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Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Hedgehogs are small mammals whose proximity to humans has been intensifying. However, knowledge on the possible predisposition to and transmission of diseases by these animals is limited; therefore, this study investigated the most relevant postmortem pathological features present in...

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Autores principales: Silva, Gabriela Fernandes, Rêma, Alexandra, Teixeira, Sílvia, Pires, Maria dos Anjos, Taulescu, Marian, Amorim, Irina
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9179541/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35681825
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani12111361
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author Silva, Gabriela Fernandes
Rêma, Alexandra
Teixeira, Sílvia
Pires, Maria dos Anjos
Taulescu, Marian
Amorim, Irina
author_facet Silva, Gabriela Fernandes
Rêma, Alexandra
Teixeira, Sílvia
Pires, Maria dos Anjos
Taulescu, Marian
Amorim, Irina
author_sort Silva, Gabriela Fernandes
collection PubMed
description SIMPLE SUMMARY: Hedgehogs are small mammals whose proximity to humans has been intensifying. However, knowledge on the possible predisposition to and transmission of diseases by these animals is limited; therefore, this study investigated the most relevant postmortem pathological features present in a group of six African pygmy hedgehogs admitted into a rehabilitation center. A significant and diverse set of pathologies with considerable value from the point of comparative pathology are described which highlight the importance of this small mammal in the eco-epidemiological context of zoonotic diseases and its important role in the concept of One Health, acting as “sentinels” of the environment in which they are found. ABSTRACT: Most of the pathologies that affect hedgehogs are diagnosed postmortem; thus, it is essential to share knowledge between clinicians and pathologists in order to recognize predispositions to diseases and to establish adequate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. This study aimed to describe the most relevant postmortem pathological conditions in a group of six rescued African pygmy hedgehogs, performed over a period of four months. Hedgehogs were submitted to necropsy examinations and subsequent histopathological analyses. Microscopically, all the studied hedgehogs revealed alterations in one or more organ systems. Although a significant and diverse number of pathological conditions were obtained, this study focused on less common or more relevant pathologies found in African pygmy hedgehogs—namely, wobbly hedgehog syndrome, squamous cell carcinoma and mast cell tumors. Furthermore, this study constitutes the first report of Mycobacterium spp. in hedgehogs in Portugal, the second report of follicular thyroid carcinoma in an African pygmy hedgehog, the description of a lipoid pneumonia for the first time in this species and a lung adenocarcinoma—a pathology rarely reported in African pygmy hedgehogs.
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spelling pubmed-91795412022-06-10 Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center Silva, Gabriela Fernandes Rêma, Alexandra Teixeira, Sílvia Pires, Maria dos Anjos Taulescu, Marian Amorim, Irina Animals (Basel) Article SIMPLE SUMMARY: Hedgehogs are small mammals whose proximity to humans has been intensifying. However, knowledge on the possible predisposition to and transmission of diseases by these animals is limited; therefore, this study investigated the most relevant postmortem pathological features present in a group of six African pygmy hedgehogs admitted into a rehabilitation center. A significant and diverse set of pathologies with considerable value from the point of comparative pathology are described which highlight the importance of this small mammal in the eco-epidemiological context of zoonotic diseases and its important role in the concept of One Health, acting as “sentinels” of the environment in which they are found. ABSTRACT: Most of the pathologies that affect hedgehogs are diagnosed postmortem; thus, it is essential to share knowledge between clinicians and pathologists in order to recognize predispositions to diseases and to establish adequate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. This study aimed to describe the most relevant postmortem pathological conditions in a group of six rescued African pygmy hedgehogs, performed over a period of four months. Hedgehogs were submitted to necropsy examinations and subsequent histopathological analyses. Microscopically, all the studied hedgehogs revealed alterations in one or more organ systems. Although a significant and diverse number of pathological conditions were obtained, this study focused on less common or more relevant pathologies found in African pygmy hedgehogs—namely, wobbly hedgehog syndrome, squamous cell carcinoma and mast cell tumors. Furthermore, this study constitutes the first report of Mycobacterium spp. in hedgehogs in Portugal, the second report of follicular thyroid carcinoma in an African pygmy hedgehog, the description of a lipoid pneumonia for the first time in this species and a lung adenocarcinoma—a pathology rarely reported in African pygmy hedgehogs. MDPI 2022-05-26 /pmc/articles/PMC9179541/ /pubmed/35681825 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani12111361 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Silva, Gabriela Fernandes
Rêma, Alexandra
Teixeira, Sílvia
Pires, Maria dos Anjos
Taulescu, Marian
Amorim, Irina
Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center
title Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center
title_full Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center
title_fullStr Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center
title_full_unstemmed Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center
title_short Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center
title_sort pathological findings in african pygmy hedgehogs admitted into a portuguese rehabilitation center
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9179541/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35681825
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani12111361
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