Evaluation of immune functions in captive immature loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)

Rousselet, Estelle; Levin, Milton; Gebhard, Erika; Higgins, Benjamin M.; DeGuise, Sylvain; Godard-Codding, Céline A.J.

doi:10.1016/j.vetimm.2013.09.004

Cited by 23 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Large sample size studies of sea turtle hematology yield similarly wide ranges of Hct among individuals (e.g. (Lewbart et al, 2014;Rousselet et al, 2013;F. E. Wood & Ebanks, 1984) and have demonstrated associations of Hct with stress, contaminant burdens, ectoparasites and tumor scores (García-Párraga et al, 2014;Keller, Kucklick, Stamper, Harms, & McClellan-Green, 2004;Stamper et al, 2005;Work & Balazs, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood oxygen stores of olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea are highly variable among individuals during arribada nesting

et al. 2020

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Sea turtles are mostly pelagic, air-breathing divers that can become neritic during nesting season. Sea turtles dive with a full lung of air and these O2 stores are supplemented by O 2 stored in blood. Olive ridley sea turtles exhibit polymorphic nesting behavior; mass nesting behavior called arribada, where up to 25,000 turtles will nest at once, and solitary nesting behavior. As mostly pelagic and highly migratory species, we hypothesize that newly arrived turtles, nesting in arribadas, will exhibit increased blood oxygen stores as compared to solitary nesting towards the end of the season, where turtles have likely become neritic. We measured blood volume and associated variables to estimate total blood O2 stores including hematocrit and blood hemoglobin content. There were no significant differences in mean values between nesting periods, but arribada nesting individuals were more variable than those performing solitary nesting. Mass specific plasma volume was relatively invariant among individuals but mass specific blood volume and blood oxygen stores varied widely, 2-fold and 3-fold, respectively. Blood O2 stores represented 32% of total body O2 stores. Under typical mean diving conditions of 26°C and high levels of activity, blood stores confer ~14 min to aerobic dive times and are likely critical for the long duration, deep diving exhibited by the species. Individual differences in blood O2 stores strongly impact estimated aerobic dive limits and may constrain the ability of individuals to respond to changes on ocean climate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood oxygen stores of olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea are highly variable among individuals during arribada nesting

et al. 2020

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“…Innate immunity in reptiles is best described in crocodilians (reviewed in Merchant et al, 2006), while studies in chelonians have focused mainly on a few taxa including sea turtles (e.g. Caliani, Poggioni, D'Agostino, Fossi, & Casini, 2019; Rousselet et al, 2013; Stacy et al, 2018), Gopherus spp. (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma antibacterial activities in ornate (Terrapene ornata) and eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina)

et al. 2020

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Chelonians are one of the most imperiled vertebrate taxa and many species are increasingly threatened by disease, however, the immune response in this group is understudied. We quantified the innate immune response of eastern (Terrapene carolina; EBT) and ornate (Terrapene ornate; OBT) box turtles using plasma antibacterial activity assays. Plasma from both species abolished or significantly reduced the growth of all eight bacterial species evaluated, including Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Citrobacter freundi, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Bactericidal capacity was greater in OBT compared to EBT, and OBT plasma retained high antibacterial activities at a broader temperature range (20-40°C) compared to EBT (30-40°C). Plasma antibacterial activity was abolished following treatment with heat, protease, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, indicating that complement is likely responsible for the observed effects. Further characterization of the box turtle immune response may provide insight into the importance of infectious diseases for species conservation, enabling the development of more efficient and effective population management strategies. K E Y W O R D S box turtle, chelonian, innate immunity, reptile, Terrapene

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“…In sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) and loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta ), for example, PHA has been reported as inducing a stronger proliferation of blood‐derived lymphocytes than ConA (Rousselet et al. ; Ortiz et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Concanavalin A during immune responsiveness skin‐swelling tests facilitates measurement interpretation in mammalian ecology

Bílková

Albrecht

Chudíčková

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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The skin‐swelling test is a simple and widespread method used in field ecological research to estimate cellular immune responsiveness in animals. This immunoecological test is based on measuring the magnitude of tissue swelling response at specific times following subcutaneous application of an experimental pro‐inflammatory stimulant. In the vast majority of studies across vertebrate taxa, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) is used as a universal stimulant. Given the complexity of immune response activation pathways of PHA, however, interpretation of test results can be ambiguous. Goal of this study was to improve methodology of the skin‐swelling test to decrease this ambiguity. Here, we present an alternative protocol aimed at facilitating interpretation of skin‐swelling data for mammals. Based on previous evidence suggesting that mammalian T cells are readily activated by Concanavalin A (ConA) in vitro, we compared cellular immune responses in vivo to PHA and ConA as an alternative pro‐inflammatory stimulant in mice. We measured magnitude of tissue swelling and compared it with intensity of blood cell infiltration into tissue over a 72‐hour interval. Our results corroborate that PHA and ConA show important differences in both dynamics and response amplitude in rodents. ConA induces stronger swelling with a distinct leukocyte activity pattern and higher pro‐inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 6 [IL‐6] and interferon gamma[IFN‐γ]) expression than PHA during peak response (24‐h post‐treatment). Furthermore, unlike PHA, magnitude of swelling was positively associated with cellular activity (number of neutrophils infiltrating tissue) following ConA injection. We conclude that ConA is the more suitable stimulant for skin‐swelling tests in mammals. This is because of the molecular binding specificity in the two lectins, that is, ConA specifically activates T cells while PHA also triggers erythroagglutination. We propose that ConA be used in all future ecological testing in mammals as it exhibits better performance and its application facilitates immunological interpretation of skin‐swelling test results.

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Evaluation of immune functions in captive immature loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)

Cited by 23 publications

References 48 publications

Blood oxygen stores of olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea are highly variable among individuals during arribada nesting

Blood oxygen stores of olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea are highly variable among individuals during arribada nesting

Plasma antibacterial activities in ornate (Terrapene ornata) and eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina)

Application of Concanavalin A during immune responsiveness skin‐swelling tests facilitates measurement interpretation in mammalian ecology

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