Open AccessPreliminary evaluation of complete blood count and diurnal variation of hematological parameters in black rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus)
Author(s) -
Maja Belić,
Maja Lukač,
Nika Dvojković,
Tena Galešić,
Mirna Robić,
Romana Turk
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
veterinarski glasnik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2406-0771
pISSN - 0350-2457
DOI - 10.2298/vetgl190506004b
Subject(s) - mean corpuscular volume , mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration , morning , hemoglobin , evening , mean corpuscular hemoglobin , white blood cell , complete blood count , biology , reference range , physiology , zoology , veterinary medicine , medicine , immunology , endocrinology , physics , astronomy
. The purposes of this study were to determine the presence of daily variations in hematological parameters of the black rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) and to compare them with the reference interval values of its subspecies, yellow rat snake (Pantherophis obsoleta quadrivittata). Materials and Methods. Blood from four black rat snakes was collected in the morning and in the evening, and after each collection, blood smears, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell count (RBC) and hemoglobin concentration (HGB) were determined, while erythrocyte indices of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were calculated and differential leukocyte counts were evaluated. Results and Conclusions. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the blood parameters in the morning and in the evening. Most of the complete blood count values in the black rat snakes were lower, but still within the reference range of those found in the literature for the yellow rat snake. The results of hematological parameters of the black rat snake could be beneficial for further research of physiological and pathological variations in complete blood count of these snakes, for diagnosing health conditions and for detecting various diseases.