters (Lutra canadensis) decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) during chemical immobilization with i.m. ketamine hydrochloride in combination with xylazine hydrochloride and acepromazine and during inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane [12].
• Phylogenetic position of the Japanese river otter Lutra nippon inferred from the nucleotide sequence of 224 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene [13].

Associations of Otters with chemical compounds

• Lipid-normalized concentrations of PCBs and DDT in sea otter livers were 60- and 240-fold greater than those found in the prey [14].
• Profiles of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, organochlorine pesticides, and butyltins in southern sea otters and their prey [14].
• Hair samples were collected from otter (Lutra canadensis) trapped in several parts of south-central Ontario, Canada. The concentrations of total Hg in hair were compared with methyl mercury concentrations in liver tissues from the same individuals to determine if hair is a suitable monitoring tissue [15].
• The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and residues of organochlorine pesticides (HEOD and DDE) were measured in livers of otters (Lutra lutra) from different areas in Scotland [16].
• Butyltin compounds in river otters (Lutra canadensis) from the northwestern United States [17].

Gene context of Otters

• Data on the river otter, another mustelid predator, indicate that PCB levels are high enough in some populations to interfere with the reproduction of this aquatic species [18].
• Metals in tissues of European otters (Lutra lutra) from Denmark, Great Britain and Ireland [19].
• Butyltin compounds, including mono-, di-, and tributyltin (MBT, DBT, and TBT) were measured in livers of 40 adult river otters (Lutra canadensis) collected from rivers and coastal bays in Washington and Oregon, USA [17].
• Western blot analysis demonstrated that virulence factors, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and adenylate cyclase toxin are produced by the sea otter B. bronchiseptica isolate [20].
• Evidence for recovery of body mass and haptoglobin values of river otters following the Exxon Valdez oil spill [21].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Otters

• A 224 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene has been amplified from a 30-year-old mummy-like specimen of the Japanese river otter Lutra nippon by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) [13].

References