RESUMEN
Erythropoietin, a glycoprotein growth hormone that is produced primarily in the kidneys, promotes mitosis and survival of erythroid progenitors. The recent synthesis of the human form of the hormone by recombinant technology has provided a new therapeutic option, which is being used in both human and veterinary medicine for treatment of various anemias. A mature male rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis, was treated with human recombinant erythropoietin in an attempt to resolve a nonregenerative anemia. Two i.m. injections 48 hr apart were associated with an almost immediate increase in circulating immature reticulocytes, total reticulocytes, and nucleated erythrocytes. Over the next several weeks, the hematocrit, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte counts returned to normal, and the animal was subsequently released back into the wild. Endogenous erythropoietin concentrations were determined for this animal as well as three other conspecifics by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human erythropoietin. These measurements showed circulating erythropoietin concentrations (5-20+ mU/ml) similar to those of most other mammals. This study suggests that human recombinant erythropoietin can be safely and effectively used in this species and may have applicability to other cetacean species for the treatment of nonregenerative anemia. Caution should be exercised during long-term use because production of antibodies to human recombinant and endogenous erythropoietin may lead to potentially serious side effects.
Asunto(s)
Anemia/veterinaria , Delfines , Eritropoyetina/uso terapéutico , Anemia/tratamiento farmacológico , Animales , Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Antiulcerosos/uso terapéutico , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática/veterinaria , Eritropoyetina/sangre , Citometría de Flujo/veterinaria , Gentamicinas/uso terapéutico , Glomerulonefritis/tratamiento farmacológico , Glomerulonefritis/veterinaria , Hematócrito/veterinaria , Hematuria/veterinaria , Hemoglobinas/análisis , Masculino , Proteinuria/veterinaria , Ranitidina/uso terapéutico , Proteínas Recombinantes , Valores de Referencia , Sucralfato/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed twice to evaluate a stranded Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin for pulmonary disease. A pediatric gastroscope with a working length of 1,090 mm and an outer diameter of 9.8 mm was of appropriate size for BAL in this dolphin. Fifty milliliters of sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution was used in each of 2 sites for the first lavage. Fluid recovery was 58 and 66% from the 2 sites; however, results of cytologic analyses were typical of a bronchial wash rather than BAL. Larger volumes of saline solution (85 to 100 ml/site) were used in the second lavage. Although fluid recovery was only 25 and 30% from the 2 sites, results of cytologic analyses were consistent with BAL. Mononuclear cells accounted for 72 and 90% of total WBC. Although the dolphin of this report did not appear to have pulmonary disease, experience obtained by performing BAL provided valuable information for the practical application of this technique in dolphins.
Asunto(s)
Lavado Broncoalveolar/veterinaria , Delfines , Enfermedades Pulmonares/veterinaria , Animales , Lavado Broncoalveolar/métodos , Líquido del Lavado Bronquioalveolar/citología , Líquido del Lavado Bronquioalveolar/microbiología , Enterococcus faecalis/aislamiento & purificación , Enfermedades Pulmonares/microbiología , Enfermedades Pulmonares/patología , Macrófagos Alveolares/patología , Masculino , Pseudomonas/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones por Pseudomonas/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Pseudomonas/patología , Infecciones por Pseudomonas/veterinaria , Infecciones Estreptocócicas/diagnóstico , Infecciones Estreptocócicas/patología , Infecciones Estreptocócicas/veterinariaRESUMEN
Since 1987, large-scale mortalities of dolphins have been reported along the Atlantic coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Mediterranean Sea. Autopsied bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, which were collected from the large-scale mortality along the Atlantic coast in 1987 to 1988, exhibited opportunistic infections indicative of immune dysfunction. Further, these animals had high levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as PCBs and DDT, that can suppress immune functions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between chemical contaminant exposure and immune response in free-ranging dolphins. In June of 1991, peripheral blood was obtained from members of a bottlenose dolphin population that resides along the west coast of Florida. Peripheral blood lymphocyte responses to Concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) were determined in vitro and compared by regression analysis with contaminant concentrations in whole blood from a small subset of these animals (n = 5). These data indicate that a reduced immune response in these bottlenose dolphins was correlated with increasing whole blood concentrations of several contaminants. Specifically, inverse correlations were found between Con A-induced lymphocyte proliferation and tetrachlorinated to octachlorinated biphenyls (r2 values ranged from 0.70 to 0.87). Con A-induced lymphocyte responses also correlated inversely with p,p'DDT (r2 values of 0.73 and 0.79); o.p'-DDE (r2 values of 0.93 and 0.96); and p,p'-DDE (r2 values of 0.73 and 0.81).