Haematology reference values for Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Haematological parameters are frequently used as physiological indicators in aquaculture studies. These parameters also have extended applications in clinical evaluation, diagnosis and prognosis in fish health status. However, no normal reference range of values has been demonstrated in depth for any of these haematological parameters for the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) or gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). The main objective of this article is to present for the first time through extended literature review, the haematological parameters normal range values for the two most important aquaculture fish species farmed in Mediterranean Sea, D. labrax and S. aurata, and to demonstrate their similarities and their differences. In this article, we also discuss the environmental and external factors affecting their normal blood parameters values and we propose fundamental guidelines on the reporting units.

Hematological and Hematopoietic Analysis in Fish Toxicology—A Review

“…To observe toxicity-induced alterations, it is necessary to provide reference values. Unfortunately, as in all poikilothermic vertebrates, the internal environments of fish are variable and considerably affected by external conditions, and it is very difficult to establish reliable hematological reference values for a species since their ranges are very wide [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Witeska et al [ 14 ] summarized the data obtained over eight years from 146 clinically healthy juvenile individuals of Cyprinus carpio used as controls in various studies carried out under similar environmental conditions, and the results showed different levels of variability in various hematological parameters; some of them were stable (e.g., frequency of lymphocytes), most were moderately variable (e.g., hemoglobin concentration and red blood cell count), while others turned out to be highly variable (e.g., thrombocyte count).…”