Health reference intervals and values for common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).

Lisa K. Lauderdale,Douglas A. Granger,Lance J. Miller,Michael T. Walsh,Jill D. Mellen,Kevin A. Mitchell,Annalisa Zaccaroni

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250332

Abstract

This study reports comprehensive clinical pathology data for hematology, serum, and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for 174 apparently healthy common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and reference values for 27 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), 13 beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), and 6 Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in zoos and aquariums accredited by the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Blood samples were collected as part of a larger study titled “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums” (colloquially called the Cetacean Welfare Study). Two blood samples were collected following a standardized protocol, and two veterinarian examinations were conducted approximately six months apart between July to November 2018 and January to April 2019. Least square means, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for hematology, serum, and plasma biochemical variables. Comparisons by age, gender, and month revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) for several variables. Reference intervals and values were generated for samples tested at two laboratories for up to 56 hematologic, serum, and plasma biochemical variables. To apply these data, ZooPhysioTrak, an iOS mobile software application, was developed to provide a new resource for cetacean management. ZooPhysioTrak provides species-specific reference intervals and values based on user inputs of individual demographic and sample information. These data provide a baseline from which to compare hematological, serum, and plasma biochemical values in cetaceans in zoos and aquariums.

Highlights

Accurate hematological, serum, and plasma biochemical reference intervals and values developed from healthy cetaceans facilitate the determination of the health status of individuals [1, 2]
For common bottlenose dolphins samples analyzed at the ADHC, 12 variables were significantly affected by one or more of the predictors in the mixed models
Alkaline phosphatase significantly decreased with age and increased with age2 indicating that the effect lessoned with age

Summary

Introduction

Serum, and plasma biochemical reference intervals and values developed from healthy cetaceans facilitate the determination of the health status of individuals [1, 2]. Previous publications have reported clinicopathologic reference intervals or values for some of the most common cetacean species in zoos and aquariums including common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). Of these species, common bottlenose dolphins have been the focus of the most rigorous research in order to characterize hematological and serum reference intervals [4,5,6,7]. Management practices and diet are known to affect several hematologic variables [8, 9] and may not represent the breadth of variation in commonly used reference variables for healthy dolphins in accredited zoos and aquariums around the world

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion