TY - JOUR
T1 - Necropsy observations of Arctic Common Eider (Somatria mollissima) and Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) implanted with PTT-100 satellite transmitters
AU - Sonne, Christian
AU - Mosbech, Anders
AU - Merkel, Flemming
AU - Alstrup, Aage Kristian Olsen
AU - Flagstad, Annette
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Swedish Research Council. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - We surgically implanted a 50 g PTT-100 (Platform Transmitter Terminal) in 21 Common Eiders (Somatria mollissima) and a 29 g PTT-100 in 10 Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia). After 2-4 months, one Common Eider implanted intracoelomically and two Thick-billed Murres implanted subcutaneously were harvested by local subsistence hunters and examined in the laboratory. External examination of the harvested birds did not reveal any morphological or pathological changes, while the surgical abdominal and cervical wounds seemed to have healed with granulation tissue in all three birds. Necropsy showed chronic inflammation and fatty necrosis in one of the murres, while the antenna Dacron cuffs were at skin level as originally attached for all three birds, with primary tissue healing and no signs of inflammation. In the eider, a few peritoneal adherences were found on the liver without additional signs of inflammation, while one murre had adherences and granulomatous tissue around the PTT with signs of severe inflammation and external rejection. These results indicate that birds can survive implantation of transmitters, even if inflammation develops around the implants. The study points to the importance of continuously refining the techniques for implanting devices in wild birds and performing necropsies on recovered birds.
AB - We surgically implanted a 50 g PTT-100 (Platform Transmitter Terminal) in 21 Common Eiders (Somatria mollissima) and a 29 g PTT-100 in 10 Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia). After 2-4 months, one Common Eider implanted intracoelomically and two Thick-billed Murres implanted subcutaneously were harvested by local subsistence hunters and examined in the laboratory. External examination of the harvested birds did not reveal any morphological or pathological changes, while the surgical abdominal and cervical wounds seemed to have healed with granulation tissue in all three birds. Necropsy showed chronic inflammation and fatty necrosis in one of the murres, while the antenna Dacron cuffs were at skin level as originally attached for all three birds, with primary tissue healing and no signs of inflammation. In the eider, a few peritoneal adherences were found on the liver without additional signs of inflammation, while one murre had adherences and granulomatous tissue around the PTT with signs of severe inflammation and external rejection. These results indicate that birds can survive implantation of transmitters, even if inflammation develops around the implants. The study points to the importance of continuously refining the techniques for implanting devices in wild birds and performing necropsies on recovered birds.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105019342270
U2 - 10.23675/sjlas.v51i.24415
DO - 10.23675/sjlas.v51i.24415
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:105019342270
SN - 0901-3393
VL - 51
SP - 24
EP - 32
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science
IS - 3
ER -