Table 3.
Hematologic and serum chemistry analytes (marginal mean, lower 95% confidence limit − higher 95% confidence limit) from 221 blood samples of clinically healthy killer whale (Orcinus orca) calves (0 to <3 years old) for which seasonal differences were detected (N = 23)
| Blood analyte | Spring (Sp) | Summer (S) | Fall (F) | Winter (W) | Šidák groups (P < 0.01) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hematology | |||||
| Hb (g/dL) | 14.4 (14.2‐14.5) | 14.6 (14.4‐14.8) | 14.5 (14.3‐14.7) | 14.3 (14.2‐14.5) | W & Sp < S |
| HCT (%) | 41.3 (40.8‐41.8) | 41.9 (41.3‐42.4) | 41.5 (41.0‐42.0) | 41.1 (40.1‐41.6) | W<F& Sp < S |
| RBC (106/μL) | 3.66 (3.57‐3.75) | 3.71 (3.62‐3.80) | 3.69 (3.60‐3.78) | 3.64 (3.55‐3.74) | Sp & W < S & F |
| MCV (fL) | 113.1 (111.88‐114.3) | 113.0 (111.8‐114.2) | 112.8 (111.5‐114.0) | 112.7 (111.5‐113.9) | NSD |
| Retica (%) | 1.91 (1.74‐2.07) | 1.80 (1.64‐1.97) | 1.80 (1.64‐1.97) | 1.93 (1.77‐2.09) | S & F < Sp & W |
| WBC (103/μL) | 6509.4 (6093.6‐6925.1) | 6375.8 (5959.6‐6792.0) | 6342.4 (5925.3‐6759.5) | 6545.8 (6128.7‐6962.8) | F < Sp & W; S<W |
| Abs segs (103/μL) | 4606.6 (4235.4‐4977.8) | 4482.7 (4111.1‐4854.2) | 4457.5 (4085.2‐4829.7) | 4644.9 (4272.7‐5017.2) | F < Sp & W; S<W |
| Serum chemistry | |||||
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 125.1 (121.9‐128.4) | 119.8 (116.6‐123.1) | 124.1 (120.8‐127.4) | 125.9 (122.6‐129.2) | S<Sp & F & W; F<W |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 36.3 (33.9‐38.7) | 38.4 (36.0‐40.7) | 37.6 (35.2‐40.0) | 36.5 (34.1‐38.9) | Sp & W < F < S |
| Creat (mg/dL) | 0.93 (0.83‐1.03) | 0.94 (0.84‐1.04) | 0.91 (0.80‐1.00) | 0.85 (0.75‐0.96) | W < Sp & S & F |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 212.9 (193.2‐232.6) | 219.6 (199.9‐239.2) | 217.5 (197.8‐237.2) | 214.3 (194.6‐234.0) | Sp & W < S |
| Triglyceridea (mg/dL) | 153.6 (140.1‐167.0) | 157.7 (144.3‐171.2) | 145.1 (131.6‐158.6) | 151.3 (137.8‐164.9) | F < W < S |
| TProtein (g/dL) | 5.83 (5.58‐6.09) | 5.75 (5.50‐6.00) | 5.76 (5.50‐6.01) | 5.84 (5.59‐6.100 | S & F < Sp & W |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.51 (3.39‐3.62) | 3.48 (3.37‐3.59) | 3.49 (3.37‐3.60) | 3.52 (3.41‐3.63 | S & F < W |
| Globulin (g/dL) | 2.33 (2.13‐2.54) | 2.68 (2.06‐2.47) | 2.28 (2.08‐2.49) | 2.33 (2.12‐2.53) | NSD |
| ALP (IU/L) | 720.0 (682.1‐757.8) | 721.4 (683.5‐759.3) | 697.1 (659.0‐734.2) | 700.0 (661.9‐738.1) | F & W < Sp & S |
| ALT (IU/L) | 17.65 (14.58‐20.71) | 18.91 (15.84‐21.00) | 19.88 (16.81‐22.95) | 18.23 (15.16‐21.30) | Sp < S < F |
| AST (IU/L) | 50.48 (46.85‐54.11) | 51.08 (47.45‐54.7) | 52.78 (49.13‐56.4) | 52.05 (48.40‐55.69) | Sp & S < F; Sp < W |
| GGT (IU/L) | 7.71 (5.44‐9.98) | 8.12 (5.84‐10.39) | 9.00 (6.73‐11.28) | 8.20 (5.92‐10.47) | Sp & S & W < F |
| Phosphorusa (mg/dL) | 6.69 (6.49‐6.90) | 6.63 (6.42‐6.83) | 6.58 (6.37‐6.78) | 6.65 (6.44‐6.86) | F < Sp |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 155.5 (154.8‐156.2) | 155.6 (154.9‐156.3) | 155.9 (155.2‐156.6) | 155.6 (154.9‐156.3) | Sp < F |
| Chloride (mEq/L) | 117.6 (116.6‐118.6) | 118.1 (117.1‐119.1) | 117.8 (116.9‐118.8) | 117.4 (116.4‐118.4) | W & Sp < S; W < F |
| CO2 (mEq/L) | 30.23 (29.43‐31.03) | 29.88 (29.08‐30.69) | 30.41 (29.59‐31.21) | 30.71 (29.91‐31.52) | S < F; Sp & S < W |
Hb, hemoglobin concentration; RBC, red blood cell count; MCV, mean corpuscular volume; RDW, red blood cell distribution width; platelet, platelet count; MPV, mean platelet volume; Retic, reticulocyte fraction; WBC, total white blood cell count; Abs segs, segmented neutrophil count; Abs lymphs, absolute lymphocyte count; Abs monos, monocyte count; Abs eos, eosinophil counts; ESR60, erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 60 minutes; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; Creat, creatinine; Tbili, total bilirubin; Tprotein, total protein; globulin, total globulins; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase; CK, creatinine kinase; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; Ca, calcium; P, phosphorus; Na, sodium; K, potassium; Cl, chloride; FIB, fibrinogen.
NSD = Post hoc Šidák pairwise comparisons were not significantly different (P < 0.01).
Analytes for which a significant difference was measured between sex were controlled for by sex.