Plasma proteins and selected acute-phase proteins in the whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)

Plasma protein electrophoresis has been shown to be an important tool when recognizing disease in various species. Plasma was harvested from twenty captive whitespotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) and gel electrophoresis was used to characterize the following protein fractions: total protein, prealbumin, albumin, α-1 globulin, α-2 globulin, β globulin, γ globulin, C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and haptoglobin. The selected acute-phase proteins were assayed and reference intervals created for a population of captive whitespotted bamboo sharks, and then used to assess relationships between these protein concentration values, sex, and health status. There were significantly higher β fractions and total protein in females than in males. There did not appear to be a relationship between physical examination abnormalities of individual sharks and their plasma protein levels. Further research is needed to characterize the clinical importance of this response.