Evaluation of a portable clinical analyzer in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fasicularis)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of a portable analyzer for use in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fasicularis). During semiannual health screening, blood samples from 23 animals were analyzed by both the portable clinical analyzer and the institutional comparative pathology laboratory. Portable clinical analyzers have been evaluated for use in other species, but the suitability for macaques has not yet been determined. Results for glucose, urea (BUN), sodium, potassium, chloride, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and total CO2 were compared by overall t test, paired t test, and Pearson correlation. Only glucose and BUN did not differ in the overall t test between methods. Only potassium values did not differ in the paired t test. Compared with those from the portable analyzer, laboratory values were lower for glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and total CO2 and higher for electrolytes and BUN. All values were within normal ranges for cynomolgus macaques which, in this study, were all apparently healthy, physiologically normal animals. We attributed differences between methods to sample type and handling and the physiologic changes in blood after collection. These results indicate that direct comparison of values obtained through different methods may not be valid, and normal ranges for point-of-care devices should be developed for each species.