scholarly journals Methodological limitations of counting total leukocytes and thrombocytes in reptiles (Amazon turtle, Podocnemis expansa): an analysis and discussion

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Tavares-Dias ◽  
Antônio Aderson Oliveira-Júnior ◽  
Jaydione Luiz Marcon
Keyword(s):  
White Blood Cells ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Freshwater Turtle ◽  
South American ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Acceptable Method ◽  
Podocnemis Expansa ◽  
Reptilian Species

The aim of this paper is to compare three different methods for counting white blood cells [WBC] (Natt and Herrick method, estimation with 1,000 and 2,000 erythrocytes) and three methods for counting total thrombocytes [TT] (Wojtaszek method, estimation with 1,000 and 2,000 erythrocytes) in a South American freshwater turtle species, Podocnemis expansa, Schweigger 1812 (Reptilia, Pelomedusidae). Direct WBC counts using the Natt and Herrick method showed limitations, which are discussed here. The WBC and TT counts using 1,000 erythrocytes from blood smears are not recommended for Amazon turtles nor other reptilian species, since wide variation in counts can be observed. Estimation methods for determining WBC and TT based on 2,000 erythrocytes of blood smears were most acceptable because they allow a differentiation between leukocytes and thrombocytes and also had a smaller variation. The methods investigated here for the Amazon turtle, which have been widely used in other reptile species, provided evidence that the most acceptable method is not that of using diluted stains and a hemocytometer.

scholarly journals Diatom assemblages associated with turtle carapaces in the Neotropical region

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1362
Author(s):  
Jhon Ch. Donato-Rondon ◽  
Juan David González-Trujillo ◽  
Buendy Romero ◽  
Maria I. Castro-Rebolledo
Keyword(s):  
Neotropical Region ◽  
Freshwater Turtle ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Diatom Assemblages ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Successional Stage ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Dispersal Vectors ◽  
Podocnemis Expansa ◽  
The Many

Few studies have explored the ecology and interrelationship with other organisms of the many endangered freshwater turtle species inhabiting the Neotropical Region. The focus of the current study was to shed light on the relationship between Neotropical turtle carapaces and primary producers, insofar as the surface of former constitutes a suitable substrate for the colonization and establishment of the latter. The under-explored relationship between turtle carapaces and the diatom assemblages inhabiting them was investigated and characterized in terms of taxonomic and biological traits (bio-volume, life-form, and attachment). The carapaces of seven native turtle species were surveyed. Among these carapaces, a total of 45 diatom taxa were found, and diatom taxa varied among turtle species. Podocnemis vogli and Podocnemis expansa supported more diverse diatom assemblages than Podocnemis lewyana, Rhinoclemmys diademata, and Rhinoclemmys melanosterna, which were dominated by Navicula spp. Analysis further showed that carapace size did not explain differences in diatom diversity. However, a trait-based analysis suggests that both carapace roughness and an assemblage’s successional stage might explain the differences in assemblage composition. Because turtles can serve as dispersal vectors, characterizing their epibiont diatom assemblages may contribute to our understanding of diatom distribution on larger scales, as well as, give us some clues as to the auto-ecology of turtles that help us to effectively determine conservation areas for these endangered species. 

scholarly journals Reptile Euthanasia — No Easy Solution?

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr Kristin Warren
Keyword(s):  
Biological Research ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Physical Methods ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Acceptable Method ◽  
Pentobarbitone Sodium ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Reptilian Species

