Immune parameters of two species of lizards (Phymaturus) endemic from Patagonia, Argentina.

AGUILAR R; D'AMICO VL; PALACIOS MG

Congreso; Australian Society of Herpetologists; 2015

The State Reserve La Payunia is a region of northern Patagonia (Argentina) exposed to increased activity of ecotourism, habitat loss and degradation. These factors associated with climate global change, threaten two endemic sympatric species of lizards, Phymaturus roigorum (PR) and Phymaturus payuniae (PP) of which little is known, particularly because of the remote volcanic areas they inhabit. Therefore, it is important to extend the knowledge about their eco-physiology and habitat use to define habitat conservation strategies. Thermoregulation is the process upon which other physiological mechanisms, such as immune response (primary defence against pathogens) rely for proper function. In this work, cellular immune parameters obtained for the gender Phymaturus are presented. We noosed 7 individuals of PR and 5 PP. Blood samples were extracted from each individual to measure bacterial agglutination and blood smears were prepared for obtaining leukocyte profile under light microscope. Both species showed low bacterial agglutination and leukocyte values were similar to those described for other species of lizards, with predominant lymphocytes and heterophils. Eosinophils were higher in PP, which could eventually indicate parasitic infections. In PP a trend toward increased activity of phagocytic cells (higher values of basophils, heterophils and eosinophils) and increased bacterial agglutination was observed. Whilst it is necessary to increase the sample size to extend the range of reference, these data constitute the first report of the innate immune response for these two threatened species endemic to that locality of the South American cold desert in Patagonia.