Pathologic mineralization in captive reptiles.

Abstract

Pathologic mineralization in reptiles is most commonly associated with hypervitaminosis D,due to overdosage by the owners. Other causes include secondary hiperparathyroidism, renal failure orother metabolic diseases. Over a period of 3 months, 4 reptiles were brought to the necropsy departmentby different owners. We necropsied a 6 year old male green iguana (Iguana iguana), a 7 year old femalered-eared slider (Trachemis scripta elegans), and two veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus), an 8month old female and a 6 month old male respectivley. Although the cause of death varied among cases,all four reptiles had more or less severe lesions of pathologic tissue mineralization. These lesions weremost commonly found in arterial media in the form of medial calcification, but also we found tissuecalcifications in the myocardium, lungs and in the genital tract (ovaries). In all cases the arterial mediawas calcified, from incipient lesions consisting of calcified reticulin fibers within the media, to severelesions, that were seen macroscopically, in which the entire media was calcified, and decalcification wasneeded in order to process the tissue samples.