title: The haematological values of European badgers (Meles meles) in health and in the course of tuberculosis infection.
abstract: Captive, healthy, adult badgers have blood containing haemoglobin at 13.3 g/dl, and 8.4 x 10(12)/l red cells with an MCV of 46.2 fl and an MCH of 15.6 pg. They have 5.1 x 10(9) white cells/l of which 3.29 x 10(9) are polymorphs, 1.49 x 10(9) are lymphocytes, 0.26 x 10(9) are monocytes, 0.07 x 10(9) are eosinophils and 0.01 x 10(9) are basophils. These values are somewhat less in adult animals just trapped from the wild, and are lower still in wild cubs. Changes associated with tuberculosis are a rise, and then a fall in red blood count and white blood count, an increase in the proportion of polymorphs and monocytes and a fall in lymphocytes late in the disease. This picture is similar to that seen in widespread, disseminated, tuberculin negative, tuberculosis in humans, a type of disease similar to that occurring in many badgers. BCG vaccination of badgers did not produce any measurable change in the blood picture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Pathology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Mahmood
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Machin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Pritchard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000097:blood*; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D002335:Carnivora / Q000097:blood*; D004906:Erythrocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit / Q000662:veterinary; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D006454:Hemoglobins