Hemoparasite occurrence and hematological/serum chemistry variations in Podocnemis vogli turtles: A comparative analysis between wild-residing infected specimens and captive non-infected counterparts.

Reptiles show a high occurrence of hemoparasites in the wild; however, little is known about the impact of such infections on their hosts' physiology and health status. Podocnemis vogli is an ancient turtle distributed in South America, frequently infected by blood parasites. Specifically, we analyzed the hematological and serum chemistry parameters of 78 wild turtles. We compared these values with those obtained from non-infected turtles of the same species in ex-situ conditions, considering factors such as sex and coinfections. Two orders of hemoparasites were detected under microscopic analyses: Adelorina, represented by Haemogregarina sp. (98.72 ± 0.28%), and Haemosporida, represented by Haemocystidium sp. (30.77 ± 1.16%), the latter genus being always in coinfection with Haemogregarina. Significant differences were observed in 20 parameters between infected (free living) and uninfected (living in captivity) turtles. The ALP, PCV, Hb, and MCV were significantly different by sex; albumin, cholesterol, creatinine, percentage of heterophils, lymphocytes, and basophils differed in coinfection. This is the first report of reference intervals of P. vogli in the wild and the first study comparing hematological and blood biochemistry values between hemoparasite-infected and uninfected P. vogli turtles. However, the limited knowledge of these parameters in wild reptiles and the wide range of interval values makes it difficult to determine any significant impact on turtle health. Nevertheless, this study highlights the need for more in-depth research to explore the potential effects of blood parasite infections on turtles, including immune response and coevolution studies.

Hematological and blood chemistry parameters of a Podocnemis vogli and P. unifilis captive population in Colombia.

The Podocnemididae family is seriously affected by anthropogenic factors, which is why almost all of their family members are threatened, according to the IUCN red list. The biology and ecology of these species, as well as the hematological and serum chemistry reference intervals that allow clinical action and decision-making conservation programs, are poorly known. Based on this, the objective of this study was to establish the hematological and blood chemistry parameters of the Savannah side-necked turtle (Podocnemis vogli) and Yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) maintained in captivity at the Estación de Biología Tropical Roberto Franco (Villavicencio-Colombia). Forty-nine captive turtles of the species P. vogli (n = 28) and P. unifilis (n = 21) were sampled to determine hematological and serum chemistry parameters. Blood samples were taken from the jugular veins of both male and female turtles across both species. Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests were used to compare values between the parameters evaluated against genders and sizes. Reference intervals were calculated for the hematological and biochemical values of each species. Some assessed parameters demonstrated significant differences between the males and females of both species. Most of the analyzed parameters exhibited similar reference intervals in both species. In this study, we report values and propose the hematological and serum chemistry reference intervals for P. vogli and P. unifilis, which can be used in the clinical diagnosis of these reptiles and in future research.

Hematology, Biochemistry Reference Intervals, and Morphological Description of Peripheral Blood Cells for a Captive Population of Crocodylus intermedius in Colombia.

The Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius, Graves, 1918) is the most threatened crocodilian of South America. There is only scarce information available about the physiology of this neotropical crocodile. This study aimed to propose baseline hematological and biochemistry reference data and intervals and a morphological description of the peripheral blood cells of captive C. intermedius. Blood was collected from 318 clinically healthy individuals maintained in captivity at Villavicencio, Colombia. Eight of these individuals were sampled and resampled, and these data were compared. Reference intervals were proposed for hematological values [packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell count, white blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, hemoglobin, and white blood cell count differential counts] and biochemistries [total solids, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, glucose, albumin, cholesterol, uric acid, creatinine, and lactate] including adults and juveniles, males and females' crocodiles. Blood cell morphology for the species is described. Significant differences between sex and age were observed. The intraindividual analysis concluded differences for total solids (P ≤ 0.01) and red blood cell counts (P ≤ 0.01). Some biochemical analytes showed a moderate correlation between them, such as ALT-alkaline phosphatase and ALT-uric acid. We present here novel and baseline data with special importance for the clinical diagnosis, improving the national reintroduction programs from either in situ and ex situ populations.