Reptiles are commonly studied in biological research projects, and wildlife researchers may be required to euthanize a reptile if it sustains a severe injury associated with the research. When conducting euthanasia of any animal it is critical to confirm death. Whilst in mammals and birds euthanasia and confirmation of death can easily be accomplished, in reptiles these are not straight forward processes due to reptilian poikilothermic biology and physiology. Many traditional methods of reptile euthanasia are controversial, and recommended methods of acceptable euthanasia vary amongst the different reptilian orders. Physical methods of euthanasia involving hypothermia or decapitation alone are considered inhumane and are not acceptable methods of euthanasia. Injectable pentobarbitone sodium is considered an acceptable method of euthanasia for all reptiles, except large crocodiles and other large reptile species where carcass removal in the wild may be problematic. However, in Australia pentobarbitone sodium is a Scheduled 4 drug with requirements for locked storage, and users other than registered veterinarians must apply for authorization to administer scheduled drugs. Stunning followed by destruction of the brain is considered acceptable with reservations in some small species of snakes and lizards, where these methods can be effectively accomplished. MS222 has been used in several species of reptiles, however further research is required to determine whether this technique is effective and humane across the diverse range of reptilian species. Humane euthanasia in reptiles is not easily achieved and, whilst recognizing limitations in accessing veterinary anaesthetic and euthanasia drugs, it can best be assured by using a two-stage euthanasia process — whereby the reptile is initially anaesthetized, and then euthanized by administration of pentobarbitone sodium or alternatively a combination of decapitation and brain destruction following anaesthesia.

scholarly journals Plastic ingestion by freshwater turtles: a review and call to action

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam G. Clause ◽  
Aaron J. Celestian ◽  
Gregory B. Pauly
Keyword(s):  
Marine Species ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Freshwater Turtle ◽  
Freshwater Turtles ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Implementation Quality ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Marine Turtles ◽  
Conservation Concern

AbstractPlastic pollution, and especially plastic ingestion by animals, is a serious global issue. This problem is well documented in marine systems, but it is relatively understudied in freshwater systems. For turtles, it is unknown how plastic ingestion compares between marine and non-marine species. We review the relevant turtle dietary literature, and find that plastic ingestion is reported for all 7 marine turtle species, but only 5 of 352 non-marine turtle species. In the last 10 years, despite marine turtles representing just 2% of all turtle species, almost 50% of relevant turtle dietary studies involved only marine turtles. These results suggest that the potential threat of plastic ingestion is poorly studied in non-marine turtles. We also examine plastic ingestion frequency in a freshwater turtle population, finding that 7.7% of 65 turtles had ingested plastic. However, plastic-resembling organic material would have inflated our frequency results up to 40% higher were it not for verification using Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, we showcase how non-native turtles can be used as a proxy for understanding the potential for plastic ingestion by co-occurring native turtles of conservation concern. We conclude with recommendations for how scientists studying non-marine turtles can improve the implementation, quality, and discoverability of plastic ingestion research.

scholarly journals White Blood Cell Image Classification Using Deep Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (09) ◽  
pp. 7-12
Author(s):  
Neerukattu Indrani and Chiraparapu Srinivasa Rao
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
White Blood Cells ◽  
Training Phase ◽  
Counting System ◽  
Cell Image ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Manual Counting ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Microscopic Inspection

The microscopic inspection of blood smears provides diagnostic information concerning patients’ health status. For example, the presence of infections, leukemia, and some particular kinds of cancers can be diagnosed based on the results of the classification and the count of white blood cells. The traditional method for the differential blood count is performed by experienced operators. They use a microscope and count the percentage of the occurrence of each type of cell counted within an area of interest in smears. Obviously, this manual counting process is very tedious and slow. In addition, the cell classification and counting accuracy may depend on the capabilities and experiences of the operators. Therefore, the necessity of an automated differential counting system becomes inevitable. In this paper, CNN models are used. In order to achieve good performance from deep learning methods, the network needs to be trained with large amounts of data during the training phase. We take the images of the white blood cells for the training phase and train our model on them. With this method we achieved good accuracy than traditional methods. And we can generate the results within the seconds also.

scholarly journals The influence of a new water infrastructure development on the relative abundance of two Australian freshwater turtle species

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie J. Clark ◽  
Courtenay E. Mills ◽  
Nicolette A. Osborne ◽  
Kerry M. Neil
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Freshwater Turtle ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Australian Freshwater ◽  
The Impact

