Effect of age, sex, and season on the variation in blood analytes of a clinically normal ex situ population of killer whales (Orcinus orca)

Effect of age, sex, and season on the variation in blood analytes of a clinically normal ex situ population of killer whales (Orcinus orca)

Background The effects of sex, age, and season on blood analyte concentrations have not been investigated for the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Defining these changes provides background data for improving the care of managed populations and defines normal changes that could occur in wild counterpart...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary clinical pathology Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 100 - 113
Main Authors: Nollens, Hendrik H., Robeck, Todd R., Schmitt, Todd L., Croft, Lara L., Osborn, Steve, McBain, James F.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-03-2019
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Subjects:
Age
Age Factors
aging
Animals
Aquatic mammals
Blood
Blood Cell Count - standards
Blood Cell Count - veterinary
Blood Glucose - analysis
Blood Proteins - analysis
cetacean
Dehydration
Delphinidae
Dolphins
Erythrocyte Count - standards
Erythrocyte Count - veterinary
Female
Hematologic Tests - standards
Hematologic Tests - veterinary
hematology
Immune response
Liver
Male
Marine mammals
orca
Orcinus orca
Original Research
Reference Intervals
Reference Values
Renal function
Seasons
Senescence
serum biochemistry
Sex
Sex Factors
Whale, Killer - blood
Whales & whaling
serum biochemistry
Delphinidae
hematology
aging
orca
cetacean
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Summary:Background The effects of sex, age, and season on blood analyte concentrations have not been investigated for the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Defining these changes provides background data for improving the care of managed populations and defines normal changes that could occur in wild counterparts. Objectives We aimed to define hematologic and serum biochemical variation by age, sex, and season for an ex situ killer whale population. Methods Blood samples collected from killer whales during normal wellness exams were retrospectively identified. Killer whales were categorized by age; calf (0‐2.9 years), juvenile (3‐10.9 years), early adult (11‐20.9 years), adult (21‐30.9 years), and aged (>30.9 years); sex; and season. Standard CBC and biochemistry were collated, and only samples without evidence of disease were used. A mixed effects maximum likelihood regression with animal identification (ID) as the random effects variable was used to compare groups with a significance set at P ≤ 0.01. Results All analytes differed by age, while only four differed by sex. Red blood cell parameters and associated renal analytes increased with age, while liver‐associated analytes and glucose decreased. Season affected 59% of the blood analytes. Conclusions Aged killer whales showed strong evidence of altered physiology as compared with younger animals. Anemia did not develop with age as was observed in one bottlenose dolphin population. Observed decreases in renal function could be caused by chronic disease or dehydration. Decreases in immune function parameters suggest immune senescence. These results provide background data for evaluating the health of managed and free‐ranging killer whales.
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ISSN:0275-6382
1939-165X
DOI:10.1111/vcp.12697