Cytological Alterations in Red Blood Cells of Oiled Magellanic Penguins

ROMERO, M.B.; DOLAGARATZ CARRICAVUR, ARANTXA; CHIODI BOUDET, L.N.; POLIZZI PAULA; GERPE, M.

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 14th biennial meeting; 2021

Crude oil is one of the most widespread pollutant released into themarine environment causing a wide range of biological effects in marinespecies, including birds. The hematological changes serve as an earlyindicator for screening the toxic impacts of pollutants on tissues. Toxicsubstances could induce damage to the red blood cells (RBC) that couldlead to abnormalities in the cellular morphology. Mean number,prevalence, and intensity of cytological alteration in RBC, such asanisocytosis and poikilocytosis, were correlated with pollutantsincluding PAHs. Within seabirds, penguins are widely used asbiomonitors of the state of the ecosystem. Being long-lived andpredatory at the top of the trophic webs, they are exposed to numerousstressors that can result in the accumulation of these pollutants in theirtissues, with possible consequences on health. In particular, Magellanicpenguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is the most important marine bird asa tourist resource on the Argentine coast. This species is categorized asNear Threatened on the Red List of the International Union forConservation of Nature. This responds to the fact that many populationsare being affected by fishing activities, chronic oiling and global climatechange. The aim was to evaluate cytological alterations frequency inoiled Magellanic penguin as biomarkers of cytotoxicity. Peripheralblood samples of oiled (n=29) penguins were taken during 2011 and 2013 in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Giemsa-stained bloodsmears were used for estimation of abnormality in RBCs includinganisocytosis, poikilocytosis, hypochromasia, polychromasia anderythroplastids. Areas with a clear distribution of erythrocytes wereidentified for each slide as a well-defined and separate cytoplasm. Areaswhich presented overlapping cells were not taken into consideration.Additionally, hematocrit and lipid peroxidation, as TBARs levels, weredetermined for each penguin. Our hypothesis is that RBC cytotoxicity isassociated to chronic oiling condition in Magellanic penguins,presenting higher frequency of cell abnormalities. Furthermore, thesealterations are correlated with low hematocrit and high levels of lipidperoxidation