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Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023Domestic goats () are a food, fiber and companion animal. Abnormal erythrocyte shapes (poikilocytes) are considered normal in young goats, but their association with...
BACKGROUND
Domestic goats () are a food, fiber and companion animal. Abnormal erythrocyte shapes (poikilocytes) are considered normal in young goats, but their association with disease is not well described. Likewise, there is little information on the significance of poikilocytosis in adult goats.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence, severity and type of poikilocytosis in young and adult goats and its association with age, sex, breed, laboratory results, and underlying disease.
METHODS
We retrospectively examined clinical and laboratory data from 1254 goats presented at the University of California-Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital from 1997 to 2019. We analyzed 313 blood smears from goats with moderate or marked (MOD-MKD) poikilocytosis on initial blood smear evaluation. Number and type of poikilocytes per 1000 red blood cells (RBCs) were enumerated. Laboratory values and primary disease categories were compared with the severity and type of poikilocytosis.
RESULTS
Kids (<6 mos) and juveniles (>6 mos to <1 year) had a higher prevalence of MOD-MKD poikilocytosis (95/210, 45.2% kids; 27/59, 45.8% juveniles) than adult goats (≥1 year; 190/982, 19.3%) ( < 0.001). Kids had a higher percentage of elliptocytes, dacryocytes, and schistocytes and a lower percentage of polygonal and spiculated RBCs than juvenile and adult goats ( < 0.001). Of goats with MOD-MKD ( NONE-SLIGHT) poikilocytosis, kids had lower HGB and MCH, and higher RDW ( ≤ 0.02); juveniles and adult goats had lower HCT, MCV, MCH, and albumin concentration ( ≤ 0.01), and all age groups had lower total CO2 concentration and higher PLT counts ( < 0.03). Adult goats with MOD-MKD poikilocytosis also had higher BUN:Cr ratios ( = 0.005). Gastrointestinal parasitism, Johne's disease, diarrhea/enteritis, lice, hepatic disease and renal disease (but not urolithiasis) were significantly associated with MOD-MKD poikilocytosis ( < 0.001). Goats with hepatic and renal disease had a higher prevalence and percentage of spiculated cells ( = 0.001). Goats with Johne's disease had a higher prevalence of polygonal cells (93.3%) and dacryocytes (66.7%) than other diseases, and elliptocytes predominated in a higher proportion (36.0%) of adult goats with GI parasitism vs other diseases ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that iron deficiency is an important pathophysiologic mechanism of poikilocytosis in juvenile and adult goats, and possibly in kids, whether due to iron-restricted erythropoiesis, chronic hemorrhage, functional iron deficiency, or a combination of these mechanisms. Further investigation into the detection and monitoring of iron deficiency and the value of poikilocytosis as a diagnostic marker of iron status in goats is warranted.
PubMed: 37662982
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1234233 -
Veterinary Research Communications Apr 2024South American camelids (SACs) play an increasing role in veterinary care in Europe. Many alpacas or llamas presented to veterinarians suffer from anaemia, regularly... (Review)
Review
South American camelids (SACs) play an increasing role in veterinary care in Europe. Many alpacas or llamas presented to veterinarians suffer from anaemia, regularly with a packed cell volume (PCV) below 0.10 l/l, which is a life-threatening condition for the animals. This review article presents clinical and laboratory diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of anaemia in SACs. Clinical identification of anaemic animals can be performed by assessing the FAMACHA© score and the Body Condition Score (BCS), since anaemia in alpacas and llamas correlates with pale mucous membranes and a lowered BCS. Haematological examination of a blood sample can provide a more differentiated diagnosis of anaemia in SACs. A common finding is regenerative anaemia with an increased number of reticulocytes that is often caused by blood loss due to Haemonchus contortus. Changes in a blood smear from an alpaca or llama with regenerative anaemia may include normoblasts (nucleated red blood cells), anisocytosis, poikilocytosis, polychromasia, Howell-Jolly bodies or basophilic stippling. Furthermore, non-regenerative anaemia, often caused by trace element deficiency or cachexia, can also occur.
Topics: Animals; Camelids, New World; Anemia; Haemonchus; South America
PubMed: 38049672
DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10274-z -
Frontiers in Physiology 2024Despite numerous studies on microplastics, the biological impacts of polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and its toxicity on freshwater fish have yet to be fully...
Despite numerous studies on microplastics, the biological impacts of polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and its toxicity on freshwater fish have yet to be fully revealed. The purpose of this research was to look at the potentially harmful effects of PP-MPs in freshwater African catfish and bioremediation using . After acclimatization to laboratory conditions, 108 fish (125 ± 3 gm and 27 ± 2 cm) were assigned into triplicate six experimental groups (12 fish/group), a control group, group (SP), PP-MP-treated groups (0.14 and 0.28 mg/l PP-MPs), and PP-MP + -treated groups (0.14 mg/l PP-MPs + 200 mg/L SP and 0.28 mg/l PP-MPs +200 mg/L SP) for 15-day exposure and 45-day recovery after that. The hematological parameters exhibiting significance (RBCs, Hct, Hb, and MCV) or non-significance (MCH and MCHC) either decreased with the increase in PP-MP doses from 0.0 in the control to 0.28 mg/L red blood cells (RBCs), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), hemoglobin (Hb) and platelets or increased with such an increase in doses (mean corpuscular volume (MCV)). The liver enzyme activity, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) exhibited non-significant ( ≥ 0.05) or significant ( < 0.05) increases in (0.14 and 0.28 mg/L) PP-MP-exposed groups, respectively, except ALP. Furthermore, there was a significant ( < 0.05) or non-significant ( ≥ 0.05) increase in 0.14 and 0.28 mg/l PP-MP +200 mg/L-exposure groups, respectively, compared to the control group and the same exposure group without . In comparison to the control group, PP-MPs (0.14 and 0.28 mg/L) induced a significant ( < 0.05) increase in the percentage of poikilocytosis and nuclear abnormalities of RBCs. The liver tissue from fish exposed to PP-MPs exhibited varying degrees of pathological changes. These results indicated that these pathological changes increased with PP-MP concentration, suggesting that the effect of PP-MPs was dose-dependent. After 45 days of recovery under normal conditions, it was obvious that there was a significant improvement in the percentage of poikilocytosis and nuclear abnormalities of RBCs, as well as a non-significant improvement in hemato-biochemical parameters and liver tissue.
PubMed: 38846421
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1380652