HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM BIOCHEMISTRY OF FREE-RANGING NUTRIA (MYOCASTOR COYPUS)

Abstract:  Information onreference blood values in the literature is lacking for many wild rodents. In this study, comprehensive reference intervals (RIs) for a wide range of analytes from 101 healthy free-ranging nutria were determined. Animals were captured in Buenos Aires, Argentina (37°50′S, 57°34′W), and southward (38°60′S, 58°23′W), encompassing major biotopes of agricultural pampas with dunes and grassland steppes on the east coast. Traps were set at locations with high-density nutria populations (i.e., those areas that showed signs of movement, territorial marking, or feeding activities). Although the small sample size limits the interpretation of these findings, RIs were determined by a robust method using the central 95th percentile. In nutria, the RI range varied greatly for the leukocyte differentials, with mature neutrophils: 3,907–5,544/μl for females and 3,744–5,900/μl for males; band neutrophils: 0–10/μl for females and 3–18/μl for males; lymphocytes: 4,213–5,940/μl for both sexes combined...