Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic, chronic, inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract of companion animals, including ferrets (Mustela putorius furo). Clinical signs of IBD are nonspecific, and intestinal biopsies are necessary for a definitive diagnosis. A grading scheme has not been established for ferrets. Additionally, the association between histologic severity and clinical signs in ferrets is unknown. We evaluated enteric samples from ferrets diagnosed with IBD, compared histologic grading schemes, and correlated the results with the severity of clinical signs. Enteric sections from 23 ferrets with IBD were analyzed using grading schemes for intestinal inflammation in cats and dogs, and a correlation with clinical signs was evaluated. After dividing the histologic samples into groups based on the severity of clinical signs, main histologic differences were identified. Age and sex were also assessed for correlation with clinical signs. No significant correlation was found between the 2 grading schemes and clinical signs (rho = 0.02, p = 0.89; rho = 0.26, p = 0.18, respectively). Degree of villus fusion, hemorrhage and/or fibrin, epithelial damage, inflammation density, and crypt abscess formation were used retrospectively to create a ferret IBD grading scheme, which was significantly correlated with the severity of clinical signs (rho = 0.48, p = 0.01). A positive correlation was observed between age (p = 0.04) and females (p = 0.007) with severity of clinical signs. Our ferret grading scheme may have clinical utility in providing a more objective, consistent evaluation of IBD in ferrets.
Highlights
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic, chronic, inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract affecting multiple species, including cats, dogs, and humans.[6,18,28] virtually unheard of a decade ago, IBD is considered the most common, yet poorly described, disease in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo).[4]
IBD is usually diagnosed in ferrets > 1 y old, and many ferrets are asymptomatic or demonstrate only subtle signs of illness that are often overlooked by the owners.[4,5,16]
By searching the databases at Zoo/Exotic Pathology Service (Carmichael, CA) and Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), we identified 61 cases in which intestinal biopsy samples had been taken in ferrets and a diagnosis of IBD had been reached
Summary
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic, chronic, inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract affecting multiple species, including cats, dogs, and humans.[6,18,28] virtually unheard of a decade ago, IBD is considered the most common, yet poorly described, disease in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo).[4] IBD is usually diagnosed in ferrets > 1 y old, and many ferrets are asymptomatic or demonstrate only subtle signs of illness that are often overlooked by the owners.[4,5,16] Clinical signs of IBD are nausea (manifested by bruxism and drooling); anorexia; chronic weight loss; green-to-brown, mucoid-to-“birdseed” (“seeds” represent undigested globules of fat and proteins) diarrhea; melena; proctitis; and rectal prolapse.[4,16] If untreated, IBD can progress to lymphoma.[4,5] The distinction between IBD and lymphoma necessitates histologic analysis, and, in more severe cases of IBD, it may require the aid of immunohistochemistry.[29]
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