Abstract
Two striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) were found stranded on the Catalonian Spanish coast. The main pathologic finding in both animals was the existence of multiple granulomatous lesions in the blubber, microscopically composed of macrophages and multinucleated cells containing vacuolar material. This material was identified as ceroid pigment due to its ultrastructural morphology, autofluorescence, and positive staining with periodic acid-Schiff and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques. The special stains and electron microscopy did not reveal any microorganisms associated with the lesions. These findings are very suggestive of "nutritional panniculitis," a well-defined entity associated with vitamin E deficiency that has been rarely described in free-living species.
Highlights
Several processes have been described affecting the panniculus of free-ranging cetaceans (Cowan, 1993; Schulman and Lipscomb, 1999; Bowenkamp et al, 2001; Bonar and Wagner, 2003)
The main pathologic finding in both animals was the existence of multiple granulomatous lesions in the blubber, microscopically composed of macrophages and multinucleated cells containing vacuolar material
These findings are very suggestive of ‘‘nutritional panniculitis,’’ a welldefined entity associated with vitamin E deficiency that has been rarely described in free-living species
Summary
Several processes have been described affecting the panniculus of free-ranging cetaceans (Cowan, 1993; Schulman and Lipscomb, 1999; Bowenkamp et al, 2001; Bonar and Wagner, 2003). The main pathologic finding in both animals was the existence of multiple granulomatous lesions in the blubber, microscopically composed of macrophages and multinucleated cells containing vacuolar material. Microscopic, and ultrastructural findings in two free-ranging Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) affected by a granulomatous panniculitis with intralesional ceroid pigment resembling nutritional panniculitis.
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