Margaret E. Martinez1, DVM; Dawn M. Zimmerman2, DVM, MS; Katie Seeley3, DVM; Priya Bapodra3, BVetMed, MSc, MRCVS, DACZM; Liwen Zhang4, PhD; Rachel Cianciolo1, VMD, PhD, DACVP
1Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; 2Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Washington, D.C., USA; 3Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, OH, USA; 4Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
Abstract
Fourteen pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) underwent complete or partial autopsies between 1997 and 2016. The animals ranged from 0.4-yr-old (5-mo-old) to 14.2-yr-old (7±4.9); there were nine males, and five females. Ten pronghorn antelope had histologic evidence of amyloidosis resulting in a 71% prevalence of amyloidosis in the Columbus Zoo pronghorn antelope herd. The amyloid was further subtyped in two cases via mass spectrometry, with serum amyloid A and fibronectin detected. Serum amyloid A, beta and gamma globulin levels were evaluated and all were within normal ranges for healthy domestic cattle.1 Commonalities noted between most of the cases included historical and recent elevated fecal strongyle counts (Haemonchus spp.), repeated treatment for Haemonchus, anemia, hypoproteinemia and, in many cases, azotemia. Chronic inflammation due to pneumonia or endoparasitism was a predisposing risk factor to systemic amyloidosis in the pronghorn antelope herd. Given the possibility of a hereditary predisposition to amyloidosis, pedigree analysis was performed and there was no statistically significant difference between the mean degree of relatedness and amyloidosis. The most likely cause of the systemic amyloidosis was chronic inflammation caused by haemonchosis and/or pneumonia.
Literature Cited
1. Takahashi E, Uzuka Y, Tanabe S, Satoh M, Furuoka H. Serum amyloid A and haptoglobin levels in bovine amyloidosis. J Vet Med Sci. 2007;69:321–323.