title: Annual, seasonal and individual variation in hematology and clinical blood chemistry profiles in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida.
abstract: Hematology and clinical blood chemistry (HCBC) profiles in free-living bottlenose dolphins from Sarasota Bay, Florida have been monitored over a 14-year period. This long-term dataset includes samples from recaptured dolphins, enabling individual variation to be accounted for when investigating seasonal and annual variability. Four different laboratories carried out the assays and inter-laboratory comparisons found significant differences in 31 of 39 parameters measured. However, variability in comparable HCBCs by sex, age, condition, season and year could be investigated. Significant relationships with the independent variables were found for the majority of the HCBCs. Notable consistent seasonal differences included significantly elevated glucose and significantly lower creatinine concentrations in winter compared to summer. These differences may be due to energetic or thermoregulatory fluctuations in the animals by season and do not necessarily have any clinical significance. Erythrocyte counts were significantly lower in the winter, possibly also due to nutritional differences. Albumin and calcium levels in this population have increased significantly over the years of monitoring and consistently across seasons, being higher in the winter than the summer. Again, nutritional and thermal constraints seem to be the most likely environmental factors influencing these patterns.
authors.affiliation: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom. ajh7@st-andrews.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ailsa J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Randall S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Jay C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: Forrest I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: Brian C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Balmer
authors.forename: Aleta A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hohn
authors.forename: Howard L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Rhinehart
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D050681:Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006405:Hematology / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012621:Seasons; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D012709:Serum Albumin; D003404:Creatinine; D002118:Calcium