Cytometric parameters and morphological anomalies of erythrocytes of the Mediterranean Nikolsky turtle Testudo graeca nikolskii Ckhikvadze et Tuniyev, 1986 (Testudinidae, Reptilia) when infected with haemograrina

We analyzed cytometric, karyometric parameters and morphological anomalies of erythrocytes of the Testudo graeca nikolskii Ckhikvadze et Tuniyev, 1986 when infected with parasites of the genus Haemogregarina spр Morphological parameters of erythrocytes of uninfected females and males were comparable. Intersexual differences affected the linear dimensions of the erythrocyte nuclei. The minor axis of the nucleus is larger in females and the elongation index of the nucleus is smaller compared to males. The erythrocytes infected by hemoparasites had a smaller nuclear area, a shorter minor axis, and a lower nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio compared to uninfected erythrocytes. The proportion of micronuclei in uninfected and infected individuals was the same, the proportion of morphological anomalies of cells and their nuclei was higher in the erythrocytes of uninfected individuals. A correlation and dependence of the increase in morphological anomalies of the nuclei with an increase of nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio in erythrocytes was established. This indicates the increase in the proportion of anomalies when the regulation of formative processes in the cell is disrupted. The obtained results evidence the influence of parasitic stages of intracellular parasites on the size parameters of erythrocytes and the intensity of cellular metabolism. The relatively high level of morphological and cytogenetic pathologies in blood cells illustrates the adverse impact of a complex of environmental factors on the body of turtles of the endangered subspecies T. g. nikolskii.