Pathology in Captive Wild Felids at German Zoological Gardens

Our plain-English summary of Pathology in Captive Wild Felids at German Zoological Gardens, by J. Junginger, F. Hansmann, V. Herder, et al (PloS One, 2015).

The study

• Authors: J. Junginger, F. Hansmann, V. Herder, A. Lehmbecker, M. Peters, M. Beyerbach, P. Wohlsein, W. Baumgärtner
• Journal: PloS One
• Published: 2015;10(6):e0130573
• Cited by: 57 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This retrospective study provides an overview on spontaneous diseases occurring in 38 captive wild felids submitted for necropsy by German zoological gardens between 2004 and 2013. Species included 18 tigers, 8 leopards, 7 lions, 3 cheetahs and 2 cougars with an age ranging from 0.5 to 22 years. Renal lesions, predominantly tubular alterations (intra-tubular concrements, tubular degeneration, necrosis, intra-tubular cellular debris, proteinaceous casts, dilated tubuli) followed by interstitial (lympho-plasmacytic inflammation, fibrosis, metastatic-suppurative inflammation, eosinophilic inflammation) and glomerular lesions (glomerulonephritis, glomerulosclerosis, amyloidosis) were detected in 33 out of 38 animals (87%). Tumors were found in 19 of 38 felids (50%) with 12 animals showing more than one neoplasm. The tumor prevalence increased with age. Neoplasms originated from endocrine (11), genital (8), lympho-hematopoietic (5) and alimentary organs (4) as well as the mesothelium (3). Most common neoplasms comprised uterine/ovarian leiomyomas (5/2), thyroid adenomas/adenocarcinoma (5/1), pleural mesotheliomas (3), hemangiosarcomas (2) and glossal papillomas (2). Inflammatory changes were frequently encountered in the intestine and the lung. Two young animals displayed metastatic mineralization suggestive of a vitamin D- or calcium intoxication. One tiger exhibited degenerative white matter changes consistent with an entity termed large felid leukoencephalomyelopathy. Various hyperplastic, degenerative and inflammatory changes with minor clinical significance were found in several organs. Summarized, renal lesions followed by neoplastic changes as well as inflammatory changes in lung and gastrointestinal tract represent the most frequent findings in captive wild felids living in German zoological gardens.

In plain English

This retrospective veterinary study examined, after death, 38 captive wild cats (18 tigers, 8 leopards, 7 lions, 3 cheetahs, 2 cougars, aged 0.5 to 22 years) from eight German zoos between 2004 and 2013. It did not measure asbestos or other environmental exposures. Kidney lesions were found in 33 of 38 animals (87%). The 19 of 38 animals (50%) with tumors had 34 tumors in total, and tumor risk rose with age (odds ratio 1.23 per added year, p = 0.0003). Leiomyomas of the uterus or ovary (7 of 34 tumors) and thyroid tumors (6 of 34) were the most common. Three animals, one cheetah and two tigers, all male, had pleural mesotheliomas. Two were biphasic and one was epithelioid. The authors identified no cause for them and wrote that other external and internal factors had to be considered. Blood from 31 animals was tested. Four lions had FIV antibodies, and FeLV antigen was not detected in any sample tested. The authors concluded that kidney disease was a common finding in these zoo cats. They noted that small numbers limited some analyses.

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: Retrospective review of necropsy (post-mortem) findings in zoo animals
• Who was studied: 38 captive wild felids (18 tigers, 8 leopards, 7 lions, 3 cheetahs, 2 cougars; 24 female, 14 male; aged 0.5 to 22 years, median 13) from eight German zoos, necropsied 2004 to 2013 in Hannover and Arnsberg
• Exposure: No asbestos or other environmental exposure was measured. FIV infection status was tested in blood and analyzed in relation to pathological lesions, alongside age, sex and species.
• Main results:
  • Renal (kidney) lesions were found in 33 of 38 animals (87%), with no sex predisposition.
  • 34 neoplastic lesions (tumors) were found in 19 of 38 animals (50%).
  • The risk of having any tumor increased with age (OR = 1.23, p = 0.0003) and was not influenced by sex or species.
  • Pleural mesotheliomas were found in 3 animals (1 cheetah, 2 tigers), all male.
  • Of the three malignant mesotheliomas, two were of the biphasic type and one was of the epithelioid type.
  • Uterine and ovarian leiomyomas were the most common tumor type (7 of 34 tumors, 21%), and thyroid tumors (5 adenomas, 1 carcinoma; 6 of 34 tumors, 18%) were the second most common.
  • Blood from 31 of 38 animals was tested for FIV antibodies and FeLV antigen.
  • FIV antibodies were found in 4 lions (4 of 38 animals, 11%). FeLV antigen was not detected in any investigated sample.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that chronic kidney disease was common in captive wild felids and that tumors were found in 50% of the animals. On mesothelioma, they wrote that other external and internal factors had to be considered as possible causes.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Differences in lifespan between species may affect lesion development, and this needs analysis in a larger group of animals.
  • The small number of animals and the low frequency of FIV mean the study cannot rule out an effect of retroviral infection on lesions.
  • The reference value used for eye-fluid urea has not been validated for wild felids.
  • In most cases, no bacterial culture or virological tests were done to detect infectious agents.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pathology, Autopsy, Necrosis, Interstitial, Inflammation, Fibrosis, Eosinophilic, Neoplasm.

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• Factors influencing long-term survival in mesothelioma patients--results of the German mesothelioma register — V. Neumann, A. Rütten, et al. (2004)
• Cancer mortality in a surveillance cohort of German males formerly exposed to asbestos — B. Pesch, D. Taeger, et al. (2010)
• Workplace risk factors for cancer in the German rubber industry: Part 1. Mortality from respiratory cancers — S.K. Weiland, K. Straif, et al. (1998)
• Regional variations in German mesothelioma mortality rates: 2000–2010 — S.J. Schonfeld, V. McCormack, et al. (2014)

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