Serum Iron and Its Relationship with Hematologic Parameters in Healthy Female Alpacas at Two Different Ages

Iron is an important trace element whose deficiency is associated with anemia, which is a common condition in South American camelids. However, there are only few data available on the physiologic relationships between serum iron and hematologic findings in alpacas. In 81 laboratory diagnostic datasets from 21 clinically healthy alpacas collected over a nine-year period, we recently reported significant positive correlations between iron and hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and eosinophils, and significant negative correlations between iron and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), platelets, and neutrophils. For 11 of the animals, datasets were available both at the age of 1 year (young) and at an older age (4-7 years: mature). For young animals, significant positive correlations were found between iron and MCV, MCH, and eosinophils, and significant negative correlations between iron and white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), platelets, and neutrophils. In contrast, in mature animals, significant positive correlations were found between iron and monocytes as well as eosinophils. A two-way ANOVA of these 11 animals examining the effects of age, iron, and age*iron revealed significant effects of age on eosinophils, of iron on RBC and MCH, and of age*iron on WBC, RBC, HCT, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR). Our data show that both age and serum iron have an effect on hematologic parameters in alpacas. Especially in young animals there is a close association between iron and MCH and MCV and neutrophils.