Health and nutritional assessments of wildlife are important management tools and can provide a means to evaluate ecosystem health. Such examinations were performed on 37 white-fronted brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus albifrons) from four sites in Madagascar. Comparison of health parameters between sites revealed statistically significant differences in body weight, body temperature, respiratory rate, hematology parameters (white cell count, hematocrit, segmented neutrophil count, and lymphocyte count), serum chemistry parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, serum alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, chloride, and creatinine phosphokinase), and nutrition parameters (copper, zinc, ferritin, retinol, tocopherol, and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol). Two of 10 lemurs tested were positive for toxoplasmosis; none of 10 were positive for Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Enteric bacteria and endo- and ectoparasites were typical. Statistically different values in hematology and chemistry values probably do not reflect clinically significant differences, whereas nutrition parameter differences are likely related to season, soil, and forage availability.
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1 December 2008
Comparison of Biomedical Evaluation for White-Fronted Brown Lemurs (Eulemur fulvus albifrons) from Four Sites in Madagascar
Randall E. Junge,
Christopher J. Dutton,
Felicia Knightly,
Cathy V. Williams,
Fidisoa T. Rasambainarivo,
Edward E. Louis
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Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Vol. 39 • No. 4
December 2008
Vol. 39 • No. 4
December 2008
conservation medicine
disease ecology
health
lemur
Madagascar
nutrition