title: Amyloidosis in black-footed cats (Felis nigripes).
abstract: A high prevalence of systemic amyloidosis was documented in the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) based on a retrospective review of necropsy tissues (n = 38) submitted as part of ongoing disease surveillance. Some degree of amyloid deposition was present in 33 of 38 (87%) of the examined cats, and amyloidosis was the most common cause of death (26/38, 68%). Amyloid deposition was most severe in the renal medullary interstitium (30/33, 91%) and glomeruli (21/33, 63%). Other common sites included the splenic follicular germinal centers (26/31, 84%), gastric lamina propria (9/23, 39%), and intestinal lamina propria (3/23, 13%). Amyloid in all sites stained with Congo red, and in 13 of 15 (87%) cats, deposits had strong immunoreactivity for canine AA protein by immunohistochemistry. There was no association with concurrent chronic inflammatory conditions (P = .51), suggesting that amyloidosis was not secondary to inflammation. Adrenal cortical hyperplasia, a morphologic indicator of stress that can predispose to amyloid deposition, was similarly not associated (P = .09) with amyloidosis. However, adrenals were not available from the majority of cats without amyloidosis; therefore, further analysis of this risk factor is warranted. Heritability estimation suggested that amyloidosis might be familial in this species. Additionally, tissues from a single free-ranging black-footed cat had small amounts of amyloid deposition, suggesting that there could be a predilection for amyloidosis in this species. Research to identify the protein sequence of serum amyloid A (SAA) in the black-footed cat is needed to further investigate the possibility of an amyloidogenic SAA in this species.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois, Zoological Pathology Program, Maywood, IL 60153, USA. kterio@uiuc.edu
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Terio
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lamberski
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Famula
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Munson
mesh_terms: D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D045989:Felidae; D005260:Female; D015994:Incidence; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D007679:Kidney Medulla / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary