Establishment of reference intervals for plasma protein electrophoresis in Indo-Pacific green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas.
Biochemical and haematological parameters are increasingly used to diagnose disease in green sea turtles. Specific clinical pathology tools, such as plasma protein electrophoresis analysis, are now being used more frequently to improve our ability to diagnose disease in the live animal. Plasma protein reference intervals were calculated from 55 clinically healthy green sea turtles using pulsed field electrophoresis to determine pre-albumin, albumin, α-, β- and γ-globulin concentrations. The estimated reference intervals were then compared with data profiles from clinically unhealthy turtles admitted to a local wildlife hospital to assess the validity of the derived intervals and identify the clinically useful plasma protein fractions. Eighty-six per cent {19 of 22 [95% confidence interval (CI) 65-97]} of clinically unhealthy turtles had values outside the derived reference intervals, including the following: total protein [six of 22 turtles or 27% (95% CI 11-50%)], pre-albumin [two of five, 40% (95% CI 5-85%)], albumin [13 of 22, 59% (95% CI 36-79%)], total albumin [13 of 22, 59% (95% CI 36-79%)], α- [10 of 22, 45% (95% CI 24-68%)], β- [two of 10, 20% (95% CI 3-56%)], γ- [one of 10, 10% (95% CI 0.3-45%)] and β-γ-globulin [one of 12, 8% (95% CI 0.2-38%)] and total globulin [five of 22, 23% (8-45%)]. Plasma protein electrophoresis shows promise as an accurate adjunct tool to identify a disease state in marine turtles. This study presents the first reference interval for plasma protein electrophoresis in the Indo-Pacific green sea turtle.
School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, The Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation, Apollo Beach, FL 33572, USA; Veterinary-Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, QLD 4343, Australia.
Mark
M
Flint
Veterinary-Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, QLD 4343, Australia.
Beren J
BJ
Matthews
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia.
Colin J
CJ
Limpus
Veterinary-Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, QLD 4343, Australia.
Paul C
PC
Mills
Chelonia mydas; clinically unhealthy; electrophoretogram; green sea turtle; plasma protein electrophoresis; reference intervals