Unit 2 - 2.8-2.9 Flashcards
In a nutshell: Necrotic tissue in a live animal can be modified by environmental effects, allowing it to decompose in particular ways
gangrene
Where does dry gangrene occur?
in tissues that have a relatively limited amount of blood and fluids
Give some examples of where you’d see dry gangrene (5):
extremities, feet, ear, tail, wattles, comb
What is the gross appearance of dry gangrene?
dry, shriveled, and leathery with a sharp line of demarcation
What causes dry gangrene?
interference of blood supply (ischemia)
List some examples of things that can cause dry gangrene (3):
freezing, vascular constriction, thrombosis
Where does moist gangrene occur?
in tissues that are rich in blood and fluids (lung, intestine, mammary gland, and muscle masses)
What bacterial process is favored in moist gangrene?
digestion of tissues
Describe the appearance of moist gangrene:
appears flabby, swollen, and soft, usually has a strong putrefactive odor, and may be pale, red or blackened
In life, gangrene is:
painless and cool to the touch
Gas gangrene is:
a form a moist gangrene caused by the invasion of gas-producing bacteria of the genus Clostridium
Why specifically Clostridium when dealing with gas gangrene?
have the ability to induce necrosis then live as saprophytes in the dead tissue
Name 2 disease examples where gas gangrene is a prominent feature:
blackleg, malignant edema
Which lymphocyte is present at the borders of gangrenous tissue?
neutrophils
Effects of dry gangrene:
sloughing of the involved portion of the extremity (animal may live)
Effects of moist/gas gangrene:
absorption of toxic materials and bacteria from the putrefaction (sapremia - can lead to fatal toxemia and sepsis)
Once cells die, three dynamic changes occur over the next hours/days:
- calcium salts accumulate
- cholesterol from membranes crystallizes
- phosopholipids from membranes form myelin figures
Gangrene is a follow up process to:
necrosis
Why can freezing lead to necrosis?
excessive vasoconstriction can lead to devitalization/necrosis; ice crystal formation can lead to vascular rupture
Why would there be tan coloration along the line of demarcation for gangrene?
live epidermis is dying, drying out, and lifting away from the dead tissues
The line of demarcation in gangrene denotes:
where the vasoconstriction occured
the degree to which a substance can cause harm
toxicity
the actual disease condition of an animal due to poisoning
toxicosis
Which type of gangrene has no significant effect on the animal’s long term health?
dry gangrene
What is the only real difference between dry and moist gangrene?
relative amount of moisture in the tissue involved
bacteria that feed on dead material - whether from within the body from outside
saprophytic bacteria
a medical condition in which a part of the intestine folds into the section next to it
intussesception
How can intussesception lead to gangrene?
static blood flow leads to hypoxia and eventually to anoxia; cellular degeneration is initiated and eventually progresses to necrosis
Where do saprophytic bacteria in an intussesception come from?
lumen of the intestine
Why are the results of moist gangrene so serious?
toxins from both the breakdown of putrefying tissue and from the bacteria are readily absorbed into the circulation
What can cause a green coloration to tissues (4)?
- eosinophil inflammation
- algae infection
- green jaundice (never really seen)
- sulfhemoglobin
disease caused by feed-borne toxin that damages the type 1 pneumocytes that line alveoli
acute (atypical) interstitial pneumonia