Serum Analytes of American Mink (Neovison Vison) Challenged with Aleutian Mink Disease Virus

Abstract

Black American mink (Neovison vison), which had been selected for tolerance to Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) for more than 20 years (TG100) or were from herds that have been free of AMDV (TG0), along with their progeny and crosses with 50% and 75% tolerance ancestry, were inoculated with a local isolate of AMDV. Blood samples were collected from 493 mink between 120 and 1211 days post-inoculation, and concentrations of 14 serum analytes were measured. Distributions of all analytes significantly deviated from normality, and data were analyzed after Box–Cox power transformation. Significant differences were observed among tolerant groups in the concentrations of globulin (GLO), total protein (TP), alkaline phosphatase, urea nitrogen, and calcium. Concentrations of GLO and TP linearly and significantly decreased with an increasing percentage of tolerance ancestry. Eleven analytes had the smallest values in the tolerant groups (TG100 or TG75), and eight analytes had the greatest values in the non-selected groups (TG0 or TG50). Antibody titer had the greatest correlation coefficients with GLO (0.62), TP (0.53), and creatinine (0.36). It was concluded that selection for tolerance decreased the concentrations of most serum analytes, and TP and GLO were the most accurate biomarkers of tolerance to AMDV infection. Males had significantly greater values than females for phosphorus and total bilirubin concentrations, but females had significantly greater amylase, cholesterol, and BUN concentrations than males.

Serum protein electrophoresis in European mink ( Mustela lutreola ): reference intervals and comparison of agarose gel electrophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis

“…( 2022 ) in a nutritional study of male minks. These authors did not find differences between sex and other variables, such as time and degree of tolerance (Farid and Rupasinghe 2022 ), or the level of protein or metabolic energy in the diet (Han et al. 2022 ).…”

“…In this sense, Farid and Rupasinghe ( 2022 ) found that infection with Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) increased the levels of TP and γ-globulins in American mink, which could help in the diagnosis of diseases and the identification of tolerant minks. The TP concentrations in this study were similar to those reported by Farid and Rupasinghe ( 2022 ) and Han et al. ( 2022 ) in a nutritional study of male minks.…”

“…This arises not only from the inaccessibility of individuals, particularly in the wild, but also from the lack of reliable reference intervals that truly represent healthy animals. The health status of European minks is commonly evaluated using blood and biochemistry tests that extrapolate reference intervals from closely related species such as the American mink (Farid and Rupasinghe 2022 ) or pet ferrets (Ravich et al. 2015 ).…”