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1 June 2011 Evaluation of Hematology and Serum Biochemistry of Cold-Stunned Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in North Carolina, USA
Eric T. Anderson, Craig A. Harms, Elizabeth M. Stringer, Wendy M. Cluse
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Abstract

Hypothermia or cold-stunning is a condition in which the body temperature of an animal decreases below normal physiologic range and which has been linked to severe morbidity in sea turtles. Reports have focused on the physiologic changes caused by cold-stunning in Kemp's Ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) and loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), but few have evaluated the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). This study evaluated hematologic and serum biochemical profiles of cold-stunned green sea turtles in North Carolina, USA. When compared with healthy, free-ranging juvenile green turtles from the same region, cold-stunned turtles exhibited hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia (both total and ionized calcium), hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperphosphatemia, and elevations in uric acid and blood urea nitrogen. These findings contrast with some previously reported changes in cold-stunned Kemp's Ridley and loggerhead sea turtles. These results emphasize the importance of basing therapeutic regimens on biochemical analyses in cold-stunned sea turtles.

American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Eric T. Anderson, Craig A. Harms, Elizabeth M. Stringer, and Wendy M. Cluse "Evaluation of Hematology and Serum Biochemistry of Cold-Stunned Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in North Carolina, USA," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 42(2), 247-255, (1 June 2011). https://doi.org/10.1638/2010-0217.1
Received: 4 February 2011; Published: 1 June 2011
KEYWORDS
Chelonia mydas
cold-stunned
electrolyte imbalance
green sea turtle
hematology
Hypothermia
serum biochemistry
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