Wildlife & Exotics Flashcards
Tissue from a California sea lion. Etiology? Another species affected?
Pinniped calicivirus (San Miguel Sea Lion virus) also causes vesicular exanthema in pigs. Also reported in mink. Feeding of fish (opaleye) and uncooked garbage/pork.
Tissue from a sheep. Name the disease and etiology.
Large mass in posterior nasal cavity of a sheep? Enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma of sheep. Beta-retrovirus (ENT-1 in sheep, ENT-2 in goats) , works its way into DNA. Sheep carry alot of retroviruses in their genome. Can also be caused by Jaagsietke virus. Host cell receptor for the betaretroviruses of small ruminants is Hyal2
Tissue from a trout. Morph and cause.
Liver. Hepatoma from aflatoxicosis as a result of gossypol or cotton seed toxicosis.
Tissue from a python. Morph, common name, etiologic diagnosis and cause.
Morph is necrotizing stomatitis. Common name is mouth rot. AEromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Oral aeromniasis and oral pseudomoniasis.
Fingerling trout. Name the condition and give two causes.
Scoliosis; Myxobolus cerebralis - Whirling disease OR Vitamin C deficiency. Fish like primates cannot manufacture Vitamin C.
Tissue from a woodchuck. Morph and cause.
This is liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Cause is orthohepadnavirus known as woodchuck hepatitis virus.
Tissue from a duck.
Duodenum with circumferential necrosis corresponding to Peyer’s patches of the duck. Multifocal enteric lymphoid necrosis. Anatid herpes virus 1. “Duck plague” or “duck viral enteritis”.
Tissue from a squirrel monkey.
Cecum. These are acantholcephalans known as Prosthenorchis elegans. Lives at ileocecal junction. Intermediate hosts are cockroaches, beetles. New world monkeys.
Tissue from a Komodo dragon. Cause.
Necrohemorrhagic enteritis and colitis. Entamoeba invadens. Often carried by chelonians and crocodiles which are resistand and transmitted to lizards and snakes. Don’t cause a problem unless stressed/diseased.
Tissue from a cheetah. Cause.
Stomach. Helicobacter gastritis.
Tissue from a snake. Morph and cause.
Hyperplastic gastritis. Cryptosporidium serpentis. Proliferation of mucous neck cells to the detriment of underlying parietal and chief cells.
Tissue from a wild rabbit. Cause. Name another disease caused by the same cause. Name another species affected.
Shope fibromavirus. A leporipoxvirus. Also causes myxomatosis. Squirrels also get these fibromas.
Cheetah esophagus. Morph.
Squamous cell carcinoma.
Tissue from a dolphin. Etiology.
Cetacean morbillivirus.
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infects the stratum ________ of _________ skin using _________. The histologic lesions consists of epidermal _________ and _____keratosis and the organism frequently creates a discharge _________on the surface of the epithelium.
stratum corneum; keratinized skin; thalli (NOT HYPHAE). epidermal hyperplasia; orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis; discharge papilla.
How does Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis cause mortality in frogs?
epidermal hyperplasia prevents the skin from participating in respiration and osmoregulation.
Most likely etiology:
A. Bacterial
B. Fungal
C. Oomycete
D. Protozoal
C. This is saprolegnia, an oomycete. Oomycetes hyphae do not have chitin in their walls. Saprolegenia has a sporangium with multifocal zoospores.
Tissue from a northern leopard frog. Morph, etiology and key histologic feature.
Renal adenocarcinoma (Lucke’s tumor), caused by Ranid herpesvirus-1. Key histologic feature are eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions (Cowdry Type A herpes inclusions). ONLY IN NORTHERN LEOPARD FROGS.
Tissue from a turtle. What is the lesion? Likely etiology? Histo features expected?
Cervical edema & necroulcerative stomatitis, oral hemorrhages common. Ranavirus AKA Frog virus -3 or tadpole edema virus. Expect basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in the gastric epithelium and hepatocytes. Also fibrinoid vasculitis and hepatosplenic necrosis, pneumonia, enteritis. Easier to see inclusions on blood smears. Mass mortality in amphibians and turtles. Kills quickly. Red leg sydnrome in frogs is often from ranavirus.
Tissue from a frog. Most likely etiology?
Capillaria xenopodis/Pseudocapillaroides xenopi in South African frogs (Xenopus). These are aphasmid nematodes, so they have:
- Hypodermal bacillary bands
- Unapparent musculature
- Esophagus (small) with stichosome (purple cell)
- Single uterus (most nematodes have two)
Tissue from a honey bee. Etiology? Classification? Where does it infect?
