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Grossman, Charles J.; Hamilton, Richard; Close-Jacob, Lisa; De Wit, Martine; Werwa, Jeffery
(detail)
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2011 |
Silicone modeling of the interior spaces of hollow organs: use in dog and manatee respiratory tract and in a beef heart.
OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences 11(1): 7-7. 2011.
–ABSTRACT: Problem statement: The mechanism by which the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) vocalizes remains unknown because the manatee larynx does not contain true vocal cords. Since sound can be generated when air passes through a narrow respiratory structure we needed to visualize the internal anatomy of manatee respiratory tract to locate any candidate regions for study. Approach: To visualize the internal anatomy of upper and lower manatee respiratory tract we have developed a rapid but accurate method of modeling these structures using liquid silicone. We first tested this technique on the respiratory structure of a cadaver dog and then applied it to two small manatees which had died through natural causes. Incisions were made in the trachea of both dog and manatees and commercially available liquid silicone was then forced into the upper and lower respiratory tracts used a slightly modified common automobile grease gun. The animals were then refrigerated overnight and the silicone was allowed to cure for a period of 24 h. Results: In dog, we removed cured silicone model by applying mild force to it after surgically opening the nasal cavity. In the manatees some dissection was necessary for release of mold from the upper nasal cavity, but only mild force was necessary with no dissection to release silicone model from the lower tract. Because the models created exhibited great accuracy and fine structure, including presence of tertiary bronchi in the manatee respiratory tract, we realized that the technique was applicable for use in other hollow organs. We applied this method to the visualization of internal structure of a fresh beef heart and were pleased with the accuracy and detail of model produced. Conclusion: We suggest that this technique can be adopted for three-dimensional visualization of the internal structure and volume estimation of many hollow organs in a wide variety of organisms with both minimal effort and cost.
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Gerlach, Trevor J.; De Wit, Martine; Landolfi, Jennifer A.
(detail)
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2012 |
Diaphragmatic hernia and right-sided heart enlargement in a Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Jour. Wildlife Diseases 48(4): 1102-1104. DOI: 10.7589/2011-12-344. Oct. 1, 2012.
–ABSTRACT: Postmortem evaluation of a Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) revealed cold stress lesions and previous watercraft trauma that included broken ribs, a diaphragmatic hernia, an enlarged vena cava, and right-sided cardiomegaly. We discuss these findings and present a possible pathogenesis for the cardiomegaly.
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Stith, Bradley M.; Slone, D. H.; De Wit, Martine; Edwards, Holly H.; Langtimm, Catherine A.; Swain, E. D.; Soderqvist, L. E.; Reid, James P.
(detail)
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2012 |
Passive thermal refugia provided warm water for Florida manatees during the severe winter of 2009-2010.
Marine Ecology Progress Series 462: 287-301. DOI:10.3354/meps09732. Aug. 21, 2012.
–ABSTRACT: Haloclines induced by freshwater inflow over tidal water have been identified as an important mechanism for maintaining warm water in passive thermal refugia (PTR) used by Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris during winter in extreme southwestern Florida. Record-setting cold during winter 2009-2010 resulted in an unprecedented number of manatee deaths, adding to concerns that PTR may provide inadequate thermal protection during severe cold periods. Hydrological data from 2009-2010 indicate that 2 canal systems in the Ten Thousand Islands (TTI) region acted as PTR and maintained warm bottom-water temperatures, even during severe and prolonged cold periods. Aerial survey counts of live and dead manatees in TTI during the winter of 2009-2010 suggest that these PTR were effective at preventing mass mortality from hypothermia, in contrast to the nearby Everglades region, which lacks similar artificial PTR and showed high manatee carcass counts. Hydrological data from winter 2008-2009 confirmed earlier findings that without haloclines these artificial PTR may become ineffective as warm-water sites. Tidal pumping of groundwater appears to provide additional heat to bottom water during low tide cycles, but the associated thermal inversion is not observed unless salinity stratification is present. The finding that halocline-driven PTR can maintain warm water even under extreme winter conditions suggests that they may have significant potential as warm-water sites. However, availability and conflicting uses of freshwater and other management issues may make halocline-driven PTR unreliable or difficult to manage during winter.
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Gerlach, Trevor J.; Estrada, Amara H.; Sosa, Ivan S.; Powell, Melanie; Maisenbacher, Herbert W.; De Wit, Martine; Ball, Ray L.; Walsh, Michael T.
(detail)
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2013a |
Echocardiographic evaluation of clinically healthy Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Jour. Zoo & Wildlife Medicine 44(2): 295-301. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1638/2012-0109R.1. June 2013.
–ABSTRACT: Antemortem studies pertaining to the manatee cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems are limited despite reports of cardiac disease in postmortem specimens. The objective of this project was to develop a technique for echocardiography in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Because of their unique anatomy, a ventral approach was employed by use of an echocardiography table designed specifically for this study. Fourteen clinically healthy, free-ranging and captive Florida manatees underwent echocardiography between the fall of 2011 and winter of 2012. Eight females and six males of various age categories were included in the study. Clear visualization of all valves and chambers was accomplished, and length and width measurements of the left atrium, peak aortic flow velocity, and ejection fraction percentage were calculated in most animals. Abnormalities observed during the study included atrioventricular regurgitation and severe right-atrial enlargement. Based on the results of this study, echocardiography in the Florida manatee is possible, which has both clinical and research implications in larger epidemiologic studies evaluating diseases of the cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular systems.
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Grossman, Charles J.; Hamilton, Richard E.; De Wit, Martine; Johnson, Jeff; Faul, Robert; Herbert, Steven; Tierney, Dennis; Buot, Max; Latham, Michelle L.; Boivin, Gregory
(detail)
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2014 |
The vocalization mechanism of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences 14(2):127-149. 6 tabs. 6 figs. DOI:10.3844/ojbssp.2014.127.149.
–ABSTRACT: The mechanism by which Florida manatees produce vocalizations is unknown. Anatomically, the laryngeal region in manatees lacks clearly defined vocal folds. Initially we developed a method to visualize the entire manatee upper respiratory system. We then forced air through fresh necropsied manatee larynxes and generated artificial vocalizations which closely duplicated the normal vocalizations produced by live manatees, both in fundamental frequency and structure of harmonics. Here we report that sound is generated in the larynx when air vibrates bilateral strips of tissue embedded in the lateral laryngeal walls which are in close approximation anteriorly but which diverge posteriorly. We propose that these strips of tissue are the modified vocal folds containing ligaments and we support this through histological stained sections and because they are connected anteriorly to the posterior side of the thyroid cartilage and posteriorly with the arytenoidal cartilages. We also suggest that these vocalizations are then modified within the resonance cavities in the frontal area of the head and the air used to generate these vocalizations also causes a transient deformation of this region before being conserved and returned to the lungs.
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Fire, Spencer E.; Flewelling, Leanne J.; Stolen, Megan; Durden, Wendy Noke; De Wit, Martine; Spellman, Ann C.; Wang, Zhihong
(detail)
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2015 |
Brevetoxin-associated mass mortality event of bottlenose dolphins and manatees along the east coast of Florida, USA.
Marine Ecology Progress Series 526: 241-251. 2 tabs. 4 figs. DOI: 10.3354/meps11225. Apr. 22, 2015.
–ABSTRACT: A mass mortality of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris co-occurred with a severe bloom of the toxic algal species Karenia brevis along the eastern coast of Florida, USA, between October 2007 and January 2008. Brevetoxin (PbTx), a potent neurotoxin produced by this marine alga, was detected in 69 and 92% of the tested carcasses of manatees and dolphins, respectively, at concentrations similar to those reported for earlier mortality events along the west coast of Florida. Brevetoxin was also detected in fetal and neonate dolphins, providing evidence of maternal transfer of the toxin in wild populations. This study is the first to document a brevetoxin-associated marine mammal mortality event along the Atlantic coast of Florida. It also demonstrates that, despite the rarity of K. brevis blooms in this region, significant negative impacts to marine mammals inhabiting this region can occur.
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Gerlach, Trevor J.; Estrada, Amara H.; Sosa, Ivan S.; Powell, Melanie; Lamb, Kenneth E.; Ball, Ray L.; de Wit, Martine; Walsh, Mike T.
(detail)
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2015 |
Establishment of echocardiographic parameters of clinically healthy Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE 46 (2):205-212. 5 tables. 4 figures. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1638/2014-0071R1.1. JUN 2015.
–ABSTRACT: A standardized echocardiographic technique was recently established for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). There are no available published data on normal echocardiographic parameters in any Sirenian species. The purpose of this study was to report reference parameters for various echocardiographic measurements. These parameters are intended to serve as a comparison for future research into the prevalence of cardiac diseases in the manatee and to aid in diagnosing animals with suspected cardiac disease in rehabilitation facilities. Annual health assessments of free-ranging manatees in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, and pre-release health assessments of rehabilitated manatees at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo permitted comparison of echocardiographic measurements in adult (n = 14), subadult (n = 7), and calf (n = 8) animals under manual restraint.
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Smith, Lauren N.; Rotstein, David S.; Ball, Ray L.; Gerlach, Trevor J.; Kinsel, Michael; Rodriguez, Maya; de Wit, Martine
(detail)
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2015 |
Reproductive neoplasms in wild and long-term captive female Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE 46 (4):895-903. 1 table. 5 figures. DOI: 10.1638/2014-0195.1. December 2015.
–Abstract- Few reports of neoplastic diseases in manatees exist in the veterinary literature. This case series presents reproductive neoplasia noted in eight wild and long-term captive female Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) obtained through carcass recovery and animal rehabilitation programs between April 2009 and May 2014. All cases were evaluated histologically, and diagnoses of uterine carcinoma (n = 1), granulosa cell tumor (n = 2), ovarian adnexal tumor (n = 1), and leiomyoma (n = 5) were made. The underlying cause of tumor development and effects on reproductive success is currently unknown, but possible asymmetric reproductive aging and/or a correlation between obesity and reproductive disorder in long-term nonreproductive female manatees are of interest and warrant further investigation.
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Walsh, Catherine J.; Butawan, Matthew; Yordy, Jennifer; Ball, Ray; Flewelling, Leanne; De Wit, Martine; Bonde, Robert K.
(detail)
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2015 |
Sublethal red tide toxin exposure in free-ranging manatees (Trichechus manatus) affects the immune system through reduced lymphocyte proliferation responses, inflammation, and oxidative stress.
Aquatic Toxicology 161: 73-84. DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2015.01.019
–ABSTRACT: The health of many Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is adversely affected by exposure to blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis. K. brevis blooms are common in manatee habitats off Florida's southwestern coast and produce a group of cyclic polyether toxins collectively referred to as red tide toxins, or brevetoxins. Although a large number of manatees exposed to significant levels of red tide toxins die, several manatees are rescued from sublethal exposure and are successfully treated and returned to the wild. Sublethal brevetoxin exposure may potentially impact the manatee immune system. Lymphocyte proliferative responses and a suite of immune function parameters in the plasma were used to evaluate effects of brevetoxin exposure on health of manatees rescued from natural exposure to red tide toxins in their habitat. Blood samples were collected from rescued manatees at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, FL and from healthy, unexposed manatees in Crystal River, FL. Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) isolated from whole blood were stimulated with T-cell mitogens, ConA and PHA. A suite of plasma parameters, including plasma protein electrophoresis profiles, lysozyme activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and reactive oxygen/nitrogen (ROS/RNS) species, was also used to assess manatee health. Significant decreases (P < 0.05) in lymphocyte proliferation were observed in ConA and PHA stimulated lymphocytes from rescued animals compared to non-exposed animals. Significant correlations were observed between oxidative stress markers (SOD, ROS/RNS) and plasma brevetoxin concentrations. Sublethal exposure to brevetoxins in the wild impacts some immune function components, and thus overall health, in the Florida manatee.
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Harvey, J. W.; Harr, Kendal E.; Murphy, D.; Walsh, Michael T.; de Wit, Martine; Deutsch, Charles J.; Bonde, Robert K.
(detail)
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2018 |
Serum proteins in healthy and diseased Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Comparative Clinical Pathology 27(6): 1707-1716. doi: 10.1007/s00580-018-2797-z. Nov. 2018; Publ. online Aug. 3, 2018.
–ABSTRACT: A major goal of this study was to determine whether serum protein fractions of healthy Florida manatees differ with age, sex, or living environments (wild versus housed). A second goal was to determine which serum protein fractions vary in diseased versus healthy manatees. Serum protein fractions were determined using agarose gel electrophoresis. Healthy adults had slightly higher total serum protein and total globulin concentrations than younger animals. This largely resulted from an increase in gamma globulins with age. Total serum protein, albumin, alpha-1 globulin, beta globulin, and total globulin concentrations were slightly higher in housed manatees compared to wild manatees, but there was no significant difference in the albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, suggesting a difference in hydration between these groups. No significant differences were attributable to sex or pregnancy. Serum albumin concentrations and A/G ratios were significantly lower for manatees with boat trauma, entanglements, emaciation, or cold stress compared to healthy manatees. Variable increases were seen in alpha-1 globulins, alpha-2 globulins, beta globulins, and gamma globulins. These globulin fractions contain positive acute-phase proteins and immunoglobulins, and their increases may reflect acute or chronic active inflammation. Changes in serum protein fractions were not consistent enough to justify the use of serum protein electrophoresis as a routine diagnostic test for manatees. However, serum (or plasma) protein electrophoresis is required when accurate values for albumin and globulins are needed in manatees and in determining which protein fractions may account for a hyperproteinemia or hypoproteinemia reported in a clinical chemistry panel.
