Haptoglobin Concentrations in Free-range and Temporarily Captive Juvenile Steller Sea Lions

Abstract

Haptoglobin (Hp) is an acute-phase protein synthesized in the liver that circulates at elevated concentrations in response to tissue damage caused by inflammation, infection, and trauma. As part of a larger study, sera Hp concentrations were measured in temporarily captive (n = 21) and free-range (n = 38) western stock juvenile Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) sampled from 2003 to 2006. Baseline Hp concentration at time of capture was 133.3 +/- 17.4 mg/dl. Temporarily captive animals exhibited a 3.2-fold increase in Hp concentrations during the first 4 wk of captivity, followed by a return to entry levels by week 5. Haptoglobin levels were not influenced by age, season, or parasite load. There was a significant positive correlation between Hp concentrations and white blood cell count (P < 0.001) and globulin levels (P < 0.001) and a negative correlation to red blood cell count and hematocrit (P < 0.001 for both). There was no correlation between Hp levels and platelet count (P = 0.095) or hemoglobin (P = 0.457). Routine blubber biopsies collected under gas anesthesia did not produce a measurable Hp response. One animal with a large abscess had an Hp spike of 1,006.0 mg/dl that returned to entry levels after treatment. In conclusion, serum Hp levels correlate to the stable clinical health status observed during captivity, with moderate Hp response during capture and initial acclimation to captivity and acute response to inflammation and infection.

Use of femur bone density to segregate wild from farmed Dybowski's frog (Rana dybowskii)

“…Therefore, it is often impossible to distinguish the wild from the captive populations by using genetic markers. Cultivation places wildlife in environment different from their original habitat, and animals must become physiologically adapted to new environmental factors such as a wide range of disturbances and the resulting high intensity of stress [19,20], limited space [21,22] and food shift [23]. Taking Dybowski's frog as an example, the diet of farmed frogs is restricted to several invertebrate species such as yellow meal worm, screwworm and earthworm, while wild frogs consume more than 60 species of invertebrates belonging to 13 orders of 6 classes, most of which are insects, followed by earthworms, spiders, and molluscs [10].…”

Health and condition in the adult Weddell seal of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

“…Serum chemistry panels were obtained from frozen samples within three months of collection with a VetScan Diagnostic Profile Plus analysis rotor system (Abaxis, Union City, CA, USA). Serum haptoglobins (HAPTO) were analyzed with an unmodified colorimetric assay kit (Phase range haptoglobin assay; Tri-Delta Diagnostics, Inc., Morris Plains, NJ, USA) as previously used for pinnipeds (Thomton and Mellish, 2007). Serum progesterone (PRG) and estradiol 17␤ (EST) were assessed by radioimmunoassay by the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory System (College Station, TX, USA).…”

Body reserves influence allocation to immune responses in capital breeding female northern elephant seals

“…; Marquez et al . ; Krafft, Lydersen & Kovacs ; Thomton & Mellish ; Kakuschke et al . ; Kakuschke, Pröfrock & Prange ).…”