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Transilluminated Jugular Blood Sampling in the Common Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)
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Blood collection in chameleons is indicated in clinical cases and research studies and is commonly performed from the ventral tail vein. However, this venipuncture site can be associated with a greater degree of technical difficulty, adverse effects, and artifactual changes in the test results. The jugular vein is often suggested as a preferred alternative sampling site, but can also be technically challenging in smaller lizards. A transillumination method of the cervical region that reveals the jugular vein can be used for more accurate venipuncture, increased sampling success, as well as reduced handling time and soft tissue damage to adjacent anatomical structure. The technique described in this report can be used to collect blood from common chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon).
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... Recently, 12 genera and more than 220 species are recognized within the family Chamaeleonidae [1,[5][6][7][8], with members of this family distributed across Africa into the Middle East, southern Europe, India, and across a few small islands in the Indian Ocean [9]. In Yemen, the veiled or Yemeni Chameleon, C. calyptratus, is found in the western mountains, is abundant in the Taiz. ...
Lizards have the broadest geographical distribution encompassing a wide range of locomotor habitats. This is reflected in a large morphological diversity of the general body form and of the locomotory apparatus among these animals. So, the present study aimed to clarify the osteological characteristics of the limb skeleton of two endemic species sharing the same environment but differ in microhabitat and mode of their locomotion. Under a dissecting microscope, the fore and hindlimbs of each animal were excised by using iris scissors after narcotizing by doses of anesthetic. The specimens were processed for staining with Alcian blue and alizarin stains to stain the skeletal limbs. In the current study, intra- and interspecific variations were observed in 2 species studied in measurements of limb elements. In Chamaeleo calyptratus both the fore- and hind limbs were relatively equal in length. While, the FOL, MAL, TOFL2, TOFL3, TOFL4 and TOFL5 were significantly shorter than the hindlimb in Acantocercus adramitanus (t= -5.60, -8.59, -3.84, -6.69, -6.12 and -8.35 respectively P= 0.000). A significant pronounced variation in the length of the long bone in lizard studied. Meanwhile, high significant variations were noticeable for metacarpus and metatarsus measurements in A. adramitanus (F4,45= 88.66, P< 0.0001 and F4,45= 32.07, P <0.0001 respectively). Slightly significant variations were observed in metacarpus and metatarsus measurements of C. calyptratus (F4,45= 3.34, P<0.02 and F4,45= 3.42, P<0.02 respectively). Except the centrale, the width of elements composing the wrist and ankle is larger than length in A. adramitanus. High significant variations were noticeable in the autopodium of C. calyptratus. The radiale and centrale had larger length than width. However, C. calyptratus have relatively short ulnare, distal carpus 5 and proximal tarsus. These variations in limb elements of A. adramitanus and C. calyptratus may be due to the difference in microhabitat.
Quantitative and qualitative hematologic assessment contributes to health screening of lizards, crocodilians, and tuataras in the same manner as in other vertebrate species. Clinically significant findings can include anemia, inflammation, atypical cell populations, and infectious agents. The suborder Sauria (Lacertilia), within the order Squamata, is an assemblage of roughly 5600 lizard species, spanning more than 40 families. Crocodilians and the tuatara will be treated alongside Sauria. Because sick reptiles display a limited array of nonspecific clinical signs, blood collection for hematology and biochemistry is particularly useful and provides valuable clinical information for health assessment of these rather stoic animals. Heterophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, and occasionally eosinophils are typically found in health. Thrombocytes are important in primary hemostasis of lizards and additionally have mild phagocytic activity. Hematologic values may fluctuate, and the sparse sets of “reference interval” values published for lizard species seldom account for factors that would likely impact interpretation of cell counts.
Reptiles and amphibians provide a challenge for accessing the vasculature for sample collection, anesthetic or medication injection, or parenteral fluid therapy. Veins can be difficult to visualize due to anatomic position, thick skin and scales, or small patient size. Each specific group – snakes, lizards, chelonians and amphibians – have venipuncture sites that can be accessed. Due to small size of the patient, critical condition, or other extenuating circumstances that make venous access impractical, an intraosseous catheter has to be placed to access the vasculature for medical care.
Various puncture routes, veins, arteries, heart, are used to take blood in animals. For anatomical reasons, differences in blood composition are expected among puncture sites. However, this issue has been rarely assessed and contrasted results have been reported: strong effects of puncture site versus a lack of effect. We captured free-ranging freshwater turtles from different locations to compare the mean concentrations of 12 blood parameters (metabolites, hormone, ions, and enzyme) among three puncture sites: (1) a lateral branch of the jugular vein, (2) a dorsal subcarapacial cervical plexus (sometimes incorrectly referred as the ‘cervical sinus’ in the literature), and (3) a caudal plexus site (sometimes incorrectly referred as the ‘caudal sinus’). Because we used very small syringes (27–30G), we were able to separate lymph, blood, or blood–lymph mixtures. Our results show very strong effects of puncture site and of mixture level (mean maximal difference between sites was 250 %). We also found strong sex and geographical effects. Typically, there were differences in concentrations of blood solutes sampled from the lateral jugular vein and subcarapacial plexus, mainly due to sampling a mixture of blood and lymph from the ‘blood’ at the subcarapacial site and pure blood from the lateral jugular site, and likewise, samples from the caudal site were highly variable due to often sampling a mixture of blood and lymph. These results have technical and fundamental implications, especially when performing comparative analyses. Further, by selecting precise puncture sites, physiological differences between lymph and blood compartments could be investigated.
