Subject(s)
Turtles/blood , Wounds and Injuries/veterinary , Animals , Animals, Wild , Blood Chemical Analysis/veterinary , Conservation of Natural Resources , Liver Function Tests/veterinary , Malnutrition/blood , Malnutrition/rehabilitation , Malnutrition/veterinary , Petroleum/adverse effects , Plasma/chemistry , Prognosis , Spain , Turtles/injuries , Wounds and Injuries/blood , Wounds and Injuries/etiology , Wounds and Injuries/rehabilitationABSTRACT
Ultrastructural characteristics of erythrocytes, heterophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and thrombocytes of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) were evaluated, using blood samples from 15 healthy juvenile animals. Except for the eosinophils, the rest of the white blood cells from loggerhead turtles had similar ultrastructural characteristics compared with blood cells from other sea turtle species. Eosinophils from loggerhead turtles were homogeneous in size, and no crystalline structures were observed within the granules. This paper provides an ultrastructural characterization of blood cells of loggerhead sea turtles, as a reference for future haematological studies of this species.
Subject(s)
Blood Cells/cytology , Blood Cells/ultrastructure , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission/veterinary , Turtles/blood , Animals , Histocytochemistry/veterinary , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission/methods , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
A morphologic classification based on the cytochemical characteristics of blood cells of 35 juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) is described. Cytochemical stains included benzidine peroxidase, chloroacetate esterase, alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase (with and without sodium fluoride), acid phosphatase (with and without tartaric acid), Sudan black B, periodic acid-Schiff, and toluidine blue. The morphologic characteristics of erythrocytes were similar to those reported in green turtles. Six types of white blood cells were identified: heterophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and thrombocytes. Except for the basophils, the rest of the white blood cells from loggerhead turtles had different cytochemical characteristics compared to blood cells from other sea turtle species. The leukocyte differential count was different from that reported for other sea turtle species. Heterophils were the most numerous leukocytes from these loggerhead turtles, followed by lymphocytes, eosinophils, monocytes and basophils. This paper provides a morphologic classification of blood cells of loggerhead sea turtles that is useful for veterinary surgeons involved in sea turtle conservation.