title: Mast cell tumour in a giant Galapagos tortoise (Geochelone nigra vicina).
abstract: A well-differentiated cutaneous mast cell tumour was diagnosed in a subadult female giant Galapagos tortoise. The tumour was a pedunculated, verrucose mass located near the base of the neck. The histological features, which were diagnostic for a mast cell tumour, included abundant intracytoplasmic granules that were stained metachromatically with Giemsa and toluidine blue stains. Mast cell tumours are rare in reptiles, and this is the first description of a mast cell tumour in a chelonian.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, PO Box 86, Heredia 3000, Costa Rica. marisant@libero.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Stacy
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gastezzi-Arias
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landazuli
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004484:Ecuador; D005260:Female; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D054705:Mastocytoma, Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D014426:Turtles