Meeting Abstract

P1.17  Tuesday, Jan. 4  Hearts of a feather? Classifying the Enzymatic Properties of Cardiac Tissue from Farm-raised Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) from Northern Colorado GREEN, T.L.*; DE MIRANDA, M.A.; KANATOUS, S.B.; Colorado State University; Colorado State University; Colorado State University todgreen@mail.colostate.edu

Emus are flightless birds native to Australia, though they are commonly raised in North America as livestock animals, mostly for meat and oil. These athletic birds can tolerate extremes in temperature, which is why domesticated populations can persist throughout the United States. Past studies have examined pelvic muscles of wild emus and analyzed fiber type, histochemical qualities, and muscle function, though a detailed account of healthy domesticated emu physiology has never been compiled. More specifically, heart physiology has never been looked at in emus – wild or domesticated. For this project heart samples, taken from the left ventricle, were analyzed from emus from two different ranches in northern Colorado. The concentration of myoglobin (an oxygen-binding heme protein) and the enzymatic activity of citrate synthase (aerobic potential) and lactate dehydrogenase (anaerobic potential) were determined from the cardiac tissue. These data were then compared to known values from flighted birds and mammals to give us an idea of the metabolic abilities of these flightless birds. The knowledge gained from this study also allows a baseline to be set for future emu studies. The total population of emus in the United States continues to grow as products have become more popular. There is a high demand from emu ranchers and the general public to raise healthy birds for quality product. Understanding the physiological capabilities of a healthy emu will help to determine how illnesses and disease play a role in the growth and development of emus in North America.