Automated Hematological Approach and Protein Electrophoretic Pattern in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): An Innovative and Experimental Model for Aquaculture

This study aimed to assess the usefulness of two innovative automated methods (automated blood count counters and flow cytometry) for hematological investigation in Tilapia to make a contribution to the clinical diagnostics of this farmed species. Moreover, serum total proteins and their electrophoretic fractions (prealbumin, albumin, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-fraction), as health condition indicators, were assessed. The analysis of serum total proteins and electrophoretic fraction showed a normal and typical electrophoretic pattern of healthy fish (serum total proteins, 3.70 +/- 0.62 g/dL; prealbumin, 0.44 +/- 0.20 g/dL; albumin, 1.17 +/- 0.66 g/dL; alpha-fraction, 1.49 +/- 0.64 g/dL; beta-fraction, 0.32 +/- 0.16 g/dL; and gamma-fraction, 0.29 +/- 0.13 g/dL). The relationships between the values of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and thrombocytes (TCs) obtained with the two automated methods were determined using Pearson correlation analysis. The results showed a significant positive correlation between automatic blood cell counting and flow cytometry analysis for RBCs (r = 0.97, p < 0.0001) and WBCs (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001), whereas no correlation was found for TCs (r = -0.11, p = 0.66). The preliminary results gathered in this study seem to highlight the usefulness of the new analytical techniques herein investigated in tilapia, suggesting their application in the hematological investigation of farmed fish species and their usefulness for monitoring the health and well-being of fish reared in aquaculture.