The Primorsky Aquarium’s Zoo Veterinary Department Participates in Research of the National Scientific Center of Marine Biology FEB RAS
Last week the National Scientific Center of Marine Biology FEB RAS (NSCMB FEB RAS) received the first blood samples collected from the marine mammals - one common dolphin and two bottle-nosed dolphins, in the frame of cooperation between the NSCMB FEB RAS and the Zoo Veterinary Department of the Primorsky Aquarium – Branch of NSCMB FEB RAS. Inessa Dyuizen, the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the holder of Habilitation degree in Medicine and the expert in the field of the molecular and cell neurobiology says that the marine mammals’ blood samples the Primorsky Aquarium have provided will be used for in-depth clinical study.
“At the present, marine mammals are the most unexplored animals in the world,” Inessa Dyuizen emphasizes. “Our collaboration in research will allow scientists to obtain important biological material for future discoveries and the Primorsky Aquarium with its potential, on that score, gives a wide field for research.”
In addition, Inessa Dyuizen informed that in the closest time, they expected another eight dolphins’ blood samples from Zoo Veterinary Department taken from four animals living in the Aquarium and four ones - in the natural environment. The purpose is to resolve two questions: what changes in the immune system of the animals occur while process of adaptation to living in the aquarium and what peculiarities of blood lymphocytes of the marine mammals help them to resist infection in the natural habitat.
At present, the Zoo Veterinary Department gradually puts into operation new equipment intended for examination of the marine mammals’ blood samples. Because it is the high precision equipment, process of installation and adjusting will take weeks maybe even months. Nevertheless, this work has started and progressed and it is perfectly possible in the coming years to know about discoveries having been made by researchers of NSCMB FEB RAS in the area of marine mammal diseases and methods of their treatment.
06/12/2017