Dataset Information

Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center.

ABSTRACT: Most of the pathologies that affect hedgehogs are diagnosed postmortem; thus, it is essential to share knowledge between clinicians and pathologists in order to recognize predispositions to diseases and to establish adequate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. This study aimed to describe the most relevant postmortem pathological conditions in a group of six rescued African pygmy hedgehogs, performed over a period of four months. Hedgehogs were submitted to necropsy examinations and subsequent histopathological analyses. Microscopically, all the studied hedgehogs revealed alterations in one or more organ systems. Although a significant and diverse number of pathological conditions were obtained, this study focused on less common or more relevant pathologies found in African pygmy hedgehogs-namely, wobbly hedgehog syndrome, squamous cell carcinoma and mast cell tumors. Furthermore, this study constitutes the first report of Mycobacterium spp. in hedgehogs in Portugal, the second report of follicular thyroid carcinoma in an African pygmy hedgehog, the description of a lipoid pneumonia for the first time in this species and a lung adenocarcinoma-a pathology rarely reported in African pygmy hedgehogs.

SUBMITTER: Silva GF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9179541 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center.

Silva Gabriela Fernandes GF Rêma Alexandra A Teixeira Sílvia S Pires Maria Dos Anjos MDA Taulescu Marian M Amorim Irina I

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20220526 11

Most of the pathologies that affect hedgehogs are diagnosed postmortem; thus, it is essential to share knowledge between clinicians and pathologists in order to recognize predispositions to diseases and to establish adequate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. This study aimed to describe the most relevant postmortem pathological conditions in a group of six rescued African pygmy hedgehogs, performed over a period of four months. Hedgehogs were submitted to necropsy examinations and subsequent his ...[more]

PMID: 35681825

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Project description:African pygmy hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) are widely farmed in southern China and Japan for medicinal materials and as pets. However, little is known about the prevalence, zoonotic potential, and environmental burden of Cryptosporidium spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in these animals. In this study, 380 fecal samples were collected from farmed and pet African pygmy hedgehogs in Guangdong of China, and analyzed for these pathogens by PCR and DNA sequencing. Overall, the detection rates of Cryptosporidium spp., E. bieneusi and G. duodenalis were 35.5%, 70.0% and 0, respectively. By living condition, the highest detection rates of Cryptosporidium spp. (61.5%) and E. bieneusi (100.0%) were both obtained from animals kept in the cave, which could be due to the overcrowding and poor hygiene conditions. Two Cryptosporidium species were identified, including C. erinacei (n = 22) and Cryptosporidium horse genotype (n = 113). The C. erinacei isolates belonged to a new subtype family (XIIIb), which has been identified in a patient with cryptosporidiosis recently. The horse genotype isolates are of a known subtype VIbA13, which was previously identified in a pet store employee in care of hedgehogs with diarrhea. Eleven genotypes of the zoonotic Group 1 were identified in E. bieneusi, with the known genotype SCR05 previously detected in pet rabbits being dominant (235/266, 88.3%). In longitudinal monitoring of Cryptosporidium infection in 11 naturally infected African pygmy hedgehogs, the oocyst shedding intensity decreased gradually from the mean oocysts per gram of feces of ∼6 logs to ∼2 logs over 42 days. The high intensity and long duration of oocyst shedding could lead to heavy environmental contamination and increase the potential for zoonotic transmission of the pathogens. Results of the study suggest that zoonotic Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi are common in farmed and pet African pygmy hedgehogs. Hygiene and One Health measures should be implemented by pet owners and farmers to prevent zoonotic transmission and environmental contamination of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi.

Dataset Information

Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center.

Publications

Pathological Findings in African Pygmy Hedgehogs Admitted into a Portuguese Rehabilitation Center.

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