Abstract
Protein electrophoresis is an important tool in clinical health assessments, as well as, in recognizing and monitoring physiologic stressors and disease in non-traditional species.1-7 Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is commonly used in human medicine but has only been evaluated in veterinary medicine for a few species thus far. However, CZE has been found to have superior separation of fractions compared to agarose gel electrophoresis, and therefore provides adjunct information that allows for a better assessment of health in non-traditional species that have highly variable protein characteristics.8-10 The objectives of this study were to 1) assess CZE in clinically healthy bat eagle rays (Myliobatis californica) from blood collected during routine health assessments, 2) compare the electrophoretograms of normal versus abnormal individuals, and 3) evaluate clinical usefulness of CZE in monitoring response to treatment.
The CZE electrophoretogram in bat eagle rays produced eight fractions (more fractions than the other batoid species where CZE has been evaluated).8 In both health and disease, albumin measured by the chemistry analyzer (bromocresol green method) was inaccurate compared to albumin measured by protein electrophoresis. In clinically healthy individuals, fractions 1 and 2 were minimal, while fractions 3 and 7 were the predominant fractions observed. In comparison with the electrophoretograms of clinically healthy individuals, clinically abnormal bat eagle rays had notable increases in fraction percentages of 1, 5, and 8. In an individual with serial CZE over the course of treatment, an evident decrease in fraction percentages of 1 and 8 towards expected normal range was observed and appeared to parallel clinical improvement. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess CZE in myliobatids and the first to evaluate CZE in any clinically abnormal elasmobranch. Based on preliminary evaluation of CZE in clinically abnormal bat eagle rays, CZE appears to be a promising adjunctive tool in evaluating overall health and in monitoring response to treatment in this species.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the SeaWorld aquarist staff, veterinary technicians, and laboratory technicians for their assistance and time with this project. The authors would also like to thank the laboratory staff at the University of Miami School of Medicine involved in obtaining and analyzing the samples in this study.
*Presenting author
+Student presenter
Literature Cited
1. Cray C. Protein electrophoresis of non-traditional species: a review. Vet Clin Pathol. 2021;50:478–494.
2. Cray C, Rodriguez M, Field C, McDermott A, Leppert L, Clauss T, Bossart GD. Protein and cholesterol electrophoresis of plasma samples from captive cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus). J Vet Diagn Invest. 2015;27(6):688–695.
3. Hyatt MW, Field CL, Clauss TM, Arheart KL, Cray C. Plasma protein electrophoresis and select acute phase proteins in healthy bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) under managed care. J Zoo Wildl Med. 2016;47(4):984–992.
4. Meyer A, Emerson JA, Rainwater KL, Haefele H, Arheart KL, Hammond E, Hooijberg E, Cray C. Assessment of capillary zone electrophoresis and serum amyloid a quantitation in clinically normal and abnormal southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) and southern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis minor). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2022;53(2):319–330.
5. Osorio S, Soto J, Schmitt D, Kiso W, Cray C. Preliminary assessment of serum capillary zone electrophoresis in the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Front Vet Sci. 2023;10:1204880.
6. Cray C, Wack A, Arheart KL. Invalid measurement of plasma albumin using bromcresol green methodology in penguins (Spheniscus species). J Avian Med Surg. 2011;25(1):14–22.
7. Desoubeaux G, Rodriguez M, Bronson E, Sirpenski G, Cray C. Application of 3-hydroxybutrate measurement and plasma protein electrophoresis in the diagnosis of aspergillosis in African penguins (Spheniscus demersus). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2018;49(3):696–703.
8. Morón-Elorza P, Rojo-Solís C, Steyrer C, Álvaro-Álvarez T, Valls-Torres M, Ortega J, Encinas T, García-Párraga D. Increasing the data on elasmobranch plasma protein electrophoresis: electrophoretogram reference values determination in the undulate skate (Raja undulata) and the nursehound shark (Scyliorhinus stellaris) maintained under human care. BMC Vet Res. 2022;18(380).
9. Toonder M, Perrault JR, Cray C. Comparison of agarose gel and capillary zone electrophoresis methods using plasma from green turtles (Chelonia mydas). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2020;51(1):123–130.
10. Zaias J, Bossart GD, Cray C. Comparison of agarose gel electrophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis methods using serum from bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Aquat Mamm. 2021;47(2):146–152.