An Overview of Neoplasia in Captive Wild Felids in Southern Italy Zoos

Our plain-English summary of An Overview of Neoplasia in Captive Wild Felids in Southern Italy Zoos, by I. d'Aquino, G. Piegari, S.M. Casciaro, et al (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022).

The study

• Authors: I. d'Aquino, G. Piegari, S.M. Casciaro, F. Prisco, G. Rosato, P. Silvestre, B. Degli Uberti, M. Capasso, P. Laricchiuta, O. Paciello, V. Russo
• Journal: Frontiers in Veterinary Science
• Published: 2022;9:899481
• Cited by: 10 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of neoplasms in captive wild felids in Southern Italy zoos over a 13-year period (2008-2021) and to investigate macroscopic and histologic tumor findings in these animals. A total of 24 cases were necropsied, 9 males and 15 females, with age ranging from 6 to 19 years, including 12 tigers (Panthera tigris), 7 leopards (Panthera pardus), 4 lions (Panthera leo), and 1 black jaguar (Panthera onca). Diagnosis of neoplasm was made in 14/24 cases (58.3%). Tumors diagnosed were two cholangiocarcinomas, two hemangiosarcomas of the liver, two uterine leiomyomas, a renal adenocarcinoma, an adrenal gland adenoma, a thyroid carcinoma, an oral squamous cell carcinoma, an osteoma, a meningioma, a mesothelioma, an esophageal leiomyosarcoma, a muscoloskeletal leiomyosarcoma and a thyroid adenoma. The malignant and benign tumors were 62.5 and 37.5%, respectively. Among malignant tumors, no metastasis was observed in 50% of cases; in 10% of cases metastasis involved only regional lymph nodes; and distant metastases were found in 40% of cases. Based on our findings, the liver was the most frequent primary tumor site (25%). The high rates of malignant and widely metastatic neoplasms suggest the importance of active monitoring and management of neoplasia in these threatened and endangered species.

Copyright © 2022 d'Aquino, Piegari, Casciaro, Prisco, Rosato, Silvestre, Degli Uberti, Capasso, Laricchiuta, Paciello and Russo.

In plain English

This retrospective study looked at tumors in captive wild felids (big cats) from Southern Italy zoos. The animals were necropsied between 2008 and 2021 at the University of Naples or at a veterinary institute in Portici, Italy. Twenty-four animals from four zoos met the inclusion criteria: 12 tigers, 7 leopards, 4 lions and 1 black jaguar. Tumors were found in 14 of the 24 animals (58.3%), with 16 tumors in total. Of these, 10 were malignant and 6 benign. Among the 10 malignant tumors, no metastasis (spread to other sites) was observed in 5. One had metastases only in regional lymph nodes, and 4 had distant metastases. The liver and bile system was the most common tumor site (4 of 16 tumors). Animals with tumors were older on average (16.35 years) than animals without tumors (11.2 years), a difference reported as statistically significant. One 18-year-old male tiger had an epithelioid papillary mesothelioma of the pleura, the lining of the chest. The article does not mention asbestos and did not study any exposure. The authors concluded that the high rates of malignant and widely spreading tumors suggest the importance of active monitoring and management of tumors in these threatened and endangered species.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Observational retrospective study of necropsy (post-mortem) cases
• Who was studied: 24 captive wild felids: 12 tigers, 7 leopards, 4 lions and 1 black jaguar. They were 15 females and 9 males, aged 6 to 19 years. They came from four zoos (19 from Naples Zoo, 2 from Maitine Zoo, 2 from Fasano Zoo, 1 from Aprilia Zoo). They were necropsied at the University of Naples Federico II or at the Istituto Zooprofilattico del Mezzogiorno in Portici, Italy, between 2008 and 2021.
• Exposure: No asbestos or other fiber exposure was studied, and the article does not mention asbestos. In the discussion, the authors speculated that urban stressors near the zoos, such as car traffic and industrial activity, might play a role. They did not measure these.
• Main results:
  • Tumors were diagnosed in 14 of the 24 animals (58.3%).
  • Of the 16 tumors found, 10 (62.5%) were malignant and 6 (37.5%) were benign.
  • Among the 10 malignant tumors, no metastasis was observed in 5 of 10. Metastasis involved only regional lymph nodes in 1 of 10, and distant metastases were found in 4 of 10.
  • The hepatobiliary system (liver and bile ducts) was the most frequent tumor site, with 4 of 16 tumors (25%).
  • Mean age of animals with tumors was 16.35 years (standard deviation 3.24), compared with 11.2 years (standard deviation 3.08) for animals without tumors. The difference was reported as statistically significant (P less than 0.05).
  • Tumor frequency was 53.3% (8 of 15) in females and 66.6% (6 of 9) in males.
  • One 18-year-old male tiger had a pleural mesothelioma, classified as epithelioid papillary mesothelioma. Firm white masses were scattered over the pleural surfaces of the chest wall and lungs, and the animal was euthanized.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the high rates of malignant and widely metastatic tumors suggest the importance of actively monitoring and managing tumors in these threatened and endangered species. They also said further research on environment, genetics and aging is needed to understand risk factors.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • No data on iodine supplementation were available, so whether iodine deficiency influenced the thyroid tumors remains undetermined.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Neoplasm, Adenocarcinoma, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Mesothelioma, Metastasis.

Related studies

• Pathology in Captive Wild Felids at German Zoological Gardens — J. Junginger, F. Hansmann, et al. (2015)
• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a boar who lived in Calabria (Italy): Wild animal as sentinel system of human health — E. Colombino, S. Capella, et al. (2019)
• Environmental asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cases in Bari, Apulia region, southern Italy: a national interest site for land reclamation — L. Vimercati, D. Cavone, et al. (2018)
• Asbestos exposure and malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a systematic review and the experience of the Apulia (southern Italy) mesothelioma register — L. Vimercati, D. Cavone, et al. (2019)
• Malignant mesothelioma in construction workers: the Apulia regional mesothelioma register, Southern Italy — L. Vimercati, D. Cavone, et al. (2019)
• Asbestiform minerals in ophiolitic rocks of Calabria (southern Italy) — A. Campopiano, A. Olori, et al. (2018)

Browse more research in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, or return to medical research.