The AZA SAFE Elasmobranch Blood Project seeks to provide reference intervals for complete blood counts (CBCs) and blood chemistry values for elasmobranch species in human care, and free ranging elasmobranchs that are subjects of field research.
This information can be used by veterinarians, caretakers, and researchers to better understand elasmobranch clinical pathology and, in turn, provide the best care possible for these unique species. Reference intervals will be created using standards outlined by the American Society for Veterinary Clinical pathology (ASVCP) and will be published as open access.
At this time, the AZA SAFE Elasmobranch Blood Project is soliciting blood sample results (complete blood counts <CBC> and biochemistry) from healthy animals of the following species:
* Brownbanded bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum)
* White spotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)
*Yellow stingrays (Urobatis jamaicensis)
*Atlantic stingrays (Dasyatis sabina)
Please download this spreadsheet for reporting your data, or send lab reports that contain all of the information outlined. Once completed, you may upload your form directly to us, via the link below.
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Upload lab result files
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If you do not want to use the data sheet available above, please submit the following information for each sample submitted. Please indicate if you would like acknowledgement or prefer to remain anonymous.:
Animal
Scientific name
Common name
ID (accession number or house ID) – To determine repeat tests on same animal
DOB/Est. age/ Age class/unknown
Sex
Free-ranging/aquarium system/other (indicate what type)
Weight – indicate if actual or estimate
Collection Session
Date
Sample site – Vein, caudal; vein, posterior or cardinal sinus, lateral tail, etc
Restraint – manual vs. anesthesia
Anesthesia – drug used, dose
Health status- submit data from animals deemed healthy
Reason- Routine, Diagnostic, Pre-ship, etc
Fasting status- >8 hr, >12 hr, >24 hr, unknown
Activity level- QAR, BAR, depressed, moribund, etc.
Hematology
Anticoagulant
Test name/units/method- In-house method or name of outside lab
(List all tests and method (in-house) or the name of the lab performing CBC
Chemistry
Serum or plasma (specify anticoagulant)
Test name/units/method- In-house method or name of outside lab
(List all tests and method (in-house) or the name of the lab performing chemistry panel
Sample quality
Hemolysis, icterus, lipemia
Sample stability guidelines (for any blood sample)
- Whole blood: ship to arrive to the lab within 24 hours, refrigerated
- Plasma/serum: ship to arrive to the lab within 24 hours, refrigerated OR freeze at -20C or -80C storage and ship frozen
- Hematocrit: run in-house the same day or ship to arrive to the lab within 24 hours
- Blood smears: check quality – if uneven or you feel they need to be remade, make them same day or ship to arrive to the lab within 24 hours.
This video demonstrates how to take a blood sample and process it for submission to the lab.
Shipping guidelines:
- Shipment includes whole blood, smears, formalin-cells (ZooQuatic only), plasma/serum
- Ship the day of collection
- Shipment includes smears, formalin-cells, plasma/serum (e.g., run the hematocrit in-house)
- Ship the same day of collection OR
- Freeze the plasma/serum, and the samples can be shipped when convenient.
SAFE will cover the shipping costs for your samples when shipped via UPS. Please download and follow the shipping instructions from the link below.
If you would like to contribute but are unsure how to provide data, please contact adelaune@msaquarium.org for guidance.