Hematological and biochemical effects of chronic CO exposure on the Japanese quail

Japanese Quail were exposed to a concentration of 300 to 350 ppm CO to maintain an equilibrium carboxyhemoglobin concentration of 30% for a period of 4 weeks. Compared to a control group of birds maintained in an identical chamber, the CO-exposed quail demonstrated increases in hematocrit ratio and hemoglobin concentration. At the end of the exposure period, the CO-exposed quail had significantly larger plasma and blood volumes, slight but significant right ventricular hypertrophy and higher fasting plasma glucose concentrations than the control birds. Cardiac and skeletal muscle carbohydrate stores were not affected by chronic CO exposure.