Development of water infrastructure benefits water security and agriculture but poses risks to habitat and aquatic fauna. Wyaralong Dam was constructed on Teviot Brook in 2010 to provide future urban water supplies for South East Queensland, Australia. Construction of the dam created a large impoundment area and environmental impact assessment predicted significant impacts upon resident freshwater turtle species and their habitats. Differences in habitat requirements, life-history characteristics and sensitivity to change between the Macquarie River turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii) and the common saw-shelled turtle (Myuchelys latisternum) were expected to influence the impact of the dam on the spatial and temporal abundance of these species. The relative abundance of each species was monitored at sites located within, upstream and downstream of the impoundment across wet and dry seasons during the dam’s first five years of operation. The results of this monitoring program indicate that spatial and temporal variability in the relative abundance of E. macquarii macquarii and M. latisternum occurred during the study but not all expected impacts were realised. Contrary to expectation, the relative abundance of E. macquarii macquarii did not increase over time within, upstream or downstream of the dam. M. latisternum showed greater temporal variability at some sites; however, no clear relationship between relative abundance and operational years was observed during the monitoring program. Spatial variability in relative abundance between sites was dependent upon season, with trends generally consistent across both turtle species. Where differences between species were observed, these are suspected to have resulted from the influence of environmental conditions on species-specific movement behaviours. The monitoring program confirmed the use of the upper limits of the impoundment and the plunge pool below the dam wall by both turtle species but relative abundance within the main body of the impoundment remained low throughout monitoring. The results of the study allow for consideration of the suitability of predefined management measures and the development of recommendations for future monitoring programs prescribed for water infrastructure developments.

Kinship Analysis of Offspring of the Giant South American River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa) Using Microsatellite DNA Markers

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-127
Author(s):  
Cleiton Fantin ◽  
Jorge Ferreira ◽  
Mara Magalhães ◽  
Thais da Silva Damasseno ◽  
Dorothy Ivila de Melo Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Markers ◽  
Microsatellite Dna ◽  
South American ◽  
Kinship Analysis ◽  
American River ◽  
Microsatellite Dna Markers ◽  
Podocnemis Expansa

Composition of peripheral blood leukocytes and immunocompetent organs of white char in the lake Kronotskoye

2021 ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Ilya Ivanovich Gordeev Ilya Ivanovich Gordeev
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
White Blood Cells ◽  
Head Kidney ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Peripheral Blood Leukocytes ◽  
Blood Leukocytes ◽  
Immunocompetent Organs ◽  
Blood Smears

The composition of leukocytes reflects the species features of fish. The ratio of individual cell types reflects the functional state of the organism and the nature of the influence of biotic and abiotic stress factors. Kronotskoye Lake is located in the Far East on the territory of the Kronotsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve (Kamchatka). Due to the peculiarities of the hydrological regime and the relief of the Kronotskaya River basin, anadromous migration along it is limited. Therefore, anadromous fish do not return to the lake after the marine period of their life cycle. The lake basin is inhabited by at least six reproductively isolated forms (species) of chars. White char, Salvelinus albus Glubokovsky, 1977, at the early stages of ontogenesis feeds on invertebrates, and as it grows up, it goes on to a predatory lifestyle. White char migrates around the lake: spawning occurs in the tributaries, and feeding takes place in the lake itself. This work is devoted to the study of the intensity of leukopoiesis and leukocyte composition of the blood, head kidney and spleen of the white char of Lake Kronotskoye. Seven individuals caught using gill nets from July 8 to August 14, 2011 were studied. Peripheral blood was sampled from the tail vein. Sampling also included spleen and head kidney tissues, blood smears and organ-imprinted smears of kidney and spleen. The leukocyte formula and the frequency of occurrence of leukocytes in a peripheral blood smears were calculated using light microscope. The composition of white blood cells in the white char is similar to that of other fish species (lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and blast cell forms). No basophils or eosinophils were found. In organ-imprinted smears of immunocompetent organs (kidney, spleen), the percentage of lymphocytes is lower and the percentage of blast forms is higher than in the blood leukogram. The abundance index differed from the data obtained in the study of other fish species. English version of the article is available at URL: https://panor.ru/articles/composition-of-peripheral-blood-leukocytes-and-immunocompetent-organs-of-the-white-char-of-lake-kronotskoye-kamchatka/68317.html

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