title: Assessment of Blood Collection from the Lateral Saphenous Vein for Microfilaria Counts in Mongolian Gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) Infected with Brugia pahangi.
abstract: The NIH guidelines for survival bleeding of mice and rats note that using the retroorbital plexus has a greater potential for complications than do other methods of blood collection and that this procedure should be performed on anesthetized animals. Lateral saphenous vein puncture has a low potential for complications and can be performed without anesthesia. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) are the preferred rodent model for filarial parasite research. To monitor microfilaria counts in the blood, blood sampling from the orbital plexus has been the standard. Our goal was to refine the blood collection technique. To determine whether blood collection from the lateral saphenous vein was a feasible alternative to retroorbital sampling, we compared microfilaria counts in blood samples collected by both methods from 21 gerbils infected with the filarial parasitic worm Brugia pahangi. Lateral saphenous vein counts were equivalent to retroorbital counts at relatively high counts (greater than 50 microfilariae per 20 μL) but were significantly lower than retroorbital counts when microfilarial concentrations were lower. Our results indicate that although retroorbital collection may be preferable when low concentrations of microfilariae need to be enumerated, the lateral saphenous vein is a suitable alternative site for blood sampling to determine microfilaremia and is a feasible refinement that can benefit the wellbeing of gerbils.
authors.affiliation: University Research Animal Resources, Department of Population Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA. alworth@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Leanne C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Alworth
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Roy D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Berghaus
authors.affiliation: Office of the Vice President for Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Prasit
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Supakorndej
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Erica J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Burkman
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Molly D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Savadelis
authors.affiliation: University Research Animal Resources, Department of Population Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Tanya L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: University Research Animal Resources, Department of Population Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA; Department of Primate Medicine, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Salyards
authors.affiliation: University Research Animal Resources, Department of Population Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moorhead
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017179:Brugia pahangi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005368:Filariasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D059208:Parasite Load; D012501:Saphenous Vein