Acute intravascular hemolysis in the black rhinoceros: erythrocyte enzymes and metabolic intermediates.

Enzymes of aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis, glutathione cycling, and nucleotide metabolism were assayed on erythrocytes from 7 healthy rhinoceroses, 2 rhinoceroses during periods of intravascular hemolysis, and 1 rhinoceros without clinical signs of illness, which was the mother of 3 offspring with intravascular hemolytic syndrome. Measurements also were made of erythrocyte concentrations of glycolytic intermediates, adenine nucleotides, and glutathione. Although comparison of results for healthy and affected rhinoceroses did not identify an enzyme abnormality as a cause for the hemolytic syndrome, the data provided information regarding the metabolic characteristics of erythrocytes from healthy rhinoceroses.