Systemic histiocytic disorder in a jaguar (Panthera onca)

Abstract

A 7-year-old captive female jaguar (Panthera onca) was presented with a 7-day history of dyspnoea and weight loss. Clinical examination revealed hepatomegaly and elevated serum alanine aminotransferase activity. Pulmonary ultrasonography revealed comet-tail images and an alveolar pattern was detected on thoracic radiography. Due to the poor prognosis, the jaguar was euthanized after 10 days. At necropsy, the main gross findings were hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and multifocal to coalescent, slightly elevated grey areas in the lungs. Histological examination revealed neoplastic proliferation of pleomorphic histiocytes arranged in cohesive sheets in the lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys and lymph nodes. Neoplastic cells had intense immunolabelling for vimentin and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1, and were immunonegative for pancytokeratin, E-cadherin, CD20, CD3 and CD79α. These findings were compatible with a systemic histiocytic disorder, distinct from any well-defined histiocytic proliferative disease in domestic animals.

Keywords: E-cadherin; IBA-1; histiocytes; neoplasia; wild felids.