STRECK CELL PRESERVATIVE STABILIZES KOALA ( PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS) WHOLE BLOOD FOR COMPLETE BLOOD COUNTS

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Hematology
• Wildlife Disease Diagnostics

Background:

• Remote wildlife health assessments often face delays in blood sample processing.
• Delayed testing can lead to artifacts in complete blood counts (CBC), impacting clinical interpretation.
• Streck Cell Preservative (SCP) is a reagent for human blood stabilization, with potential application in wildlife.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Streck Cell Preservative (SCP) in preserving EDTA-anticoagulated koala whole blood for 14 days.
• To assess the impact of SCP on the viability of koala blood cells for CBC analysis.
• To determine if SCP can mitigate artifacts in koala blood samples due to delayed testing.

Main Methods:

• Koala whole blood samples (n=12) were collected and mixed with SCP at a 1:1 ratio.
• Paired SCP-treated and untreated samples were refrigerated.
• Complete blood counts (CBC) were performed on paired samples at five time points over 14 days.

Main Results:

• Streck Cell Preservative significantly reduced cellular lysis in koala whole blood.
• SCP extended the viability of EDTA-anticoagulated koala blood for up to 14 days.
• The preservative maintained blood integrity, preventing common artifacts seen in delayed samples.

Conclusions:

• Streck Cell Preservative is effective in preserving koala whole blood for up to 14 days for CBC analysis.
• SCP can be a valuable tool for wildlife health assessments in remote locations.
• Generating species- and method-specific reference intervals for SCP-preserved samples is crucial to avoid misinterpretation, particularly for anemia assessment.