Osteoarthritis in two marine mammals and 22 land mammals: learning from skeletal remains

The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) in marine mammals is still questionable. Here we investigated the prevalence of OA in marine (dolphin and dugong) and terrestrial mammals (Asian elephant, Asiatic buffalo, camel, cat, cattle, deer, dog, domestic goat, horse, human, hyena, impala, lion, Malayan t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of anatomy 2017-07, Vol.231 (1), p.140-155
Main Authors: Nganvongpanit, Korakot, Soponteerakul, Ratsadakorn, Kaewkumpai, Piyatida, Punyapornwithaya, Veerasak, Buddhachat, Kittisak, Nomsiri, Raksiri, Kaewmong, Patcharaporn, Kittiwatanawong, Kongkiat, Chawangwongsanukun, Rachanchai, Angkawanish, Taweepoke, Thitaram, Chatchote, Mahakkanukrauh, Pasuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Animals
Arthritis
bone
Bone and Bones - pathology
Cats
Cattle
degenerative joint disease
Dogs
Dolphins
Dolphins & porpoises
Dugong
Female
Humans
Humerus
Joints - pathology
land mammal
Lesions
Male
Mammals
marine mammal
Marine mammals
Original
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis - pathology
Osteoarthritis - veterinary
Sex Factors
Spine
Vertebrae
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Summary:The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) in marine mammals is still questionable. Here we investigated the prevalence of OA in marine (dolphin and dugong) and terrestrial mammals (Asian elephant, Asiatic buffalo, camel, cat, cattle, deer, dog, domestic goat, horse, human, hyena, impala, lion, Malayan tapir, Assam macaque, mule, pig, rabbit, red kangaroo, sheep, tiger and waterbuck). Skeletal remains obtained from five institutes were used as subjects; a total of 45 different parts (locations) of bones were observed for OA lesions. The prevalence of OA was reported as number of OA lesions/total number of bones. Our results revealed that the presence of OA in marine species (dolphin and dugong) was 2.44% and 3.33%, respectively. In dolphins, the highest OA occurrence was on the left and right humeral trochlea, with 13.68% and 12.63%, respectively, while the highest number of OA lesions in dugongs was on the lumbar vertebrae (8.79%). No significant difference (P > 0.05) in the prevalence of OA between sexes in dolphins and dugongs was observed, but we found a significant difference (P < 0.05) in 24 bone locations of human bones, which had the highest OA prevalence (48.93%), followed by dogs (3.94%). In conclusion, OA can occur in marine mammals, similar to terrestrial mammals, even though their natural habitat is the ocean.
ISSN:0021-8782
1469-7580
DOI:10.1111/joa.12620