Author(s)

Mark Merchant^1*, Charles McAdon¹, Stephanie Mead¹, Justin McFatter¹, Caleb D. McMahan², Rebeckah Griffith³, Christopher M. Murray⁴

¹Department of Chemistry, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA, USA.
²The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA.
³Department of Math, Computer Science, and Statistics, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA, USA.
⁴Department of Biology, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA.

Serum samples from all 23 extant crocodilian species were tested for phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) activity against nine different bacterial species. The data were used to generate a PLA₂ activity profile for each crocodilian species, and the data were used to compare the activities of the three main lineages (Alligatoridae, Crocodylidae, and Gavialidae), the seven different genera, and to compare all of the 23 individual species. The data revealed that the three lineages ofcrocodilians (Alligatoridae, Crocodylidae, and Gavialidae) exhibited PLA₂ activities toward nine species of bacteria that were statistically distinguishable. In addition, the PLA₂ activities of crocodilians in a specific genus tended to be more similar to other members in their genus than to members of other crocodilian genera.

Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Crocodilian, Crocodylia, Crocodylidae, Gavialidae, Innate Immunity, Phylogeny, PLA₂

Merchant, M. , McAdon, C. , Mead, S. , McFatter, J. , McMahan, C. , Griffith, R. and Murray, C. (2017) Comparison of Serum Phospholipase A₂ Activities of All Known Extant Crocodylian Species. Advances in Biological Chemistry, 7, 151-160. doi: 10.4236/abc.2017.74010.