A retrospective study of pathological findings in wild and captive-wild animals in Villavicencio, Colombia

Abstract

The present work is a first retrospective study of histopathological findings in wild animals samples received at the Histopathology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of the Llanos, Villavicencio (Colombia), between 2004 and 2011. 43 cases were analyzed, mainly consisting of parasitic infections, neoplasia and necrotic and inflammatory reactions. Sixty-two percent (n = 31) were free life animals and 28% (n = 12) were from captivity. Most of these animals were mammals, who presented the highest annual rate (Chi-2, P < 0.01). Infectious diseases were the most frequent, followed by non-infectious and traumatic diseases. In reptiles and birds prevailed neoplasms (Chi-2, P < 0.01). It was also noted that gastrointestinal disorders were the most common pathological findings (27%), followed by lesions in the lung or respiratory (18.9%). The digestive system was mainly affected by diseases of infectious origin, as well as the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, whereas the skin was affected by neoplastic diseases and non-infectious and neoplastic diseases were found in the urinary system (Chi-2, P < 0.05). Pathological conditions of the central nervous system and neoplasms were rare (10.8 and 8.0%, respectively). Among the non-infectious conditions, the most commonly found were poisoning and mesenchymal neoplasms.

Key words: Histopathology; infectious diseases; Veterinary pathology; wild animals.