The Effects of Development and Sex on the Response of Tungara Frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) to Anesthesia
Poster Number
24
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Marcos Gridi-Papp
Faculty Mentor Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract/Artist Statement
Despite the growing number of laboratory studies on amphibians, little is known about their responses to anesthetics, especially for neotropical species. Among the most common anesthetics, tricaine methanesulfonate (TMS, MS-222) allows for safe and quick recovery. The purpose of this study was to determine if sex or developmental stage influence the response of neotropical frogs to anesthesia and to establish safe protocols for sedation of these animals. Tadpole, juvenile or adult tungara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) were immersed in a bath of TMS 0.2% at neutral pH, and we measured their induction and recovery times using the limb withdrawal (swimming in tadpoles) response to gentle pinching, movements of the buccal pump and the righting reflex. We assessed the effect of anesthetic exposure time by keeping ten male frogs for five minutes in TMS (~2x regular induction time). We found that males took longer to sedate (149.9 s) than females (86.2 s). Longer exposure time resulted in longer recovery times in all tested subjects. Tadpoles had much shorter induction times than juveniles and adults, and small tadpoles had shorter induction times than large tadpoles. No casualties occurred. This study revealed that TMS can be used safely in the anesthesia of neotropical frogs, and that the exposure time should be adjusted by sex and developmental stage if the anesthetic concentration is kept fixed. The concentration of TMS that proved effective for the anesthesia of tungara frogs is within the normal range reported for other species.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Start Date
26-4-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
26-4-2014 4:00 PM
The Effects of Development and Sex on the Response of Tungara Frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) to Anesthesia
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Despite the growing number of laboratory studies on amphibians, little is known about their responses to anesthetics, especially for neotropical species. Among the most common anesthetics, tricaine methanesulfonate (TMS, MS-222) allows for safe and quick recovery. The purpose of this study was to determine if sex or developmental stage influence the response of neotropical frogs to anesthesia and to establish safe protocols for sedation of these animals. Tadpole, juvenile or adult tungara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) were immersed in a bath of TMS 0.2% at neutral pH, and we measured their induction and recovery times using the limb withdrawal (swimming in tadpoles) response to gentle pinching, movements of the buccal pump and the righting reflex. We assessed the effect of anesthetic exposure time by keeping ten male frogs for five minutes in TMS (~2x regular induction time). We found that males took longer to sedate (149.9 s) than females (86.2 s). Longer exposure time resulted in longer recovery times in all tested subjects. Tadpoles had much shorter induction times than juveniles and adults, and small tadpoles had shorter induction times than large tadpoles. No casualties occurred. This study revealed that TMS can be used safely in the anesthesia of neotropical frogs, and that the exposure time should be adjusted by sex and developmental stage if the anesthetic concentration is kept fixed. The concentration of TMS that proved effective for the anesthesia of tungara frogs is within the normal range reported for other species.