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Martony, Molly E.; Isaza, Ramiro; Erlacher-Reid, Claire D.; Peterson, Jon; Stacy, Nicole I.
(detail)
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2019 |
Esophageal measurement of core body temperature in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Jour. Wildlife Diseases 56(1): 27-33. DOI: 10.7589/2019-02-049 Jan. 2020 (publ. online July 11, 2019).
–ABSTRACT: Cold-stress syndrome (CSS) is one of the leading natural threats to free-ranging Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Cold water exposure below the species' acceptable physiologic range is a frequent occurrence for manatees during cold weather months causing CSS-induced systemic illness and significant annual mortality. Although CSS is a commonly presented condition at manatee rehabilitation facilities, the core body temperatures in CSS manatees are currently unknown due to the lack of clinically applicable and accurate temperature measurement methodologies. Our objective was to establish a clinically applicable measurement methodology of core body temperature in manatees. A novel, minimally invasive temperature technique to obtain esophageal temperature by placing a temperature sensor within an orogastric tube was compared to current oral and nasal methods in 20 clinically healthy manatees. Results identified the esophageal measurement as the best performing and most precise temperature methodology. The superior performance of esophageal temperature measurements differed significantly from both nasal and oral measurements, although nasal and oral measurements did not differ when compared with each other. The esophageal measurements were consistent with manatee core body temperature, facilitating generation of a reference interval for core body temperature in healthy manatees (35.0-35.8°C). Four CSS medical cases were evaluated with the newly validated esophageal temperature method, facilitating diagnosis of hypothermia. The application of this temperature measurement technique to CSS manatees in field or rehabilitation settings will help in understanding CSS pathophysiology, improve medical assessments during rehabilitation, and contribute to conservation efforts.
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Martony, Molly; Hernandez, Jorge A.; de Wit, Martine; St. Leger, Judy; Erlacher-Reid, Claire; Vandenberg, Jacob; Stacy, Nicole I.
(detail)
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2019 |
Clinicopathological prognostic indicators of survival and pathological findings in cold-stressed Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 132(2): 85-97. 3 tabs. 1 fig. DOI: 10.3354/dao03306
–ABSTRACT: Cold-stress syndrome (CSS) is a leading natural cause of mortality in free-ranging Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris, but comprehensive investigations into blood analyte derangements and prognostic indicators in CSS are lacking. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare admission blood analyte data of manatees pre and post rehabilitation for CSS to identify clinicopathological derangements, (2) identify blood analyte prognostic indicators for survival, and (3) correlate post-mortem anatomic pathological changes with clinicopathological findings to improve the understanding of CS pathophysiology. CSS manatees admitted to a rehabilitation facility between 2007 and 2017 were included: 59 manatees with data for clinicopathological analysis (7 non-survivors and 49 survivors) and 14 manatees with necropsy data (7 with and 7 without blood analyte data). Main interpretive clinicopathological findings indicated systemic inflammation, bone marrow damage, diuresis, malnutrition, tissue necrosis, fat mobilization, hepatic impairment, acid-base imbalances, and gastrointestinal ulceration. The best diagnostically performing prognostic indicators for survival included platelet concentration, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, and blood urea nitrogen. The main anatomic pathological findings were cutaneous lesions (n = 14), lipid depletion (n = 12), upper gastrointestinal ulceration and/or hemorrhage (n = 9), and pneumonia (n = 5). Based on the identified blood prognostic indicators interpreted in the context of anatomic pathological findings, multi-organ tissue injury, gastrointestinal ulceration and/or hemorrhage, and hemodynamic and platelet derangements are the presumptive major factors of CSS manatee mortality. These results contribute to the understanding of the complex CSS pathophysiology and offer the use of blood analyte prognostic indicators as a clinically applicable tool for the medical care of manatees during rehabilitation, thereby contributing to increased rehabilitation success and conservation of the Florida manatee.
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Bibliography and Index of the Sirenia and Desmostylia 