Meeting Abstract
The goal of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between feather corticosterone levels and DNA damage in domestic house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Molt was induced in 20 birds by plucking 4 primary feathers per bird. Half of the birds were subjected to a chronic stress protocol for the duration of feather regrowth. The remaining birds were not exposed to the chronic stress protocol. Regrown feathers were then plucked. Blood samples were collected immediately after induced molt and, again, when regrown feathers were collected from both groups. Feather cort levels were measured using a radioimmunoassay. DNA damage was assessed by comet assay with DNA extracted from red blood cells. Feather corticosterone levels did not differ either in initial feathers (grown in the wild) or in feathers regrown either with or without chronic stress. In contrast, DNA damage significantly decreased over time, but chronic stress negated this effect. When combined, these results indicate that there is no correlation between feather corticosterone concentrations and DNA damage in birds exposed to a chronic stress protocol.