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Hardy, Stacie K.; Deutsch, Charles J.; Cross, Tiffanie A.; de Wit, Martine; Hostetler, Jeffrey A.
(detail)
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2019 |
Cold-related Florida manatee mortality in relation to air and water temperatures.
PLoS ONE 14(11): e0225048. 4 tabs. 8 figs. + online supporting information. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225048 Nov. 21, 2019.
–ABSTRACT: Many tropical and subtropical species are sensitive to sudden temperature changes, especially drops in temperature. During winters 2009–2010 and 2010–2011, unusually cold temperatures occurred in many parts of Florida, USA, resulting in increased mortality of Florida manatees, sea turtles, fish, corals, and other species. The Florida manatee, in particular, is highly susceptible to cold stress and death when water temperatures drop below 20°C. We sought to characterize the magnitude and timing of reports of cold-related manatee carcasses in relation to fluctuations in water and air temperatures in central-east and central-west Florida during the six winters from 2008 to 2014. We used a generalized linear model to predict counts of manatee carcasses with a cold-related cause of death reported over 7-day bins in relation to various short-term (two weeks or less) and cumulative (incrementally summed from the start of the winter) heating-degree-day effects (HDD; < 20°C) and a categorical winter variable. Using water temperature data, the top-ranked model in both regions included a short-term temperature effect (14-day HDD sum) that preceded increases in reports of cold-related manatee carcasses by 7 days. Cumulative exposure to cold weather over the winter amplified effects on mortality in the central-east region. Quantifying the relationship between cold events and manatee mortality helps us prepare for rescue and salvage operations when extremely cold weather is forecast. This is especially important because anticipated loss or degradation of warm-water refuges due to human activities and sea level rise could potentially impact the manatee population in the future. These methods could also be applied to other species susceptible to cold-related mortality.
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Harvey, J. W.; Harr, Kendal E.; Murphy, D.; Walsh, Michael T.; de Wit, Martine; Deutsch, Charles J.; Bonde, Robert K.
(detail)
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2019 |
Serum iron analytes in healthy and diseased Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Jour. Comparative Pathology 173: 58-70. 8 figs. 4 tabs. doi:10.1016/j.jcpa.2019.10.006. Publ. online Nov. 14, 2019.
–ABSTRACT: Serum iron concentration is usually decreased in true iron deficiency and with inflammatory disease in man and domestic animals. Serum total iron binding capacity (TIBC) may be increased in true iron deficiency and decreased with inflammatory disease. This prospective study was designed to measure serum iron analytes in healthy free-ranging and housed Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) of both sexes and various ages and to evaluate the effects of diseases common to manatees on these analytes. Blood samples were collected without anticoagulant from 137 healthy free-ranging manatees, 90 healthy housed manatees and 74 free-ranging diseased manatees, and serum was prepared by centrifugation. Serum iron concentration and unsaturated iron binding capacity were measured colourimetrically, and TIBC and percent transferrin saturation with iron were calculated. Serum amyloid A (SAA) was measured to assist in the health assessment of manatees and provide evidence of inflammation in diseased manatees. Based on the serum iron analytes, iron availability was lower in immature manatees compared with adults, and it was lower in housed manatees compared with free-ranging manatees. In contrast to other mammals studied, serum iron concentration was elevated rather than depressed in late pregnancy. Serum iron concentrations and transferrin saturation with iron percentages were significantly lower, and SAA concentrations were significantly higher, in diseased (ill and injured) manatees compared with healthy manatees. Serum iron concentration and transferrin saturation with iron values were negatively correlated with SAA concentrations, and manatees with the highest SAA concentrations had lower serum TIBC values. These findings indicate that inflammation is the major factor responsible for alterations in iron analytes in diseased manatees. Consequently, hypoferraemia may be used as supportive evidence of inflammatory disease in manatees (unless haemorrhage is also present). A decision threshold of ?13.8 ?mol/l was determined for hypoferraemia using receiver operating curve analysis. Based on studies in man and domestic animals, iron therapy is unnecessary for manatees with hypoferraemia associated with inflammation and has the potential for causing tissue damage and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections.
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Lonati, Gina L.; Howell, Amber R,; Hostetler, Jeffrey A.; Schueller, Paul; de Wit, Martine; Bassett, Brandon L.; Deutsch, Charles J.; Ward-Geiger, Leslie I.
(detail)
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2019 |
Accuracy, precision, and error in age estimation of Florida manatees using growth layer groups in earbones.
