Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA,
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2020 Nov;51(3):657-662. doi: 10.1638/2019-0130.
Acute-phase proteins (APP) are the foundation to the innate immune response and valuable biomarkers that increase with inflammation, infection, neoplasia, stress, and trauma. Little is known about the acute-phase response in cetaceans and if these proteins can be used for health monitoring in individuals and free-ranging populations. The purpose of this study was to characterize serum concentrations of haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), as well as electrophoretic profiles of common bottlenose dolphins () in free-ranging ( = 33) and professional care ( = 27) settings. Results were correlated to commonly utilized inflammatory indices including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen, total white blood cell count (WBC), and absolute neutrophil count. SAA levels, measured with a dolphin-specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were significantly higher ( = 0.05) in free-ranging dolphins (mean = 4.26; SE = 1.12) when compared with those under professional care (mean = 1.82; SE = 0.45). For dolphins under professional care, a statistically significant correlation was identified between ESR and Hp ( < 0.001; = 0.69), ESR and SAA ( < 0.001; = 0.67), fibrinogen and Hp ( = 0.001; = 0.58), and fibrinogen and SAA ( = 0.002; = 0.56). In addition, there was a significant correlation between WBC and SAA ( = 0.01; = 0.38) and absolute neutrophil count and SAA ( = 0.04; = 0.32). There were no significant correlations between study variables observed in free-ranging dolphins. The variable correlation of APPs with commonly utilized inflammatory indices demonstrates that these proteins are independent measures of inflammation with unique sensitivity, specificity, and timeline of expression. The results of this study contribute to improved health monitoring of dolphins and have the potential to assist in identification of compromised health.
急性相蛋白 (APP) 是先天免疫反应的基础，也是炎症、感染、肿瘤、应激和创伤时增加的有价值的生物标志物。目前对于鲸目动物的急性期反应知之甚少，也不清楚这些蛋白质是否可以用于个体和自由放养种群的健康监测。本研究的目的是描述宽吻海豚血清中结合珠蛋白 (Hp) 和血清淀粉样蛋白 A (SAA) 的浓度，以及自由放养（n = 33）和专业护理（n = 27）条件下常见宽吻海豚的电泳图谱。结果与常用的炎症指标相关联，包括红细胞沉降率 (ESR)、纤维蛋白原、总白细胞计数 (WBC) 和绝对中性粒细胞计数。使用海豚特异性酶联免疫吸附试验 (ELISA) 测量的 SAA 水平在自由放养的海豚中明显更高（ = 0.05），平均值为 4.26（SE = 1.12），而在专业护理下的海豚中平均值为 1.82（SE = 0.45）。对于专业护理下的海豚，ESR 与 Hp 之间存在统计学显著相关性（< 0.001； = 0.69），ESR 与 SAA 之间存在统计学显著相关性（< 0.001； = 0.67），纤维蛋白原与 Hp 之间存在统计学显著相关性（ = 0.001； = 0.58），纤维蛋白原与 SAA 之间存在统计学显著相关性（ = 0.002； = 0.56）。此外，WBC 与 SAA 之间存在显著相关性（ = 0.01； = 0.38），绝对中性粒细胞计数与 SAA 之间存在显著相关性（ = 0.04； = 0.32）。在自由放养的海豚中未观察到研究变量之间的显著相关性。APP 与常用炎症指标的变量相关性表明，这些蛋白质是炎症的独立衡量标准，具有独特的敏感性、特异性和表达时间。本研究的结果有助于改善海豚的健康监测，并有可能有助于识别健康受损的个体。
