Myofasciitis in the Domestic Ferret

Since late 2003, an inflammatory disease of muscle and fascia has been diagnosed in several ferrets at Northwest ZooPath, and this report describes the condition in 17 ferrets. It is a disease of young ferrets, characterized by rapid onset of clinical signs, high fever, neutrophilic leukocytosis, tr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary pathology 2007, Vol.44 (1), p.25-38
Main Authors: Garner, M.M, Ramsell, K, Schoemaker, N.J, Sidor, I.F, Nordhausen, R.W, Bolin, S, Evermann, J.F, Kiupel, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
electron microscopy
Esophagus - pathology
Esophagus - ultrastructure
fascia
Fasciitis - pathology
Fasciitis - veterinary
Female
Ferrets
histopathology
immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry - veterinary
inflammation
lesions (animal)
Male
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission - veterinary
Muscle, Skeletal - pathology
Muscle, Skeletal - ultrastructure
musculoskeletal diseases
myositis
Myositis - pathology
Myositis - veterinary
polymyositis
signs and symptoms (animals and humans)
skeletal muscle
Splenomegaly - pathology
Splenomegaly - veterinary
ultrastructure
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Since late 2003, an inflammatory disease of muscle and fascia has been diagnosed in several ferrets at Northwest ZooPath, and this report describes the condition in 17 ferrets. It is a disease of young ferrets, characterized by rapid onset of clinical signs, high fever, neutrophilic leukocytosis, treatment failure, and death (or euthanasia). Gross lesions include atrophy of skeletal muscle; red and white mottling and dilatation of the esophagus; and splenomegaly. Histologically, moderate to severe suppurative to pyogranulomatous inflammation is in the skeletal muscle and the fascia at multiple sites, including esophagus, heart, limbs, body wall, head, and lumbar regions. Myeloid hyperplasia of spleen and/or bone marrow also is a prominent feature. Ultrastructural lesions include mitochondrial swelling, intracellular edema, disruption of myofibrils and Z bands. Bacterial and viral cultures, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction were negative for a variety of infectious agents. The clinical presentation and distribution of lesions suggests that polymyositis in domestic ferrets is likely a distinct entity. The etiopathogenesis if this condition is not known.
ISSN:0300-9858
1544-2217
DOI:10.1354/vp.44-1-25