Jour. Mammalogy 100(4):1350-1363. 5 tabs. 7 figs. + online supplementary files. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyz079 July 27, 2019 (publ. online May 30, 2019).
–ABSTRACT: Ages of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) can be estimated by counting annual growth layer groups (GLGs) in the periotic dome portion of the tympanoperiotic complex of their earbones. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages an archive of more than 8,700 Florida manatee earbones collected from salvaged carcasses from 1989 to 2017. Our goal was to comprehensively evaluate techniques used to estimate age, given this large sample size and changes to processing protocols and earbone readers over time. We developed new standards for estimating ages from earbones, involving two independent readers to obtain measurements of within- and between-reader precision. To quantify accuracy, precision, and error, 111 earbones from manatees with approximately known ages (first known as calves: "KAC") and 69 earbones from manatees with minimum known ages ("MKA," based on photo-identification sighting histories) were processed, and their ages were estimated. There was greater precision within readers (coefficient of variation, CV: 2.4–8.5%) than between readers (CV: 13.1–13.3%). The median of age estimates fell within the true age range for 63.1% of KAC cases and was at least the sighting duration for 75.0% of MKA cases. Age estimates were generally unbiased, as indicated by an average raw error ± SD of ?0.05 ± 3.05 years for the KAC group. The absolute error (i.e., absolute value of raw error) of the KAC data set averaged 1.75 ± 2.50 years. Accuracy decreased and error increased with increasing known age, especially for animals over 15 years old, whose ages were mostly underestimated due to increasing levels of resorption (the process of bone turnover that obscures GLGs). Understanding the degree of uncertainty in age estimates will help us assess the utility of age data in manatee population models. We emphasize the importance of standardizing and routinely reviewing age estimation and processing protocols to ensure that age data remain consistent and reliable.
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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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Harvey, J. W.; Harr, K. E.; Murphy, D.; Walsh, M. T.; de Wit, Martine; Deutsch, Charles J.; Bonde, Robert K.
(detail)
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2020 |
Serum iron analytes in healthy and diseased Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Jour. Comparative Pathology 173: 58-70. 4 tabs. 8 figs. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpa.2019.10.006 Publ. online Nov. 2019.
–ABSTRACT: Serum iron concentration is usually decreased in true iron deficiency and with inflammatory disease in man and domestic animals. Serum total iron binding capacity (TIBC) may be increased in true iron deficiency and decreased with inflammatory disease. This prospective study was designed to measure serum iron analytes in healthy free-ranging and housed Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) of both sexes and various ages and to evaluate the effects of diseases common to manatees on these analytes. Blood samples were collected without anticoagulant from 137 healthy free-ranging manatees, 90 healthy housed manatees and 74 free-ranging diseased manatees, and serum was prepared by centrifugation. Serum iron concentration and unsaturated iron binding capacity were measured colourimetrically, and TIBC and percent transferrin saturation with iron were calculated. Serum amyloid A (SAA) was measured to assist in the health assessment of manatees and provide evidence of inflammation in diseased manatees. Based on the serum iron analytes, iron availability was lower in immature manatees compared with adults, and it was lower in housed manatees compared with free-ranging manatees. In contrast to other mammals studied, serum iron concentration was elevated rather than depressed in late pregnancy. Serum iron concentrations and transferrin saturation with iron percentages were significantly lower, and SAA concentrations were significantly higher, in diseased (ill and injured) manatees compared with healthy manatees. Serum iron concentration and transferrin saturation with iron values were negatively correlated with SAA concentrations, and manatees with the highest SAA concentrations had lower serum TIBC values. These findings indicate that inflammation is the major factor responsible for alterations in iron analytes in diseased manatees. Consequently, hypoferraemia may be used as supportive evidence of inflammatory disease in manatees (unless haemorrhage is also present). A decision threshold of ?13.8 ?mol/l was determined for hypoferraemia using receiver operating curve analysis. Based on studies in man and domestic animals, iron therapy is unnecessary for manatees with hypoferraemia associated with inflammation and has the potential for causing tissue damage and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections.
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Landsberg, Jan H.; Tabuchi, M.; Rotstein, D. S.; Subramaniam, K.; Rodrigues, T. C. S.; Waltzek, T. B.; Stacy, N. I.; Wilson, P. W.; Kiryu, Y.; Uzal, F. A.; de Wit, Martine
(detail)
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2022 |
Novel lethal clostridial infection in Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris): cause of the 2013 unusual mortality event in the Indian River Lagoon.
Frontiers in Marine Science https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.841857
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Bibliography and Index of the Sirenia and Desmostylia 