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Serum Proteins In Healthy And Diseased Florida Manatees (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris), J.W. Harvey, K.E. Harr, D. Murphy, M.T. Walsh, M. De Wit, R.K. Bonde

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A major goal of this study was to determine whether serum protein fractions of healthy Florida manatees differ with age, sex, or living environments (wild versus housed). A second goal was to determine which serum protein fractions vary in diseased versus healthy manatees. Serum protein fractions were determined using agarose gel electrophoresis. Healthy adults had slightly higher total serum protein and total globulin concentrations than younger animals. This largely resulted from an increase in gamma globulins with age. Total serum protein, albumin, alpha-1 globulin, beta globulin, and total globulin concentrations were slightly higher in housed manatees compared to wild manatees, …