PM11 Wildlife Ecotoxicology
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Monday
(PM192) Immune Function and Clinical Blood Parameters Correlate with Perfluorinated Hydrocarbon Concentrations in Bottlenose Dolphins.
Peden-Adams, M1, Romano, T1, 2, Rice, C1, 3, Hessemann, L1, EuDaly, J1, Muir, D4, Houde, M4, Bossart, G1, 5, Fair, P1, 6, 1 Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Science Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA2 Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT, USA3 Dept. of Biology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA4 Environment Canada, Burlington, ON, Canada5 Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Ft. Pierce, FL, USA6 NOAA/NOS/CCEHBR, Charleston, SC, USA
ABSTRACT- Perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAs) have been measured in blood samples from both wildlife and humans; however, the health effects of these compounds at levels observed in wildlife have not been adequately assessed to date. It has been suggested that levels found in wildlife will not have detrimental effects as they are below administered concentrations where effects have been seen in rodents. As part of a dolphin health assessment study, biomarkers of immune function and clinical blood parameters in bottlenose dolphins were correlated with PFAs such as PFOS and PFOA. Whole blood and plasma samples were collected from bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon of Florida and the Charleston Harbor of South Carolina during the summer of 2003. Perfluorinated alkyl acid concentrations (in plasma), immune parameters (lymphocyte proliferation, proliferation, NK cell activity, lymphocyte immunophenotypes, plasma lysozyme, phagocytosis, and C-reactive protein) plasma hormones (estrogen, testosterone, T3, T4, aldosterone, and cortisol), hematology and serum chemistries were measured from non-lethal blood samples from 65 wild-caught bottlenose dolphins. Nine perfluorinated alkyl acids were measured in plasma and correlations with health parameters were assessed for all animals, for all animals separated by sex and age, for all animals with-in sites, and by sex and age with-in sites. Significant correlations were observed in all of the assessment scenarios. With all animals combined, total perfluorinated alkyl acids (
PFAs) significantly correlated with many blood chemistry, hematology, and immune parameters including: lymphocyte numbers (Rs=0.4659, p=0.0002), numbers of CD21 positive cells (Rs=0.7000, p<0.0001), alkaline phosphatase (AP) (Rs=0.4910, p<0.0001), and globulin (Rs= -0.4295, p=0.0004). PFOS and PFOA also significantly correlated with various health parameters including numbers of lymphocytes, numbers of CD21 cells, AP, and B-cell proliferation. Further correlative relationships were clarified when data was separated by sex and age of the animals. This data indicates that perfluorinated alkyl acids may alter biomarkers of health in marine mammals and that further efforts should be made to assess health and risk of these protected species in relationship to these compounds.
Key words: PFOS, bottlenose dolphin, PFOA, immune function