Wildlife health assessments at remote sites may lead to delayed testing of whole blood for complete blood counts (CBC) resulting in artifacts affecting clinical interpretation. Streck Cell Preservative (SCP) is a proprietary liquid stabilization reagent designed to preserve human leukocytes and may be applicable to wildlife health assessments when immediate processing of blood is not possible. The purpose of this study was to determine if SCP adequately preserved EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood from koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus) for up to 14 days. Blood from 12 captive adult koalas was collected and combined with SCP in a 1 : 1 ratio and refrigerated. Paired samples of SCP treated and untreated blood had CBCs performed at five time-points over 14 days. Streck Cell Preservative extended koala EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood viability to 14 days by decreasing cellular lysis. Species- and method-specific reference intervals for SCP should be generated to avoid clinical misinterpretation, especially when evaluating anemia.
Keywords: Complete blood count; Phascolarctos cinereus; Streck Cell Preservative; hematology; koala; leukogram.