The hematology of captive Bobtail lizards (Tiliqua rugosa): blood counts, light microscopy, cytochemistry, and ultrastructure

Abstract

Ranges for CBC data were often very wide, influenced by preanalytic and analytic factors. Hemogregarine infection is associated with a decreased PCV, suggesting that some hemogregarine species are pathogenic in this population.

Calibration of the HemoCue point-of-care analyser for determining haemoglobin concentration in a lizard and a fish

“…The overestimation of [Hb] predominantly occurred at the upper end and at [Hb] values beyond the biological range of approximately 30–140 g l −1 for blue-tongued skinks and other Tiliqua spp. ( Moller, 2014 ; S. Munns, A. Edwards and S. Andrewartha, unpublished). The consequence for an uncalibrated [Hb] measurement of 140 g l −1 at the upper end of the physiological range would be an overestimation of ∼7% (131 g l −1 ; Fig.…”

“…Mean corpuscular volume is 441–553 × 10 −15 l in Atlantic salmon and 422 × 10 −15 l in Tiliqua spp. ( Sandnes et al , 1988 ; Moller, 2014 ). Instead, the overestimation was lower in skinks compared with Atlantic salmon.…”

“…A dilution series was created from each blood sample to establish a range of [Hb] that was wider than the biological range for [Hb], which is approximately 30–140 g l −1 for blue-tongued skinks and other Tiliqua spp. and approximately 89–104 g l −1 in Atlantic salmon ( Sandnes et al , 1988 ; Moller, 2014 ; S. Munns, A. Edwards and S. Andrewartha, unpublished data). Each blood sample was divided into five aliquots (including whole blood).…”

“…The aims of this study aimed were as follows: (i) to determine whether the [Hb] of reptile blood can be determined accurately using the HemoCue; and (ii) to determine whether differences in MCV or nucleation of the erythrocytes affects the values produced by the HemoCue. To address the second aim, we used commonly farmed diploid and triploid salmon because triploids have larger erythrocytes (MCV) with larger nuclei than their diploid counterparts, and the MCV of diploid salmon is similar to that of reptiles ( Sandnes et al , 1988 ; Benfey, 1999 ; Cogswell et al , 2002 ; Moller, 2014 ). We hypothesized that the presence of the nucleus in fish and reptile erythrocytes would result in an overestimation of [Hb] by the HemoCue in all three animal groups because of the HemoCue’s internal calibrations being developed for non-nucleated human erythrocytes.…”

Unraveling avian and reptilian hematology: An optical and electron microscopic study of the buffy coat

“…Therefore, we propose that the CTB technique should be used in pathologic cases, such as in the diagnosis of leukemic dissemination or when atypical cells are present in the blood smear . As to electron microscopy processing, we used a protocol similar to that published for dogs and cats, but simpler than that previously reported for reptiles, such as the Bobtail lizard or Yellow‐Bellied Slider Turtle . Still, it rendered acceptable ultrastructural leukocyte detail and enabled us to report, for the first time, the ultrastructure of inclusion bodies in the blood of a B constrictor using the CTB technique.…”