Abstract
The field of non-invasive respiratory diagnostic research has been developing rapidly in recent years, with most focus on human applications. However, we have recently begun to adapt these monitoring tools for cetaceans1,2 or whales,3 whose respiratory physiology and breathing behavior are even more amenable compared to humans or other terrestrial mammals. Our approach captures exhaled breath for analysis of metabolomic content, which we statistically analyze and compare to health assessment data. This approach is non-invasive in nature and may even be performed without contact. We have developed and optimized a methodology to reproducibly sample breath from small cetaceans, such as bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and the first library of volatile and non-volatile compounds in cetacean exhaled breath has been compiled and published.1 We have documented baseline compounds in exhaled breath of healthy animals and analyzed changes in metabolic content of dolphin breath with regard to a variety of factors such as sex, feeding patterns and geographical location. As part of a follow-up study, we are currently mapping metabolic content for animals with specific health conditions to assess deviations of their exhaled breath metabolome. We are also conducting a longitudinal study of multiple animals over an 18-month period by concurrently collecting paired exhaled breath and blood samples, along with other diagnostic data. Together, these advances in marine mammal health monitoring may be rapidly deployed for future animal health surveillance.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant #N-00014-13-1-0580 [CED, SVW], under an animal care and use protocol reviewed and approved by the Navy Marine Mammal Program Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and the Navy Bureau of Medicine, The Hartwell Foundation [CED] and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through grant #UL1 TR000002.
* Presenting author
Literature Cited
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