Two striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) were found stranded on the Catalonian Spanish coast. The main pathologic finding in both animals was the existence of multiple granulomatous lesions in the blubber, microscopically composed of macrophages and multinucleated cells containing vacuolar material. This material was identified as ceroid pigment due to its ultrastructural morphology, autofluorescence, and positive staining with periodic acid-Schiff and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques. The special stains and electron microscopy did not reveal any microorganisms associated with the lesions. These findings are very suggestive of ‘‘nutritional panniculitis,'' a well-defined entity associated with vitamin E deficiency that has been rarely described in free-living species.
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1 January 2010
Multifocal Granulomatous Panniculitis with Ceroid Pigment in Two Mediterranean Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba)
Sara Soto,
Dolors Fondevila,
Beatriz González,
Encarna Gómez-Campos,
Mariano Domingo
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Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 46 • No. 1
January 2010
Vol. 46 • No. 1
January 2010
blubber
ceroid pigment
granulomatous panniculitis
nutritional panniculitis
Stenella coeruleoalba
striped dolphin
vitamin E deficiency