title: Urinary bladders of freshwater turtles as a renal physiology model potentially biased by monogenean infections.
abstract: Because the urinary bladder of the freshwater red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, is analogous to the collecting and distal tubules of the mammalian kidney, it is used frequently as an experimental model in renal physiology. The urinary bladders of 41% of these turtles obtained over a 1 year period from a commercial supplier were infected with the monogenean parasite Neopolystoma orbiculare. Macroscopically, the infected bladders appeared normal, aside from the presence of adult parasites (means = 2.3 +/- 0.3 monogeneans/turtle). However, there were distinct histological lesions associated with the deposition of masses of monogenean eggs in the bladder wall. Clusters of the eggs in varying stages of development in the mucosa and tunica muscularis were surrounded by granulomas with an inflammatory infiltrate of histiocytes, lymphocytes and occasional multinucleate giant cells. These often formed granulomatous polyps projecting into the bladder lumen. Eggs containing a mature oncomiracidium are apparently extruded into the bladder lumen. In general, the bladder walls of infected turtles were infiltrated with eosinophils and lymphocytes. Considering the extent of the inflammatory lesions, it is recommended that turtle bladders infected with these parasites not be used as models for renal physiology until the effects of these infections on the various physiological measurements are determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock 79430.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Henke
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Pence
authors.lastname: Rue Manh Tran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D010986:Platyhelminths / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D014426:Turtles / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*