Columba livia as a Sentinel Species for the Assessment of Urban Air Genotoxicity

Abstract

This study explored the comet assay as a possible tool to assess genotoxicity in erythrocytes of Columba livia to detect genotoxic effects induced by exposure to urban air pollution. Fieldwork was conducted between June 2004 and June 2005 in the city of Milan, Italy, by sampling pigeons in different areas almost twice a week. Six air contaminants-CO, PM10, NO(2), O(3) (ozone), SO(2), and C6H6-plus polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fine particles, temperature, and ultraviolet index, were considered. Genotoxicity levels, expressed as %DNA migrated, tail moment, and damage index (DI), were always higher in wild pigeons than in pigeons living indoors (controls). Animals exposed to urban air showed significant differences from season to season, and the genotoxic parameters presented the highest values in summer (45.30% +/- 1.40% %DNA migrated, 12.73 +/- 0.80 tail moment, and 22.30 +/- 0.15 x DI x 10(-1)); regression analyses showed a positive relation between DI and O(3) concentrations (P < 0.001). The use of the comet assay DI parameter as a rapid assessment of incipient genotoxic risk by pollution, as measured in C. livia living in urban areas, is also discussed.

The comet assay in animal models: From bugs to whales – (Part 2 Vertebrates)

“…Rock pigeons (Columba livia) were used as a sentinel species for the assessment of urban air pollution, showing a higher degree of DNA damage in their erythrocytes compared to control specimens [318,319]. The same species was used to test the effects of fenvalerate insecticide indicating significant DNA-damaging effects in bone marrow cells compared to control birds [320].…”

Biomarker Sensitivity to Vehicle Exhaust in Experimentally Exposed European Starlings

“…The effects of air pollution on wildlife, particularly after industrial accidents, has been widely noted, serving to enhance public awareness of some the ecological consequences of anthropogenic activity. − The avian respiratory system has specialized adaptations optimizing gas exchange compared with mammalian lungs, both at rest and during exercise, making birds more sensitive to many airborne compounds and, therefore, early sentinels of inhaled toxicants . Many species of wild birds share our urban outdoor environment, potentially providing insight into the effects of urban contaminants on the health of other urban residents. − Field studies provide insight into some of the possible effects of air pollution on wild birds in a natural context, but the many confounding factors inherent to field research make it difficult to detect subtle changes in health …”

Adapting the buccal micronucleus cytome assay for use in wild birds: Age and sex affect background frequency in pigeons

“…Pigeons live in human‐dominated environments all over the world, and have excellent properties as indicator species [Ohi et al, 1974; Schilderman et al, 1997; Galati, 1998; Kleinjans and van Schooten, 2002; Nam et al, 2002; Nam and Lee, 2006; Somers, 2007; Sicolo et al, 2010]. Our results suggest that the BMCyt assay can be used in pigeons and will be a good means of identifying genotoxic hazards resulting from environmental exposures.…”

“…The rock dove, or pigeon ( Columba livia ), has been of interest as an indicator species for several decades, and has been used to monitor a variety of environmental exposures including urban air [e.g., Schilderman et al, 1997; Kleinjans and van Schooten, 2002; Sicolo et al, 2010], industrial pollutants [Nam and Lee, 2006], pesticides [Galati, 1998], and heavy metals [Ohi et al, 1974; Nam et al, 2002]. Pigeons are an excellent environmental indicator species because they are nonmigratory, easy to capture, and have large populations in regions inhabited by humans worldwide [Sicolo et al, 2010]. MN frequency changes in response to environmental conditions have been infrequently examined in pigeons, and to date have been measured only in lymphocytes [Ilyinskikh et al, 1997; Zuniga‐Gonzalez et al, 2000].…”