Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States of America.
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2021 Oct 14;16(10):e0258397. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258397. eCollection 2021.
Baseline plasma electrophoresis profiles (EPH) are important components of overall health and may aid in the conservation and captive management of species. The aim of this study was to establish plasma protein fractions for free-ranging Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) and evaluate differences due to age class (adult vs. sub-adult vs. juvenile), sex (male, female, or unknown), year (2018 vs. 2019), month (May vs. June vs. July), health status, and geographical location (managed vs. unmanaged sites). Blood samples were obtained from 156 Blanding's turtles in the summer of 2018 and 129 in 2019 at two adjacent sites in Illinois. Results of the multivariate analysis demonstrated that age class, sex, year, month, health status, and geographical location all contributed to the variation observed in free-ranging populations. Adult females had the highest concentration of many protein fractions, likely associated with reproductive activity. Juveniles had lower protein concentrations. Temperature and rainfall differences between years impacted concentrations between 2018 and 2019, while May and June of both years saw higher levels in some protein fractions likely due to peak breeding and nesting season. Individuals with evidence of trauma or disease also showed increased plasma protein fractions when compared to those that were considered healthy. The two sites showed a wide/large variation over the two years. All of these factors emphasize the importance of considering multiple demographic or environmental factors when interpreting the EPH fractions. Establishing ranges for these analytes will allow investigation into disease prevalence and other environmental factors impacting this endangered species.
基础血浆电泳图谱（EPH）是整体健康的重要组成部分，可能有助于物种的保护和圈养管理。本研究旨在建立自由生活的 Blanding's 龟（Emydoidea blandingii）的血浆蛋白馏分，并评估因年龄组（成年、亚成体、幼体）、性别（雄性、雌性或未知）、年份（2018 年与 2019 年）、月份（5 月、6 月、7 月）、健康状况和地理位置（管理与非管理地点）而产生的差异。2018 年夏季和 2019 年夏季，在伊利诺伊州的两个相邻地点，从 156 只 Blanding's 龟中采集了血液样本，2019 年采集了 129 只。多元分析的结果表明，年龄组、性别、年份、月份、健康状况和地理位置都对自由生活种群中观察到的变化有影响。成年雌性的许多蛋白质馏分浓度最高，可能与生殖活动有关。幼体的蛋白质浓度较低。两年间的温度和降雨量差异影响了 2018 年和 2019 年之间的浓度，而两年的 5 月和 6 月，由于繁殖和筑巢季节的高峰期，一些蛋白质馏分的浓度更高。与被认为健康的个体相比，有创伤或疾病迹象的个体的血浆蛋白馏分也增加了。两个地点在两年间表现出很大的变化。所有这些因素都强调了在解释 EPH 馏分时考虑多个人口统计学或环境因素的重要性。建立这些分析物的范围将有助于调查疾病的流行情况和影响这一濒危物种的其他环境因素。
