Hepatic Mineral, Heavy Metal, and Vitamin E Concentrations in Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) from Pennsylvania, USA

Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) have been a long-standing iconic species in the United States, yet many aspects of their health remain poorly understood. Currently, there are no established reference ranges for mineral values in free-ranging wild turkeys, making interpretation of results a challenge in diagnostic cases. Our objective was to establish a baseline of average hepatic mineral values in wild turkeys. From 2023-2025, 112 wild turkeys were submitted throughout the state of Pennsylvania, USA, by field personnel for postmortem examination, microscopic evaluation, and ancillary testing. Hepatic samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for concentration of minerals and metals, and by high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for concentrations of vitamin E. The majority of turkeys were presumably healthy (61.6%; n=69/112), and the remaining turkeys were considered sick due to active infections or lesions (38.4%; n=43/112). The sick turkey group had a higher mean zinc level and lower level of vitamin E compared to the presumably healthy group. Wild turkeys collected in the Northcentral region (n=7) had a higher level of calcium compared to other regions. Mean values for the remaining minerals did not differ based on health or region. The majority of average mineral values did not fall within the reference range for domestic chicken (Gallus gallus), with cadmium, calcium, iron, molybdenum, and zinc exceeding the upper reference range, and mean cobalt and vitamin E being lower than the reference range. Our report may be reflective of the greater wild turkey population, can contribute towards establishing a reference range, and may influence interpretation of laboratory results and necropsy findings in Pennsylvania wild turkey.

Author dc:creator

• Lindsay Dwyer

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kevin D. Niedringhaus

• Environmental Studies

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/62653

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.upenn.edu:20.500.14332/62653