Nosema apis or Nosema ceranae; microsporidian; infects the ventricular epithelium (midgut).
Deformed wing virus in honey bees is transmitted by what parasitic mite? What kind of virus is it? What clinical features does it cause?
Varroa destructor; picornavirus; protruded proboscis, delayed emergence with deformed wings. Causes hypoplastic hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands.
Tissue from a chicken. Etiology, potential predisposing factors, potential sequelae, one DDx.
This is bumblefoot. Caused by S. aureus. Predispsing factors include bad flooring, trauma, dietary Zn deficiency. Water birds are more at risk. Potential sequeala is amyloidosis/sepsis. DDx is articular gout if on a joint.
Tissue from a parrot. Key histologic feature.
This is atherosclerosis, hard yellow arteries give it away. Foam cells in the intima and media (THESE ARE NOT MACROPHAGES, THOUGH TO DERIVE FROM SMOOTH MUSCLE). Also acicular clefts, fatty infiltrates, mineral, chondroid metaplasia (atheromas).
Red leg syndrome in frogs is usually caused by infection with what organism?
Aeromonas hydrophila
Tissue from a chicken. Name the disease and most likely histologic feature? Potential cause in this species? Name another species where this lesion is found viscerally.
Xanthomas. Lipid-laden granulomas with Touton giant cells, foamy macs, acicular clefts. Lipid dysmetabolism and chlorinated hydrocarbons. New Zealand white rabbits.
Tissue from a pigeon. 4 DDx.
Trichomonas gallinae. Fowl pox. Candidiasis. Vitamin A deficiency.
Tissue from a rabbit. Morph and cause.
Cholangitis, multifocal to coalescing, proliferative, lymphocytic. due to Eimeria stiedae. Young rabbits.
Tissue from a catfish. Most likely etiology?
A. Aeromonas hydrophila
B. Flavibacterium columnaris
C. Edwardsiella ictaluri
C. Edwardsiella ictaluri is the causative agent of “hole in the head” disease and “enteric septicemia of catfish” but affects warmwater and coldwater fish.
Tissue from a zebrafish. Most likely associated lesion?
A. xenomas in the brain and spinal cord
B. epidermal ulceration of the caudal fin
C. pseudobranch necrosis
D. hepatomegaly
A. This is the microsporidian Pseudoloma neurophila, the most common zebrafish pathogen. Key words are “uninucleate spores” in a “sporophorous vesicle”. Luna stain will stain the microsporidia.
Tissue from a fish. Key EM feature.
Coiled polar filaments, anterior anchoring disks and a polar vacuole are all features of microsporidians. This is Pseudoloma neurophilia (Zebrafish & neon tetra pathogen). Other microsporidians are Loma salmonidae (in salmonids). Other non-fish microsporidians are Encephalitozoon, Toxoplasma and Pleistophora. Remember: parasitophorous vacuole!!!
Bicolored damselfish. Name the disease.
Multiple cutaneous neurofibromas (schwannomas). Bicolored damselfish is model for this disease in humans. Also consider iridovirus infection if other species.
Tissue from a fish. Likely histologic lesion?
A. intraepithlial trophont
B. spores with polar capsules
C. intranuclear inclusion bodies
D. hypertrophied fibroblasts
D. This is lymphocystis, caused by an iridovirus. Found in both fresh and saltwater. Causes white to tan masses on the skin, gills, oral mucosa. Histo lesion is hypertrophied fibroblasts that create a thick hyaline capsule around an enlarged nucleus with cytoplasm filled with inclusion material. DDx: Walleye dermal sarcoma virus, Ich, epitheliocystis caused by rickettsia.
Trout. Two differential diagnoses?
Whirling dz from Myxobolus cerebralis.Vitamin C deficiency. Mycobacterium. IHN.
Tissue from a rainbow trout. Etiology?
Myxobolus cerebralis spores. They have two pyriform polar capsules and a nucleus. Tropism for cartilage.
Tissue from a goldfish. Etiology?
Ichthyophthirius multifilis in freshwater fish. This is a trophont with the horseshoe shaped macronucleus.
Tissue from a white tailed deer. Most likely etiology? Histo features?
Mannheimia granulomatis; focally extensive pyogranulomatous inflammation with S-H material & lymphadenitis
Wobbly hedgehog syndrome is characterized by what histologic feature?
vacuolation of the white matter
(dilated axon sheaths)
Tissue from a ferret tail. What special stains are useful for diagnosis? What is the cytokeratin and vimentin IHC profile for these cells?
