title: Phenotyping and comparing the immune cell populations of free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and dolphins under human care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies suggest that free-ranging bottlenose dolphins exhibit a suppressed immune system because of exposure to contaminants or microorganisms. However, due to a lack of commercially available antibodies specific to marine mammal immune cell surface markers, the research has been indecisive. The purpose of this study was to identify cross-reactive terrestrial-specific antibodies in order to assess the changes in the immune cell populations of dolphins under human care and free-ranging dolphins. The blood and PBMC fraction of blood samples from human care and free-ranging dolphins were characterized by H&E staining of cytospin slides and flow cytometry using a panel of terrestrial-specific antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, we show that out of 65 terrestrial-specific antibodies tested, 11 were cross-reactive and identified dolphin immune cell populations within their peripheral blood. Using these antibodies, we found significant differences in the absolute number of cells expressing specific markers within their lymphocyte and monocyte fractions. Interestingly, the peripheral blood mononuclear cell profile of free-ranging dolphins retained an additional population of cells that divided them into two groups showing a low (<27%) or high (>56%) percentage of smaller cells resembling granulocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the cross-reactive antibodies not only identified specific changes in the immune cells of free-ranging dolphins, but also opened the possibility to investigate the causal relationship between immunosuppression and mortality seen in free-ranging dolphins.
authors.affiliation: Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA. mnourish@health.fau.edu.
authors.forename: Mahyar
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8813-0667
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nouri-Shirazi
authors.affiliation: Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
authors.forename: Brittany F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Bible
authors.affiliation: Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.|Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Menghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
authors.forename: Saba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamjidi
authors.affiliation: Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, NW, Atlanta, GA, S, USA.|Division of Comparative Pathology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, PO Box 016960 (R-46), Miami, FL, 33101, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Bossart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001772:Blood Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary*; D050681:Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal
keywords: Bottlenose dolphin; Flow cytometry; Immunophenotyping; Marine mammal; Peripheral blood cells