Bronchioalveolar carcinoma in an adult alpaca (Vicugna pacos)

Abstract Background This report describes a case of a bronchiolar adenocarcinoma in a 6-year old alpaca mare. For the first time in an alpaca, neoplasia was classified by histopathology as a lepidic-predominant bronchiolar adenocarcinoma. Case presentation The mare was referred to the Clinic for Rum...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC Veterinary Research
Main Authors: Lara Moser, Kristel Kegler, Christina Precht, Patrik Zanolari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2019-05-01
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12917-019-1895-8
Description
Summary:Abstract Background This report describes a case of a bronchiolar adenocarcinoma in a 6-year old alpaca mare. For the first time in an alpaca, neoplasia was classified by histopathology as a lepidic-predominant bronchiolar adenocarcinoma. Case presentation The mare was referred to the Clinic for Ruminants after a 6-week period of forced breathing and weight loss. The clinical examination included complete blood count, blood chemistry, ultrasound, radiographs and a CT-scan of the thorax. A bilateral pneumothorax and several, structures within the lung parenchyma were diagnosed. Differential diagnosis included neoplasia, tuberculosis and fungal granulomas. The owner requested euthanasia due to the mare’s ongoing deterioration. At postmortem examination, the granulomatous changes in the lungs were histopathologically classified as lepidic dominant bronchiolar adenocarcinoma. Conclusions Neoplastic diseases are more often seen in South American camelids compared to other farm animal species. The use of a CT scan was helpful in classifying the lung lesions and give a clear prognosis.
ISSN:1746-6148