PAS - stains the granules. Alcian blue or mucicarmine - stains the extracellular mucin lakes. Positive for both cytokeratin and vimentin
This amoeba, found in Old World primates, is the cause of pyogranulomatous encephalitis, malacia and intense fibrinoid vasculitis in the brain. What are two differentials?
Balamuthia mandrillaris; Naegleria fowlerii (no cysts in tissue form), Acanthamoeba.
Tissue from a moose. Expected histologic features of the parasite and disease name found in non-host adapted species.
This is elaeophora schneideri, cause of common carotid arteritis in cervids. Features of a filarid nematode #1 is very small intestine, also there are microfilariae in the uterus that have a cuticle and a “bag of nuclei”. “Sorehead” is a disease of sheep, WTD where microfilariae migrate through the skin and cause ischemic necrosis.
Causative agent of screwworm in cattle belongs to which genus?
A. Cephenamyia spp.
B. Cochliomyia spp.
C. Hypoderma spp.
D. Cuterebra spp.
B. Cochliomyia hominivorax. Hypoderma is found commonly in the U.S. Cephenamyia is in cervids commonly. Cuterebra are in rabbits, cats, etc and freely migrate. Picture is of “grubby skin” caused by Hypoderma or “gad flies”.,
Tissue from an elephant. The causative agent is a:
A. alphaherpesvirus
B. betaherpesvirus
C. gammaherpesvirus
B. Betaherpesvirus. Endotheliotropic with potential for INIBs. Other betaherpesviruses are cytomegaloviruses (inclusion body rhinitis in swine, macacine herpesvirus-3) so this is unique.
Tissue from an adult mink. Morph, etiology, pathogenesis of lesion, clin path finding, associated lesion. What determines susceptibility to the disease?
Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Aleutian mink disease (amdoparvovirus - NOT THE SAME PARVOVIRUS THAT CAUSES MINK VIRAL ENTERITIS). Renal lesions caused by increased # of plasma cells producing non-neutralizing antibodies, vasculitis –> type III hypersensitivity. Hypergammaglobulinemia. Uremic ulcers. Pastel (dilute) coat color determined genetic susceptibility to developing disease after AMDV infection.
Kits get acute interstitial pneumonia, pyothorax.
Tissue from a horse. Name the disease. Etiology?
Molluscum contagiosum. Caused by the molluscipoxvirus. Molluscum bodies are the inclusions.
Tissue from a dolphin. Etiology?
A. Poxvirus
B. Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae
C. Herpesvirus
D. Paracoccidioides brasilensis
This is lobomycosis which was thought to be from Lacazia laboi, but is now known to be from paracoccidiodes brasilensis. Causes cutaneous granulomas on dorsum. Organisms are in the yeast form that create a string of pearls effect. Other histo lesions are acanthosis, hyperkeratosis, rete pegs, foamy macs. Other lesions are flat, not raised like this.
Domoic acid toxicity creates degeneration and necrosis in what specific structure of the hippocampus? What is domoic acid produced by?
granular cells of the dentate gyrus; diatom algae that accumulates in shellfish that are then eaten by sea lions/sea otters
Tissue from a dophin. Etiology? Name another lesion?
Cetacean morbillivirus. Nonsuppurative encephalitis with inclusions; lymphoid depletion with inclusions
3 causes? If this was a turtle what would 2 differentials be?
Aeromonas/Pseudomonas, snake fungal disease, inclusion body diseasse. In turtles stomatitis is caused by ranavirus (frog virus 3) or herpesvirus.
Tissue from a snake. Etiology?
Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. Causes facial swelling, ulcers, stomatitis, septicemia.
Tissue from a bearded dragon. Name the disease and give the etiology.
Yellow fungal disease; CANV (Chyrsosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii)
Tissue from a bearded dragon. Expected histologic findings?
A. packets of cells with rosettes or pseudorosettes
B. Papillary projections lined by polymorphic gastric epithelial cells
C. Squamous epithelial cells in islands and nests
D. Sheets of monomorphic cells with a high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio
A. This is a somatostatinoma, so has the typical NE appearance. On EM, remember the dense core granules surrounded by membranes. A DDx would be mycobacterium. For IHC, these will all be somatostatin positive and have decreased neurofibromin expression. Clinical signs could be hyperglycemia, weight loss due to inhibition of insulin and glucagon.
Tissue from a snake. Morph and etiology?
