TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecotoxicological risks associated with land treatment of petrochemical wastes. III. Immune function and hematology of cotton rats
AU - Wilson, James A.
AU - Carlson, Ruth I.
AU - Janz, David M.
AU - Lochmiller, Robert L.
AU - Schroder, Jackie L.
AU - Basta, Nicholas T.
N1 - Funding Information:
The research in this article was funded by U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, grant R826242-01-0. However, it has not been subjected to the agency’s required peer and policy review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred. Thanks to Dan Rafferty for help with collection of animals; Eric Webb, Terry Coffey, and Keri Snethan for help in the lab; Eric Hellgren for editorial work; and Larry Claypool and Mark Payton for their help with statistical analyses. Robert L. Lochmiller is deceased.
PY - 2003/2/28
Y1 - 2003/2/28
N2 - Landfarming is a widely used method of treating petrochemical waste through microbial biodegradation. The effects of residual petrochemical contamination on wildlife, especially terrestrial mammals, are poody understood. The effects of contaminants on the immune system and hematology of cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) living on five abandoned petrochemical landfarms (units 1-5) in Oklahoma were studied. Cotton rats were sampled seasonally (summer and winter) from each landfarm and from five ecologically matched reference sites for 2 yr (1998-2000) and returned to the laboratory for immunological and hematological assays. Overall analysis indicated that rats inhabiting landfarms exhibited decreased relative spleen size compared to rats collected from reference sites, with the landfarm at unit 1 showing the greatest reduction. Cotton rats collected from landfarms also had increased hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet levels and decreased blood leukocytes during summer. During winter, an increase in the number of popliteal node white blood cells was observed from rats collected on landfarms. No marked difference was detected for lymphocyte proliferation in response to concanavalin A, pokeweed, or interleukin-2. Lymphokine-activated killer cell lytic ability showed a seasonal pattern, but no treatment differences. No differences between landfarm and reference sites were detected in the hypersensitivity reaction of rats given an intradermal injection of phytohemagluttinin (PHA-P). Comparisons within individual sites indicated that two sites (units 1 and 3) had the greatest effects on immune function and hematology of cotton rats. The results of this study suggest that residual petrochemical waste affects the immune system and hematology of cotton rats living on abandoned landfarms during summer and is complicated by variation in the contaminants found on individual petroleum sites.
AB - Landfarming is a widely used method of treating petrochemical waste through microbial biodegradation. The effects of residual petrochemical contamination on wildlife, especially terrestrial mammals, are poody understood. The effects of contaminants on the immune system and hematology of cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) living on five abandoned petrochemical landfarms (units 1-5) in Oklahoma were studied. Cotton rats were sampled seasonally (summer and winter) from each landfarm and from five ecologically matched reference sites for 2 yr (1998-2000) and returned to the laboratory for immunological and hematological assays. Overall analysis indicated that rats inhabiting landfarms exhibited decreased relative spleen size compared to rats collected from reference sites, with the landfarm at unit 1 showing the greatest reduction. Cotton rats collected from landfarms also had increased hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet levels and decreased blood leukocytes during summer. During winter, an increase in the number of popliteal node white blood cells was observed from rats collected on landfarms. No marked difference was detected for lymphocyte proliferation in response to concanavalin A, pokeweed, or interleukin-2. Lymphokine-activated killer cell lytic ability showed a seasonal pattern, but no treatment differences. No differences between landfarm and reference sites were detected in the hypersensitivity reaction of rats given an intradermal injection of phytohemagluttinin (PHA-P). Comparisons within individual sites indicated that two sites (units 1 and 3) had the greatest effects on immune function and hematology of cotton rats. The results of this study suggest that residual petrochemical waste affects the immune system and hematology of cotton rats living on abandoned landfarms during summer and is complicated by variation in the contaminants found on individual petroleum sites.
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U2 - 10.1080/15287390306367
DO - 10.1080/15287390306367
M3 - Article
C2 - 12554541
AN - SCOPUS:0037470297
SN - 1528-7394
VL - 66
SP - 345
EP - 363
JO - Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part A
JF - Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part A
IS - 4
ER -