Influence of biological factors on hematological and serum biochemistry values in captive Adélie, Chinstrap, Gentoo, and Macaroni penguins in Pingtung, Taiwan

Abstract

Hematology and serum biochemistry reference values are essential for health evaluation and disease diagnosis in penguins. However, there are currently no published physiological values for captive Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Chinstrap penguins (P. antarcticus), nor for wild or captive Macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus). The present study is the first investigation regarding hematology and serum biochemistry reference values for captive Adélie, Gentoo (P. papua), Chinstrap, and Macaroni penguins in Asia. Fixed effect models for repeated measure were applied to determine the influence of penguin species, age, gender, and age-gender interaction on each blood parameter. Hematology and serum biochemical data from 122 apparently healthy penguins (24 Adélie, 38 Chinstrap, 46 Gentoo, and 14 Macaroni) were collected between 2009 and 2014. The effects of penguin species were observed for most blood parameters, except total bilirubin, creatine kinase (CK), creatinine, and potassium ion (K ). Values of mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), heterophil, ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes (H/L), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and chloride ion (Cl ) had significant positive correlation with age, while significant negative correlation with age was observed in total red blood cells (RBCs), lymphocytes, thrombocytes, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), CK, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and plasma iron. Compared to male penguins, females had lower mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) but higher calcium ion (Ca ) values. As for age-gender interaction, significant positive correlation was shown in MCHC and K , and the reverse was true in H/L ratio.

Clinical Chemistry and Haematology Values of a Captive Population of Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti)

“…A study in wild nestling Rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) found no significant differences between males and females [31]. A study on captive Adélie, Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus), Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua), and Macaroni (Eudyptes chrysolophus) penguins in Taiwan found significantly lower values for mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and urea, higher values for Ca in females, a significant negative correlation with age for erythrocytes, lymphocytes, thrombocytes, AP, CK, LDH, and iron, and a significant positive correlation with age for mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), heterophiles, heterophile:lymphocyte ratios, ALT, and chloride [12]. The differences between the studies could have been influenced by the fact that the animals had different ages, were sampled at different locations, at different times, and are of different species and particularly by the fact that most previous studies are based on wild penguins, where many factors like health status and food intake are not exactly known.…”

“…A number of physiological factors can influence blood values in healthy animals. In penguins, studies have documented differences in various blood analytes depending on sex [10][11][12][13], age [12,14], body condition [13], time of day [15], season [13], year [14], location [13], and infection with malaria [16,17].…”