Spindle cell sarcoma in Bothrops leucurus

Sarcoma fusocelular em jararaca - Bothrops leucurus

Bothrops; sarcoma; neoplasm; immunohistochemistry

Jararaca; Bothrops; sarcoma; neoplasia; imuno-histoquímica

COMMUNICATION

[Comunicação]

Spindle cell sarcoma in Bothrops leucurus

[Sarcoma fusocelular em jararaca - Bothrops leucurus]

H. B. Marcello Jr.¹, R. Maciel³, C.A. Ribeiro², M.V. Caliari¹, G.D. Cassali^1*

¹Laboratório de Patologia Comparada - Depto. Patologia Geral- ICB/UFMG

Caixa Postal 486 31270-901 – Belo Horizonte, MG

2Faculdade de Medicina – UFMG

3Fundação Ezequiel Dias

Recebido para publicação em 26 de setembro de 2001.

Recebido para publicação, após modificações, em 8 de abril 2001

*Autor para correspondência

E-mail: [e-mail]

Evaluation of neoplasia in reptiles is difficult because of the small number of reports. The most detailed studies are those of reptiles kept in zoos and serpentariums (Effrom et al., 1977). The number of case reports has increased since new experimental animal models have been investigated in the study of human diseases (Billups & Harshbarger, 1976).

The available data suggest large variations in the age of onset of neoplasia between species and families of reptiles. The variation could be influenced by factors such as different lifespans and lifestyles (captivity and freedom). Captive animals are kept in reasonably constant environmental conditions. In general, reptiles kept on captivity develop neoplasms in old age similarly to mammals. The etiology of neoplasms in reptiles is not well known (Billups & Harshbarger, 1976).

The objective of this report was to describe the anatomo-pathological findings of a case of spindle cell sarcoma in Bothrops leucurus.

A subcutaneous nodular mass was observed in the cranial third of a snake ("jararaca"- Bothrops leucurus) (Fig. 1A, ^B). The snake had been kept for seven year in the serpentarium of Fundação Ezequiel Dias, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. After the surgical procedure, a solid, well delimited mass was evidenced. The mass weighed 2.6g and its dimensions were 2.5×1.9×1.0cm. Histologic examination revealed a mesenchymal neoplasm composed of fusiform cells, with atypical, hyperchromatic nuclei with few mitoses, gross chromatin, which formed multidirectional bundles (^{Fig. 1C}). The formation of (mineralized) osteoid tissue was noted in the mass (osteous metaplasia). Immunohistochemistry, performed at the Veterinary Pathology Division of the Armed Forces Pathology Institute (Washington, D.C- USA), was negative for smooth muscle actin, desmin and myoglobin. Additional staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein, S-100 protein and vimentin were not conclusive, which may be due to the absence of species-specific antibody or utilization of previously fixed sections. Masson's trichrome stain revealed a modest quantity of collagen in the neoplasm. These findings allowed the diagnosis as spindle cell sarcoma of undetermined histogenesis.

According to the literature, the majority of neoplasms in snakes are of epithelial origin and most of them occur in the digestive tract. Neoplasms of mesenchymal origin in snakes are less frequent than those of epithelial origin and the most frequent are fibromas and fibrosarcomas in the conjunctival tissue of several species (Billups & Harshbarger, 1976). However, all cases of neoplasia reported in snakes at the San Antonio Zoo (USA) in a 10-year period, were malignant neoplasms derived from mesenchymal tissue (Hubbard et al., 1983).

According to the literature, the greatest number of cases of neoplasia in snakes were described in the 291 snakes from the National Zoological Park (Washington, USA) from which 36 had tumors. Among this group, one snake had three different types of tumors and another, two. Thirty-one out of 39 tumors were malignant and eight were benign. Among the malignant neoplasms 61.5% were of mesenchymal origin and 35.5% were of epithelial origin (Catão-Dias & Nichols, 1999).

Keywords: Bothrops, sarcoma, neoplasm, immunohistochemistry

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to CNPq for financial support.

RESUMO

O presente relato descreve os achados anatomopatológicos de uma neoplasia maligna em jararaca (Bothrops leucurus), mantida em cativeiro durante sete anos. O animal apresentava massa nodular subcutânea localizada no lado direito do terço anterior. O exame histológico revelou tratar-se de neoplasia mesenquimal maligna, permitindo o diagnóstico de sarcoma fusocelular.

Palavras-chave: Jararaca, Bothrops, sarcoma, neoplasia, imuno-histoquímica

• BILLUPS, L.H.; HARSHBARGER, J.C. Reptiles. In: MELBY Jr., E.C.; ALTMAN, N.H. (1.ed.) Handbook of laboratory animal science Ohio: CRC Press, 1976, v.3, p.343-344.
• CATÃO-DIAS, J.L.; NICHOLS, D.K. Neoplasia in snakes at the National Zoological Park. J. Comp. Path., v.120, p.89-95, 1999.
• EFFRON, M.; GRINER, L.; BENIRSCHKE, K. Nature and rate of neoplasia found in captive wild mammals, birds and reptiles at necropsy. J. Natl. Cancer Inst, v.59, p.185-198, 1977.
• HUBBARD, G.B.; SCHMIDT, R.E.; FLETCHER, K.C. Neoplasia in zoo animals. J. Zoo. An. Med, v.14, p.33-40, 1983.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  16 Dec 2002
• Date of issue
  June 2002

History

• Received
  08 Apr 2001