T cell lymphoma in the lumbar spine of a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo).
A 22-month-old castrated male ferret developed acute pelvic limb paresis. Radiographs and computed tomography revealed a soft tissue mass with associated bony lysis of L5, and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates suggested that it was a lymphoma. Treatment with prednisone at immunosuppressive doses did not produce any detectable improvement in the ferret's clinical signs and it became moribund less than two weeks after they developed. A postmortem biopsy confirmed the presence of a lymphoma which had invaded the vertebral bone. No viruses were detected by cell culture, or electron microscopy.
Department of Small Animal Medicine, University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602-7390, USA.
C S
CS
Hanley
G H
GH
Wilson
P
P
Frank
D K A
DK
James
K P
KP
Carmichael
D
D
Pesti
B
B
Ritchie
D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000662:veterinary; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005289:Ferrets; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000662:veterinary*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000662:veterinary; D014463:Ultrasonography