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Blood profiles in unanesthetized and anesthetized guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Lab Animal volume 45, pages 35–41 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The guinea pig is a common animal model that is used in biomedical research to study a variety of systems, including hormonal and immunological responses, pulmonary physiology, corticosteroid response and others. However, because guinea pigs are evolutionarily a prey species, they do not readily show behavioral signs of disease, which can make it difficult to detect illness in a laboratory setting. Minimally invasive blood tests, such as complete blood counts and plasma biochemistry assays, are useful in both human and veterinary medicine as an initial diagnostic technique to rule in or rule out systemic illness. In guinea pigs, phlebotomy for such tests often requires that the animals be anesthetized first. The authors evaluated hematological and plasma biochemical effects of two anesthetic agents that are commonly used with guinea pigs in a research setting: isoflurane and a combination of ketamine and xylazine. Hematological and plasma biochemical parameters were significantly different when guinea pigs were under either anesthetic, compared to when they were unanesthetized. Plasma proteins, liver enzymes, white blood cells and red blood cells appeared to be significantly altered by both anesthetics, and hematological and plasma biochemical differences were greater when guinea pigs were anesthetized with the combination of ketamine and xylazine than when they were anesthetized with isoflurane. Overall these results indicate that both anesthetics can significantly influence hematological and plasma biochemical parameters in guinea pigs.

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Figure 1: Hematological parameters (mean ± s.e.m.) differed significantly between anesthetic treatments when guinea pigs were unanesthetized, anesthetized with isoflurane or anesthetized with a combination of ketamine and xylazine.
Figure 2: Plasma biochemical parameters (mean ± s.e.m.) differed significantly between anesthetic treatments when guinea pigs were unanesthetized, anesthetized with isoflurane or anesthetized with a combination of ketamine and xylazine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

    Wendy R. Williams, Angelo A. Izzo &  Lon V. Kendall

  2. Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

    Matthew S. Johnston &  Sarah Higgins

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Williams, W., Johnston, M., Higgins, S. et al. Blood profiles in unanesthetized and anesthetized guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Lab Anim 45, 35–41 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.911

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