title: Multifocal granulomatous panniculitis with ceroid pigment in two Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba).
abstract: Two striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) were found stranded on the Catalonian Spanish coast. The main pathologic finding in both animals was the existence of multiple granulomatous lesions in the blubber, microscopically composed of macrophages and multinucleated cells containing vacuolar material. This material was identified as ceroid pigment due to its ultrastructural morphology, autofluorescence, and positive staining with periodic acid-Schiff and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques. The special stains and electron microscopy did not reveal any microorganisms associated with the lesions. These findings are very suggestive of "nutritional panniculitis," a well-defined entity associated with vitamin E deficiency that has been rarely described in free-living species.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinária, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain. sara.soto@uab.es
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Dolors
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fondevila
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Encarna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gómez-Campos
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domingo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002566:Ceroid; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D015434:Panniculitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D050706:Stenella; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D002566:Ceroid