28th ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP
April 21-25, 2003
Summary
of Shark and Ray Hematology Values At The National Aquarium In Baltimore
Jill
E. Arnold
National
Aquarium in Baltimore, Pier 3, 501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202
Little hematology data has been published for sharks and rays
despite the large number of animals housed in zoological parks and
aquariums. The complete blood count is
a standard tool for health assessment and the National Aquarium in Baltimore
regularly evaluates blood samples collected during routine, quarantine and
pre-shipment physical examinations.
Whole blood, mixed with EDTA or heparin, is analyzed by manual methods:
Total red cell (RBC) and white cell (WBC) counts by the method described by
Natt and Herrick, corrected for osmolality; hematocrit (HCT) by
microcentrifugation; hemoglobin (HGB) by the cyanmethemoglobin technique with
removal of RBC nuclei; and WBC differential from Wright’s stained blood
smears. Blood cells are identified as
monocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, fine or coarse eosinophilic granulocytes
(FEG, CEG respectively), basophils and granulated thrombocytes (GT cells).
Review of data from 1999 to present of 156 shark (11 species) and 38 ray (7
species) samples reveals interesting differences between the shark and ray
groups in RBC count, HCT, HGB, and WBC differential.
