Hematology and biochemistry of South American coatis Nasua nasua (Carnivora: Procyonidae) inhabiting urban fragments in Midwest Brazil: differences according to intrinsic features and sampling site

Abstract

Evaluation of free-living mammal physiological responses to natural and anthropogenic stressors constitutes a valuable tool for conservation, especially when it comes to wild mammal species living in anthropized environments. However, studies addressing “normal” physiological parameters are still limited in Brazilian wildlife. In this sense, we accessed the hematology and serum biochemistry of South American coatis inhabiting urban forested fragments and observed the influence of intrinsic factors and sampling sites on these variables. We analyzed the hematological and biochemical variables of 103 Southern coatis sampled from March 2018 to April 2019 in a conservation unit and in a residential area. Generalized linear model analysis was performed to access the influence of intrinsic factors (sex, age, the presence of clinical findings, and body condition) and two sampling sites as variables. Mean, median, standard deviation, and range were calculated for the hematological and biochemical values that were or were not influenced by intrinsic factors and studied areas. Age influenced mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelet, creatinine, glucose, and cholesterol; sex influenced hemoglobin (Hb), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), total serum proteins (TSP), cholesterol, and glucose; clinical findings influenced red blood cell counts (RBC), Hb, MCV, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin, globulins, and cholesterol; body condition only influenced LDH; sampling site influenced neutrophil, lymphocyte, creatine kinase, aspartate transaminase, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, globulins, TSP, and triglycerides. Stress seems to be more accentuated in coatis from the residential area than from the conservation unit, and this may be attributed to their continuous exposure to the presence of humans and domestic animals.