Abstract
Quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) are small macropodid marsupials from Western Australia, which are identified as of conservation concern. Studies on their blood analytes exist but involve small sample sizes and are associated with very little information concerning the health of the animals. Blood was collected from free-ranging quokkas from Rottnest Island (n = 113) and mainland (n = 37) Western Australia, between September 2010 and December 2011, to establish haematology and blood chemistry reference intervals. Differences in haematology and blood chemistry between sites (Rottnest Island v mainland) were significant for haematology (HMT, p = 0.003), blood chemistry (BLC, p = 0.001) and peripheral blood cell morphology (PBCM, p = 0.001). Except for alkaline phosphatase, all blood chemistry analytes were higher in mainland animals. There were also differences with time of year in HMT (p = 0.001), BLC (p = 0.001) and PBCM (p = 0.001) for Rottnest Island quokkas. A small sample of captive animals (n = 8) were opportunistically sampled for plasma concentrations of vitamin E and were found to be deficient compared with wild-caught animals. Fifty-eight of the 150 quokkas were also tested for the presence of Salmonella, microfilariae, Macropodid herpesvirus-6, Theileria spp., Babesia spp., trypanosomes, Cryptococcus spp. and other saprophytic fungi. All eight infectious agents were detected in this study. Infectious agents were detected in 24 of these 58 quokkas (41%), with more than one infectious agent detected for all 24 individuals. Salmonella were detected concurrently with microfilariae in 8 of these 24 quokkas, and this mixed infection was associated with lower values across all haematological analytes, with Salmonella having the greater involvement in the decreased haematological values (p < 0.05). There was no evidence for an effect of sex on HMT, BLC and PBCM. Our data provide important haematological and blood chemistry reference intervals for free-ranging quokkas. We applied novel methods of analyses to HMT and BLC that can be used more broadly, aiding identification of potential disease in wildlife.
Highlights
The quokka is a small macropod endemic to Western Australia [1]
Prompt and educated responses in the event of a disease outbreak is facilitated by the existence of data on the haematology (HMT) and blood chemistry (BLC) values of apparently healthy individuals of a particular species
We examined the influence that site (Rottnest Island v mainland), time of year (Rottnest Island animals only), sex and the presence or absence of infectious agents had on these profiles
Summary
The quokka is a small macropod endemic to Western Australia [1]. These marsupials have a restricted distribution and the species is recognised as vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List [2]. The use of blood test results is compromised by the absence of baseline data against which the degree of change (from "normal") can be assessed. The absence of reference intervals hindered the interpretation of haematological test results in response to a novel papillomatosis and carcinomatosis syndrome in western barred bandicoots (Perameles bougainville) [3]. Even where they are available, reported reference intervals are frequently obtained from small populations or populations in captivity, often with little supplementary information available to help determine if this population should be providing reference intervals that will be defined as "normal" for that species [4, 5]. Prompt and educated responses in the event of a disease outbreak is facilitated by the existence of data on the haematology (HMT) and blood chemistry (BLC) values of apparently healthy individuals of a particular species
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