title: Hepatic encephalopathy associated with hepatic lipidosis in llamas (Lama glama).
abstract: Hepatic encephalopathy has been listed as a differential for llamas displaying neurologic signs, but it has not been histopathologically described. This report details the neurologic histopathologic findings associated with 3 cases of hepatic lipidosis with concurrent neurologic signs and compares them to 3 cases of hepatic lipidosis in the absence of neurologic signs and 3 cases without hepatic lipidosis. Brain from all 3 llamas displaying neurologic signs contained Alzheimer type II cells, which were not detected in either subset of llamas without neurologic signs. Astrocytic immunohistochemical staining intensity for glial fibrillary acid protein was decreased in llamas with neurologic signs as compared to 2 of 3 llamas with hepatic lipidosis and without neurologic signs and to 2 of 3 llamas without hepatic lipidosis. Immunohistochemical staining for S100 did not vary between groups. These findings suggest that hepatic encephalopathy may be associated with hepatic lipidosis in llamas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. cpillitteridvm@yahoo.com
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pillitteri
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Craig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002161:Camelids, New World; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D008064:Lipidoses / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009418:S100 Proteins