Cholesterol Granulomas in Three Meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

Abstract

Abstract. Cholesterol granulomas are uncommon pathologic lesions in animals, although they are important intracranial tumors in humans. This report describes cholesterol granulomas associated with multiple organ systems of three captive meerkats. In the most severe case, meerkat No. 1, the pathologic behavior of the cholesterol granuloma was unique in that it appeared to locally invade the cerebrum and calvarium, possibly contributing to neurological deficits observed antemortem. A review of other meerkat necropsies revealed incidental, asymptomatic cholesterol granulomas in organs of two other individuals, meerkat Nos. 2 and 3. Histologically, all lesions were composed of cholesterol clefts admixed with large, foamy macrophages containing hemosiderin, multinucleated giant cells, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and foci of mineralization. Hypercholesterolemia was documented in two of the three meerkats.Key words: Cerebral; Cholesterol; Granuloma; Meerkat; zoo.

Intracranial Cholesterol Granuloma in a Cat

“…developed a cerebral CG as a consequence of a hyperlipidemic condition [11]. The development of CG in hypercholesterolemic conditions has also been suggested by other studies [2,6,22]. Accurate descriptions of MRI characteristics of feline intracranial masses exist in literature [25].…”

“…Sporadic descriptions of identical intracranial lesions have been reported in other animals, such as meerkats (Suricata suricatta sp., family Herpestidae) [2,21,22] A 4 year-old neutered male cat was presented at the "Malpensa" Veterinary Clinic (Samarate, Italy) with a 5-month history of progressive weakness, ataxia and depression. The cat was previously treated with prednisone with partial remission of clinical signs.…”

“…Sporadic descriptions of identical intracranial lesions have been reported in other animals, such as meerkats (Suricata suricatta sp., family Herpestidae) [2,21,22], lemurs [11], reptiles [19], Cuban tree frogs [16] and leaf-tailed geckos [5]. Single cases have been described in one bear [27], one dog [23] and one cat [3].…”

“…Intracranial CGs have been described in dogs [23] and in captive meerkats as large granular masses covering the meninges of the dorsal aspect of the encephalon [2,21,22]. In the feline species, reports of extracranial CGs have been described [7,8,28], but only one description of an intracranial CG has been recorded in an old cat [3].…”

Encephalic xanthomas in a large malayan chevrotain ( Tragulus napu )

“…In animals, encephalic xanthomas have been described in Cuban tree frogs (Carpenter et al 1986), geckos (Garner et al 1999), green water dragons (Kummrow et al 2010), a dog (Cramer et al 2011), meerkats (Sladky et al 2010) and horses (Summer et al 1995, Cantile andYouseef 2016). In these animals, the xanthomas were located principally in the ventricles, hypothalamus, pituitary gland and in the white matter of the spinal cord, not always associated with neurologic signs.…”