Due to their often brilliant colours, diurnal activity, and fascinating behaviours there is a long lasting high demand for chameleons in the pet trade. Accordingly, the international trade of most chameleon genera is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Floras (CITES). In order to facilitate operating and control of these regulations by national and international nature conservation authorities an updated taxonomic checklist of the family Chamaeleonidae (202 species plus 23 subspecies in 12 genera) is provided. A comparison with the last taxonomic checklist published in 1997 (132 species plus 39 subspecies in six genera) demonstrates the enormous progress in chameleon taxonomy and systematics in recent years. Although a substantial number of the currently accepted taxa are well defined, the taxonomy of several species and subspecies is in need of revision and many new species both from Africa and Madagascar still await their scientific description.
The common chameleon, Chamaeleo chameleon, is an arboreal lizard with highly independent, large-amplitude eye movements. In response to a moving threat, a chameleon on a perch responds with distinct avoidance movements that are expressed in its continuous positioning on the side of the perch distal to the threat. We analyzed body-exposure patterns during threat avoidance for evidence of lateralization, that is, asymmetry at the functional/behavioral levels. Chameleons were exposed to a threat approaching horizontally from the left or right, as they held onto a vertical pole that was either wider or narrower than the width of their head, providing, respectively, monocular or binocular viewing of the threat. We found two equal-sized sub-groups, each displaying lateralization of motor responses to a given direction of stimulus approach. Such an anti-symmetrical distribution of lateralization in a population may be indicative of situations in which organisms are regularly exposed to crucial stimuli from all spatial directions. This is because a bimodal distribution of responses to threat in a natural population will reduce the spatial advantage of predators.
We studied the features of the habitat selection of the common chameleon [Chamaeleo chamaeleon (L.)] in a population located in an area under development in south-eastern Spain. Chameleons were recorded in zones characterised by the presence of roads, lack of natural vegetation and presence of cultivation at the macrohabitat level, and tree-dominated vegetation and bare soils at the microhabitat level. This particular habitat selection increases the propensity for casualties due to illegal collection, accidental road deaths or nest losses because of ploughing. However, chameleons were not present in nearby natural environments in which these sources of mortality are much less intense or absent. We suggest that the sustainability of chameleon populations requires a combination of maintaining traditional human land uses and the adoption of preventive measures, such as road barriers in some selected sites or the protection of safe sites for nesting, since both the more aggressive human pressures (settlements for tourism) and the promotion of natural landscapes (reforestation) could be negative for the species.
Prevalence of egg-laying disorders and hematology and blood chemical parameters were analyzed in free-ranging common chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) from southern Spain. During four reproductive seasons oviposition failures occurred only during dry years. Egg binding appeared to be an important cause of mortality. Oviductal eggs of dystocic females were longer and wider than those of females with normal oviposition. Blood cell counts, white blood cell differentials, hematocrit, and concentration of hemoglobin, total plasma protein, glucose, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine phosphokinase in blood were determined for eight apparently healthy post-reproductive females and considered as reference values. These chameleons differed from other reptiles in high concentrations of glucose in blood, averaging 362 mg/dl, and in high numbers of heterophils. Females with dystocia differed from reference values in an increase in monocytes and in the high concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase probably associated with tissue trauma.
The most common technique used for collecting blood samples from chameleons, ventral tail caudal venipuncture (Reptile care. An Atlas of Diseases and Treatments, Vol. II, T.F.H. Publication, New Jersey, 1991) sometimes presents undesired effects. Here we compared tail versus jugular vein venipuncture techniques in the common chameleon. In the first experiment, we collected 0.25% of the chameleon's body mass in blood from either tail or jugular sites in size-matched pairs of animals to check for secondary effects. In a second experiment, we measured white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), total plasma protein and uric acid in blood samples collected from both sites in the same individual. We found few secondary effects following the use of either venipuncture site although skin darkening was observed in few specimens when using the ventral tail vein. Blood profiles were similar between samples. The repeatability of measurements was similar in RBC and WBC counts and remarkably low (<0.90). Despite the few differences recorded, we recommend jugular venipunction in chameleons as skin darkening is unlikely, blood volumes are easily obtained and collection time is shorter.
Blood samples of 86 captive panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) were collected in January and August from the ventral coccygeal vein in order to establish reference intervals of clinical healthy individuals under similar husbandry conditions for plasma biochemistry and hematology for this species. Significant differences were found in phosphorus, glucose, total protein, albumin, and white blood cell count between males and females in both seasons. Calcium, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase varied in only one season between genders. Significant differences between summer and winter values were present in both genders for uric acid, calcium, phosphorus, glucose, total protein, creatine kinase, and albumin. Additionally, females showed seasonal variations for alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase whereas packed cell volume varied in males. Gravid females had significantly higher body weights and increased values for uric acid, calcium, phosphorus, alanine aminotransferase, total protein, and albumin. Cytomorphologic characteristics of blood cells in stained blood films were evaluated to serve as additional parameters for hematology.
Despite the challenges in sample collection, reptile haematology and biochemistry is a vital component of a diagnostic work up of a sick reptile. Caution is required for interpretation of results and consideration given to the existing reference ranges and their limitations, taking into account the physiological state of the reptile being presented. Once analysed the results can yield very useful clinical information and guide appropriate treatment of the reptile or indicate the need for further diagnostic procedures.
As more data about blood test results become available, blood sampling becomes increasingly important as a diagnostic tool. The increased availability of biochemistry analyzers that sample small volumes of blood has made it possible to get diagnostic profiles and hematology results from pets that have only small volumes of blood to contribute. This article describes techniques for restraint, phlebotomy, and sample preparation of several of the more popular exotic animals in the pet trade. The species covered include birds, lizards, chelonians, snakes, frogs, salamanders, fish, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, and giant spiders (tarantulas).