Wojtusik Jessye, Roth Terri L
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2018 Jun;49(2):297-306. doi: 10.1638/2017-0131.1.
Iron overload disorder (IOD) can lead to organ dysfunction and may exacerbate other diseases in the critically endangered black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis). It is important to develop methods for monitoring the progression of iron storage (hemosiderosis), diagnosing the disease, and evaluating treatments in this species. Traditionally, an equine enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used to measure rhinoceros ferritin, a serum protein correlated to iron stores. The goal of this study was to validate a rhinoceros-specific assay and investigate factors potentially associated with ferritin concentrations in black rhinoceros. A ferritin EIA developed for Sumatran rhinoceros was validated for black rhinoceros via Western blot analysis of liver ferritin and confirmed parallelism of serum samples to the EIA standard curve and used to analyze serum samples ( n = 943) collected from 36 black rhinoceros (<1-33 yr) at 14 U.S. institutions. Mean (±SEM) serum ferritin concentration was 6,738 ± 518 ng/ml (range: 85-168,451 ng/ml). Concentrations differed among individuals with eastern black rhinoceros (7,444 ± 1,130 ng/ml) having a higher mean ferritin than southern black rhinoceros (6,317 ± 505 ng/ml; P < 0.05) and higher mean values in wild-born (11,110 ± 1,111 ng/ml) than captive-born individuals (3,487 ± 293 ng/ml; P < 0.05). Ferritin concentrations did not differ between young rhinoceros (<5 yr old; 2,163 ± 254 ng/ml) and adults (7,623 ± 610 ng/ml) and were not correlated with age ( r = 0.143) or time in captivity ( r = 0.146, wild born; r = 0.104, all animals). Ferritin concentration was not impacted by sex (female: 2,086 ± 190 ng/ml; male: 8,684 ± 717 ng/ml), date, month, or season of collection ( P > 0.05). Data indicate ferritin concentrations are variable and not necessarily associated with IOD; ferritin is not recommended for diagnosing or monitoring IOD in black rhinoceros.
铁过载紊乱（IOD）可导致濒危的黑犀牛（双角犀）器官功能障碍，并可能加重其他疾病。开发监测铁储存（血铁沉着症）进展、诊断该疾病以及评估该物种治疗方法至关重要。传统上，使用马酶免疫测定法（EIA）来测量犀牛铁蛋白，这是一种与铁储存相关的血清蛋白。本研究的目的是验证一种针对犀牛的检测方法，并调查与黑犀牛铁蛋白浓度潜在相关的因素。通过对肝脏铁蛋白的蛋白质免疫印迹分析，验证了一种为苏门答腊犀牛开发的铁蛋白EIA可用于黑犀牛，并确认血清样本与EIA标准曲线具有平行性，该方法用于分析从美国14家机构的36头黑犀牛（年龄<1 - 33岁）采集的血清样本（n = 943）。血清铁蛋白浓度的平均值（±标准误）为6738 ± 518 ng/ml（范围：85 - 168451 ng/ml）。个体之间的浓度存在差异，东非黑犀牛（7444 ± 1130 ng/ml）的平均铁蛋白水平高于南非黑犀牛（6317 ± 505 ng/ml；P < 0.05），野生出生个体（11110 ± 1111 ng/ml）的平均值高于圈养出生个体（3487 ± 293 ng/ml；P < 0.05）。幼年犀牛（<5岁；2163 ± 254 ng/ml）和成年犀牛（7623 ± 610 ng/ml）的铁蛋白浓度没有差异，且与年龄（r = 0.143）或圈养时间（野生出生个体中r = 0.146；所有动物中r = 0.104）均无相关性。铁蛋白浓度不受性别（雌性：2086 ± 190 ng/ml；雄性：8684 ± 717 ng/ml）、采集日期、月份或季节的影响（P > 0.05）。数据表明铁蛋白浓度存在变化，且不一定与IOD相关；不建议使用铁蛋白来诊断或监测黑犀牛的IOD。
