Health Status of Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor) Determined by Haematology, Biochemistry, Blood Gases, and Physical Examination

Valle, Carlos A.; Ulloa, Catalina; Deresienski, Diane; Regalado, Cristina; Muñoz‐Pérez, Juan Pablo; García, Juan Narbona; Hardesty, Britta Denise; Skehel, Alice; Lewbart, Gregory A.

doi:10.1093/conphys/coy034

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Finally, intraerythrocytic parasites were found in nine individuals, but no differences were found between infected and non-infected animals with hematological values or physical measurements. The presence of hemoparasites in wild reptiles is common (Telford, 2009) and usually considered non-pathogenic (Stacy, Alleman & Sayler, 2011). Hemoparasite life cycles involve sexual reproduction in an invertebrate host (e.g., ticks, mites, mosquitoes and flies) and asexual reproduction in the reptilian host (Telford, 2009;Campbell, 2015).…”

Section: Analyte (Units)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The presence of hemoparasites in wild reptiles is common (Telford, 2009) and usually considered non-pathogenic (Stacy, Alleman & Sayler, 2011). Hemoparasite life cycles involve sexual reproduction in an invertebrate host (e.g., ticks, mites, mosquitoes and flies) and asexual reproduction in the reptilian host (Telford, 2009;Campbell, 2015). Since no mites or ticks were found in the lizards sampled (which may be due to their arboreal habits), it is possible that the hemoparasites were transmitted by mosquitoes or flies.…”

Section: Analyte (Units)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Health assessments are useful when baseline data on normal health parameter values from a clinically robust population are available ( Valle et al, 2018 ). Therefore, it is important to assess the health of wild species, especially populations that have never been surveyed ( Valle et al, 2018 ). This information helps to identify potential effects of disease, injury, pollutants, or other changing environmental conditions that would be difficult to understand without knowledge of normal species-specific variations in hematological and biochemical variables ( Smyth et al, 2014 ; Lewbart et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health status of Polychrus gutturosus based on physical examination, hematology and biochemistry parameters in Costa Rica

Arguedas¹,

Ovares²,

Arguedas

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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Studies evaluating the health status and characteristics of free-ranging wildlife populations are scarce or absent for most species. Saurian health assessments are usually performed in species that have conservation issues or that are kept in captivity. The Berthold’s bush anole (Polychrus guturossus) is one of eight species belonging to the genus Polychrus, the only representative of the family Polychrotidae. Only a handful of studies have been reported concerning these lizard’s morphological variation, ecology, and natural history, probably because P. gutturosus is a canopy dweller and it can be difficult to locate individuals. It is believed that deforestation and habitat modification could pose a threat for this species, although to date no health assessment has been done. The aim of this study was to generate health baseline data on P. gutturosus. Forty Berthold’s bush anoles (20 males and 20 females) were sampled at the Pacific versant in Costa Rica, where physical examination, skin and cloacal temperatures, and blood samples were obtained from individuals immediately after capture. Animals from the studied population were all healthy (body condition 2.5–3.0/5.0). No lesions or ectoparasites were detected, but hemoparasites were found in nine individuals. Hematological and biochemical values were obtained, and the morphology of leukocytes were found to be similar to other iguanians. A positive correlation was found between the tissue enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatinine kinase (CK) and a negative correlation was found between skin and cloacal temperatures and AST and CK. There were positive correlations between female weight and total protein, calcium, and the calcium and phosphorus ratio. No significant inter-sex differences were found in biochemical values, despite females being larger than males. This is the first health assessment performed on a free-ranging canopy dwelling lizard. These findings provide baseline data that may be useful for future monitoring if the species faces changes in health status due to anthropogenic causes or natural disturbances.

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Section: Analyte (Units)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analyte (Units)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Health status of Polychrus gutturosus based on physical examination, hematology and biochemistry parameters in Costa Rica

Arguedas¹,

Ovares²,

Arguedas

et al. 2021

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Health status of Polychrus gutturosus based on physical examination, hematology and biochemistry parameters in Costa Rica (v0.1)"

Troiano¹

2021

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Studies evaluating the health status and characteristics of free-ranging wildlife populations are scarce or absent for most species. Saurian health assessments are usually performed in species that have conservation issues or that are kept in captivity. The Berthold's bush anole (Polychrus guturossus) is one of eight species belonging to the genus Polychrus, the only representative of the family Polychrotidae. Only a handful of studies have been reported concerning these lizard's morphological variation, ecology, and natural history, probably because P. gutturosus is a canopy dweller and it can be difficult to locate individuals. It is believed that deforestation and habitat modification could pose a threat for this species, although to date no health assessment has been done. The aim of this study was to generate health baseline data on P. gutturosus. Forty Berthold´s bush anoles (20 males and 20 females) were sampled at the Pacific versant in Costa Rica, where physical examination, skin and cloacal temperatures, and blood samples were obtained from individuals immediately after capture. Animals from the studied population were all healthy (body condition 2.5-3.0/5.0). No lesions or ectoparasites were detected, but hemoparasites were found in nine individuals. Hematological and biochemical values were obtained, and the morphology of leukocytes were found to be similar to other iguanians. A positive correlation was found between the tissue enzymes Aspartate amino transferase (AST) and Creatinine kinase (CK) and a negative correlation was found between skin and cloacal temperatures and AST and CK. There were positive correlations between female weight and total protein, Calcium, and the Calcium and Phosphorus ratio. No significant inter-sex differences were found in biochemical values, despite females being larger than males. This is the first health assessment performed on a free-ranging canopy dwelling

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Ten Years of Wildlife Health and Conservation in the Galapagos, 2013–2022

Lewbart

Pérez

Páez‐Rosas

et al. 2023

Social and Ecological Interactions in the Galapagos Islands

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Health Status of Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor) Determined by Haematology, Biochemistry, Blood Gases, and Physical Examination

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Health status of Polychrus gutturosus based on physical examination, hematology and biochemistry parameters in Costa Rica

Health status of Polychrus gutturosus based on physical examination, hematology and biochemistry parameters in Costa Rica

Peer Review #1 of "Health status of Polychrus gutturosus based on physical examination, hematology and biochemistry parameters in Costa Rica (v0.1)"

Ten Years of Wildlife Health and Conservation in the Galapagos, 2013–2022

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