Non-specific reactive hepatitis in dolphins stranded in the Canary Islands

Abstract

This paper describes the features of non-specific reactive hepatitis (NSRH) in dolphins stranded on the coast of the Canary Islands (Spain). The histological appearance of NSRH was marked by the proliferation of Kupffer cells and the presence of granulocytes, plus lymphocytes and plasma cells scattered throughout the liver parenchyma and in the portal or perivenular stroma, without or with minimal evidence of hepatocyte necrosis. NSRH was composed of inflammatory infiltration of CD3' T-lymphocytes and IgG ' plasma cells in the portal spaces and hepatic sinusoids. The anti-S100 protein polyclonal antibody reacted with a variable number of lymphocytes from the portal areas and hepatic sinusoids and with Kupffer cells and the epithelial cells of the bile ducts.

Sokak Köpeklerinde Spesifik Olmayan Reaktif Hepatit Çalışması

“…Histologic features observed in the 23 stray dogs were similar to those described in cetaceans [10,11] and dogs with reactive hepatitis [9] . Thus, NSRH was the only hepatic change observed in the present study.…”

“…Identical results were described in other studies of the canine liver [9] or in numerous studies of humans with the hepatitis C virus [13] . Although this form of hepatitis is one of the most common forms of hepatopathy, only a few detailed descriptions have been reported [9][10][11] . Interestingly, this process is often not taken in consideration and misdiagnosed as chronic hepatitis.…”

“…Interestingly, this process is often not taken in consideration and misdiagnosed as chronic hepatitis. All these authors describe NSRH as an unspecific reaction of the liver that may result from a variety of causes, such as bacterial endotoxins resulting from sepsis, or a bystander reaction of the liver to any systemic reaction, as well as febrile illnesses and inflammation in the splanchnic bed [2,8,11] .…”

“…After review, only 23 cases of different breed, age and sex that fit the selection criteria were included in the study (Table 1). These criteria were used in other studies performed in marine and terrestrial mammals [10][11][12] , and included mild liver enlargement and presence of inflammatory infiltrates in the liver parenchyma. The tissue samples were fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin, dehydrated through graded alcohols, and embedded in paraffin wax.…”

“…There are only few studies done on this new entity in veterinary medicine [2,[9][10][11] . The aim of this study was to analyze the histopathological changes and nature of the inflammatory infiltrates in dogs with NSRH and to correlate it with different extrahepatic diseases.…”