Gastric mucosal hypertrophy. Cryptosporidium serpentis.
Tissue from a snake. Etiology?
A. Cryptosporidum serpentis
B. Entamoeba histolytica
C. Entamoeba invadens
D. Salmonella enteritidis
C. Ulcerative colitis and hepatitis in snakes is caused by Entamoeba invadens. E. histolytica causes gastritis in primates. The histo lesion is flask shaped ulcers with dilated crypts at the base and the mucosa forming a narrow neck. Remember amoeba look like spherical macrophages with a prominent nucleolus.
Tissue from a boa. Name the disease and expected clinical course?
Inclusion body disease. Boas get chronic disease (remember boas take a long time to kill you too). Pythons die quickly. Inclusions are blue on cytology, eosinophilic on histo. Not viral particles even though its caused by an arenavirus. Causes predisposition to secondary infections.
Ranibow trout. Etiology and disease name.
Enteric red mouth, Yersinia ruckerii, causes hemorrhage.
This lesion is caused by a:
A. virus
B. protozoa
C. trematode
D. nematode
This is caused by Ribeiroia spp., a trematode that infects
developing limb buds of amphibians during maturation.
Tissue from a bearded dragon. Etiology?
Agamid adenovirus-1. Causes neuro signs, lethargy, diarrhea, hepatic necrosis and lipidosis, or no signs at all. Usually found with comorbidity (Eimeria, Isospora, Crypto).
Red-eared slider. Cause?
Vitamin A deficiency. Causes squamous metaplasia of the lacrimal glands, so not really an “aural” abscess.
Amyloidosis in Pekin ducks is associated with what condition?
A. duck enteritis virus
B. influenza
c. vitamin A deficiency
d. bumblefoot
D. Systemic amyloidosis in pekin ducks is associated with bumblefoot. It is also associated with chronic mycobacterial infection in most waterfowl but can be inother species, so that could be another answer to this question. It is AA amyloid which is derived from serum amyloid A. Mycobacterial infections in birds are caused by M. avium-intracellulare complex or M. genavense.
Tissue from a budgie. Etiology?
Knemidocoptes mutans (chickens) /piliae (budgies), “scaly leg mite”, affects NON-FEATHERED SKIN OF THE LEGS AND OTHER PLACES. Disease in chickens, turkeys, pheasant, budgies depends on species. Gross differential for this would be a carcinoma in budgies, plus potentially pox and papillomaviruses.
Two common causes of gastritis in cheetahs are:
Helicobacter acinonychis and Ollulanus tricuspis (pictured here).
The most common cancer in sea lions is:
urogenital carcinoma
Tissue from a dolphin. Differentials?
Brucella ceti, Herpesvirus, Toxoplasma gondii, West nile virus, Cetacean morbillivirus. B. ceti causes meningomyelitis with extensive malacia in dolphins as well as abortion. It also causes a vertebral osteomyelitis, especially of the atlanto-occipital joint.
Tissue from a bottlenose dolphin. Etiology?
Cetacean poxvirus. Typical “tatoo” appearance.
Tissue from a sea lion. Etiology?
Coccidioides immitis. Sea lions and sea otters get this pretty commonly. Remember these are called “fungal spherules”. Causative agent of San Joaquin Valley fever or just “Valley Fever”. Mostly a respiratory disease cut can become disseminated. Not contagious - requires the arthroconidia environmental form (dimorphic fungus) to be inhaled into something at body temperature. Virulence factors are: spherule outer wall glycoprotein, host tissue arginase I and coccidioidal urease.
Tissue from a shrimp. Etiology?
Whispovirus (white spot virus)
Tissue from a rabbit. Etiology? If this was a ferret, where would this organism manifest?
Lawsonia intracellulare. Rabbit are unique - histiocytic infiltrate. Lawsonia in pigs or hamsters get proliferation of epithelium from Lawsonia. Rabbits get histiocytic infiltrate, leads to cerebriform look to GI. Ileum first, then SI diffusely. In ferrets, it goes to the colon.
Tissue from a penguin. Morph?
This is the preen or uropygial carcinoma. Can also get SCC here. Compound gland.
Tissue from a ferret. Morph
Thymic lymphoma. They don’t get thymomas.
Tissue from a rabbit. Morph and cause.
Multifocal to coaelescing proliferative and lymphoplasmayctic cholangitis. Eimeria steidae.
Xenopus frog. Splenic and hepatic necrosis was noted on histology. Etiology?
Mycobacterium liflandii. Necrosis is not a feature of other types of Mycobacterium.
