A Contribution for the Definition of Serum Chemistry Values in Captive Adults Antillean Manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract

Serum chemistry analyses represents a fundamental tool for the diagnosis and understanding of diseases in marine mammals. Although several studies are being conducted within the field of clinical pathology, haematological and serum chemistry data for Antillean manatees are deficient. The purpose of this study was to determine serum chemistry values for captive Antillean manatees within the CMA/Ibama facility in Brazil. Serum samples were obtained from five captive adult Antillean manatees fed with seagrass and analysed for aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, urea, creatinine, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, globulin, phosphate, chloride, calcium and uric acid. Blood chemistry parameters were determined using a semi-automatic analyzer. Maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviations were calculated for each serum chemistry parameter. Differences on the values of males and females were verified using an unpaired Student's t-test. All the parameters analysed were similar between sexes, with exception of AP, which was higher in females (191.43 +/- 31.86 U/l). Alanine aminotransferase and uric acid values for Trichechus manatus manatus are reported for the first time in this paper. This study is the first to report serum chemistry parameter values for long-term captive male and female Antillean manatees. Therefore, the lower values of albumin, phosphate, chloride, cholesterol and triglycerides obtained here highlight the importance of clinical pathology during health monitoring of captive marine mammals.

Health Assessment and Seroepidemiologic Survey of Potential Pathogens in Wild Antillean Manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus)

“…In accordance with prior research in manatees [27] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , few significant sex differences were detected among blood parameters, and those that were identified were consistent with normal, healthy levels reported in other manatee populations. Variation in blood parameters by season was also uncommon, but we found that albumin levels were significantly lower during the rainy season than during the dry season.…”

“…However, the biological relevance of these subpopulation differences is limited since all mean parameter values were clinically normal relative to reference intervals established previously in West Indian manatees and in other marine mammals [1], [19], [27], [38], [39], [40], [41], [44]. Most of the differences we identified can probably be explained by subtle variations in diet, water salinity, and other site-specific environmental conditions that differ throughout Belize [54], [55].…”

“…In spite of these steps forward, the overall health status of manatees in this region and the impact of infectious disease on population health have not been well investigated. A few pilot studies have been conducted previously on Antillean manatees to determine hematology and biochemical reference intervals, but sample sizes were limited, and one of these studies was restricted to captive manatees [1] , [19] , [38] , [39] . In the Florida subspecies, normal blood parameters have been documented in healthy free-ranging and captive manatees [27] , [40] , [41] along with preliminary seroprevalence data [42] , [43] .…”

Blood Chemistry of Antillean Manatees (<I>Trichechus manatus manatus</I>): Age Variations

“…Although, the values for the marine manatee (White et al, 1976;Medway et al, 1982aMedway et al, , 1982bMedway et al, , 1982c and its subspecies inhabiting Florida (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are welldefined (; Bossart & Dierauf, 1990;Bossart et al, 2001), data for other sirenian species are considered scarce (Allen et al, 1976;Colares et al, 1992;Converse et al, 1994;Rosas et al, 1999). Recently, Silva et al (2007) reported serum chemistry values for captive Antillean manatee adults, not verifying differences between genders. Further studies performed by Harvey et al (2007) evaluated the effects location (free-ranging vs captive), age class (small calves, large calves, subadults, adults), and sex exert on blood parameters, verifying differences in blood exams of captive animals, suggesting that factors such as diet, stress, and temperature might account for some of these results.…”

Blood Reference Intervals for Antillean Manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) from Puerto Rico

“…However, blood reference ranges or values can di er among populations of the same species and vary according to age, sex, diet, environment, physiological conditions, and activity level. e hematology and blood chemistry of various Antillean manatee populations have been documented for Guyana [7], Mexico [8], Belize [9,10], Brazil [11][12][13][14], and for the Florida subspecies (T. manatus latirostris) [6,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. However, this has not been ascertained for Antillean manatees inhabiting the Greater Antilles.…”