Disease in captive wild mammals and birds : $b incidence, description, comparisonFox, Herbert
Science
Disease in captive wild mammals and birds : $b incidence, description, comparison
Fox, Herbert
Veterinary medicine
Primates are not often affected with degenerative arterial disease, two
of the instances observed showing this change confined to the coronary
vessels. As might be expected the myocardium in both was affected, and
in one animal had a definite concentric hypertrophy. A very interesting
case was encountered in a Lion-tailed Macaque (_Macacus silensis_). His
heart showed distinct fibrosis of the conducting pathways from auricle
to ventricle and of the papillary muscles. No atheroma was present in
the aorta, but in the pulmonary distinct sacculations of the Mönckeberg
type were found. Mesial degeneration was apparently responsible, but no
calcification had occurred. Death was due to acute gastritis.
Carnivora present about half the cases seen in mammals and 16 per cent.
of the total. Five of the sixteen cases owe their origin to parasitic
arteritis and were combined with aneurysms. As will be noted by
consultation of the list there is no outstanding accompanying pathology,
a fact which makes parasites more important. One case of mesial
degeneration, resembling the Mönckeberg type was observed in the
thoracic aorta of a bear.
Ungulata are generously represented, thirteen cases being recorded
distributed rather unevenly between the odd-toed (1 or 8.5 per cent.)
and even-toed groups (12 or 2.9 per cent.). The single case in the first
group occurred in a Zebra (_Equus burchelli_) wherein was found about
the middle of the thoracic aorta a diffuse thickening of media and
intima in a circular plaque approximately two centimetres in diameter;
it was by no means so well developed as similar lesions in the even-toed
ungulates. This recalls the expression of doubt by Zinserling as to the
occurrence in the horse of arteriosclerosis similar to that in human
beings.
The lesions in the Artiodactyla are both in plaques and diffuse, the
aorta and its branches sometimes being quite wrinkled but beset with
firm elevations with and without calcification. These changes are fairly
definite and, although they never attain the development seen in man,
resemble the stage of wrinkling and roughness in the preulcerative stage
of the human analogue. Two of the cases were associated with dilatations
of the mesenteric vessels and with periarteritis, a picture strongly
suggesting parasitic infestation; in one case ineffectual search was
made, in the other no record is made of the parasites. Renal disease
occurred only twice and myocardial damage only once. Chronic pulmonary
disease, present thrice, took the form of tuberculosis twice and pleural
adhesions with atelectasis once.
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