Blood Cell Types and Abnormalities in Free Ranging Hermann’s Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) Populations from Different Habitats
Abstract
Testudo hermanni is considered near threatened globally in the wild. In this study differential leukocyte percentages, nuclear abnormalities, and erythrocyte morphology abnormalities of Testudo hermanni populations from two different habitat types in the Thrace Region were determined to whether habitats have a potential effect on blood cells. A total of 37 tortoises, 18 from an open habitat in Kırklareli/Karakoç, and 19 from an isolated habitat in Edirne/Keşan were studied. According to the results obtained from the Micronucleus Test, which detects genotoxic damage, there was no statistically significant difference between the two habitats. There were statistically significant differences in erythrocyte morphology abnormalities and differential leukocyte count between two populations, such as frequencies of anucleated erythrocyte, nuclear shift, elliptical shape distortion, monocyte and eosinophile percentages. This is the first study examined nuclear abnormalities of Testudo hermanni in Türkiye.
Keywords
Genotoxicology , Micronucleus Test , Testudo hermanni , Thrace Region
References
- Arıkan, H. & Çiçek, K. (2010). Morphology of peripheral blood cells from various species of Turkish herpetofauna. Acta Herpetologica. 5, 179-198. Arıkan, H., Tosunoğlu, M. & Gül, Ç. (2012). Genel Hematoloji Ders Notları ve Uygulama Kılavuzu, Kriter Yayınları, İstanbul.
- Aroutiounian, R., Sargsyan, A., Simonyan, A., Hovhannisyan, G. & Arakelyan, M. (2019). Application of the comet assay, micronucleus test and global DNA methylation analysis in Darevskia lizards as a sentinel organism for genotoxic monitoring of soil pollution. Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, 842, 117-124.
- Babini, M.S., Bionda, C., Salas, N.E. & Martino, A.L. (2015). Health status of tadpoles and metamorphs of Rhinella arenarum (Anura, Bufonidae) that inhabit agroecosystems and its implications for land use. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 118, 118-125. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.04.017.
- Ballard, B.M. & Cheek, R. (eds.) (2003). Exotic animal medicine for the veterinary technician. Wiley and Sons / Blackwell Publishing, New York.
- Baran, İ., Avcı, A., Kumlutaş, Y., Olgun, K. & Ilgaz, Ç. (2021). Türkiye amfibi ve sürüngenleri. Palme Yayıncılık, Ankara.
- Barni, S., Boncompagni, E., Grosso, A., Bertone, V., Freitas, I., Fasola, M. & Fenoglio, C. (2007). Evaluation of Rana snk esculenta blood cell response to chemical stressors in the environment during the larval and adult phases. Aquatic Toxicology. 81(1), 45e54.
- Baycan, B., Boran, B., Gül, Ç. & Tosunoğlu, M. (2022). Clinical Hematology of the Nose-Horned Viper, Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus 1758). Reptiles & Amphibians, 29(1), 461-469.
- Boran, B. (2022). Sarıçay (Çanakkale)’daki Çevresel Parametrelerin Pelophylax bedriagae ve Mauremys rivulata Türleri Üzerinde Hematolojik ve Genotoksikolojik Etkilerinin Belirlenmesi. Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü, Çanakkale, Türkiye.
- Campbell, T.W. (2004). Hematology of lower vertebrates. In: 55 th Annual Meeting of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) and 39 th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASVCP). American College of Veterinary Pathologists & American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Middleton, WI. pp. 1214-1218.
- Carballo, M.A. & Mudry, M.D. (2006). Indicadores y marcadores biológicos. In: Genética Toxicológica, pp. 83-108. Mudry, M.D., Carballo, M.A., Eds, De los Cuatro Vientos Editorial, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
