Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care
Studying the blood cell morphology of marine mammals provides an opportunity to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of adaptive changes associated with the aquatic habitat that occur at the cellular level, as well as adaptations to changing environmental conditions and under various physiological...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Polina Esipova Irina Suvorova Veronika Yachmen Igor Pushchin |
| author_facet | Polina Esipova Irina Suvorova Veronika Yachmen Igor Pushchin |
| author_sort | Polina Esipova |
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| description | Studying the blood cell morphology of marine mammals provides an opportunity to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of adaptive changes associated with the aquatic habitat that occur at the cellular level, as well as adaptations to changing environmental conditions and under various physiological and pathological processes. The Baikal seal [<i>Pusa sibirica</i> (family Phocidae)] is endemic to the freshwater Lake Baikal, but comprehensive hematology data are not available. We studied the morphological features of blood cells of twelve clinically normal, adult Baikal seals (<i>n</i> = 6 males, <i>n</i> = 6 females) from two oceanariums under professional care for eight years. The morphology of mature and immature erythrocytes and inclusions are described. The blood of Baikal seals is characterized by the presence of erythrocytes with a size of 8.2 ± 0.6 µm; Howell–Jolly bodies were rarely observed, the number of reticulocytes ranged from 4.1 to 93.1 × 10<sup>9</sup>/L, and nucleated erythrocytes were absent. The morphological features of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and platelets were described. Inter-individual and sex differences in the counts of basophils, platelets, red blood cells, and levels of hemoglobin, the mean corpuscular volume, and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were statistically observed. The results could be useful for Baikal seal veterinary care, immune response research, and comparative studies with other pinnipeds. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23061f35e72949c6bad7c542da407d68 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-23061f35e72949c6bad7c542da407d682025-01-24T13:18:08ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115221710.3390/ani15020217Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional CarePolina Esipova0Irina Suvorova1Veronika Yachmen2Igor Pushchin3A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Palchevskogo 17, 690041 Vladivostok, RussiaCenter of Oceanography and Marine Biology “Moskvarium”, Building 23, Mira Avenue, 119, 129223 Moscow, RussiaA.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Palchevskogo 17, 690041 Vladivostok, RussiaA.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Palchevskogo 17, 690041 Vladivostok, RussiaStudying the blood cell morphology of marine mammals provides an opportunity to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of adaptive changes associated with the aquatic habitat that occur at the cellular level, as well as adaptations to changing environmental conditions and under various physiological and pathological processes. The Baikal seal [<i>Pusa sibirica</i> (family Phocidae)] is endemic to the freshwater Lake Baikal, but comprehensive hematology data are not available. We studied the morphological features of blood cells of twelve clinically normal, adult Baikal seals (<i>n</i> = 6 males, <i>n</i> = 6 females) from two oceanariums under professional care for eight years. The morphology of mature and immature erythrocytes and inclusions are described. The blood of Baikal seals is characterized by the presence of erythrocytes with a size of 8.2 ± 0.6 µm; Howell–Jolly bodies were rarely observed, the number of reticulocytes ranged from 4.1 to 93.1 × 10<sup>9</sup>/L, and nucleated erythrocytes were absent. The morphological features of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and platelets were described. Inter-individual and sex differences in the counts of basophils, platelets, red blood cells, and levels of hemoglobin, the mean corpuscular volume, and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were statistically observed. The results could be useful for Baikal seal veterinary care, immune response research, and comparative studies with other pinnipeds.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/217hematologymarine mammalspinnipedstrue sealsblood cell morphology<i>Pusa sibirica</i> |
| spellingShingle | Polina Esipova Irina Suvorova Veronika Yachmen Igor Pushchin Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care Animals hematology marine mammals pinnipeds true seals blood cell morphology <i>Pusa sibirica</i> |
| title | Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care |
| title_full | Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care |
| title_fullStr | Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care |
| title_short | Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care |
| title_sort | blood morphology and hematology of adult baikal seals i pusa sibirica i gmelin 1788 under professional care |
| topic | hematology marine mammals pinnipeds true seals blood cell morphology <i>Pusa sibirica</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/217 |
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