Organohalogen concentrations and a gross and histologic ...

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adults were supposed to be fertile while the reproductive parameters of the
yearlings could of course not be evaluated.
Because hunting of polar bears is not permitted on Svalbard, and because
the pseudohermafrodites seen there were caught during live-capture of polar
bears, their external appearance could only be examined visually. Two
adults had an enlagened clitoris and two yearlings (siblings) had enlarged
clitoris and laterally situated urethral opening. It was suggested that the
enlarged clitoris were congenital and could have been caused by an enzym
defect (21-hydroxylase deficiency), androgen producing tumour or a high
exposure to organochlorines during the foetal stage or early development of
the reproductive organs (Wiig et al., 1998).
The present study examines physiological and chemical exposure factors
that may provide clues to the cause(s) of the enlargement of the clitoris that
has been observed in wild polar bears. The reproductive organs of an female
polar bear with enlarged clitoris from East Greenland (1999) are described
on the basis of macro- and microscopical examinations. A likely explanation
of the enlargement of the clitoris is given based on the histological analyses.
Materials and methods
The sampling
All samples were taken