Assessment of urinary metanephrine and normetanephrine fractionation analyses as aids in the antemortem diagnosis of pheochromocytomas in clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa).
Peter A Sojka, Andrew Cushing, Laura Martinelli, Heather Schwartz, Xiaojuan Zhu, Edward C Ramsay
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To examine the normetanephrine- and metanephrine-to-creatinine urinary fractionation ratios of clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) at various ages. We hypothesized that clouded leopards with large metanephrine- and/or normetanephrine-to-creatinine fractionation ratios would have a pheochromocytoma on postmortem examination. Those subjects with comparatively smaller fractionation ratios would not have a pheochromocytoma on postmortem examination.
Methods: Clouded leopards housed at a zoological institution or sanctuary were included in this study. Patients were examined within a hospital environment. All samples were obtained from January 2020 through August 2021. Urine was collected from patients by direct free catch, cystocentesis, or urinary catheterization and analyzed for metanephrine- and normetanephrine-to-creatinine fractionation ratios. Postmortem examinations were performed on animals that died naturally or were euthanized for various comorbidities to determine if a pheochromocytoma was present.
Results: This experimental study included 1- to 16-year-old clouded leopards, 11 male and 6 female, managed under human care. The 2 clouded leopards in this study with normetanephrine- or metanephrine-to-creatinine fractionation ratios greater than 4 times the high end of the ranges identified in the subjects of this study had confirmed pheochromocytomas on postmortem examination.
Conclusions: Normetanephrine- and metanephrine-to-creatinine fractionation testing may be useful tools in the antemortem diagnosis of pheochromocytomas in clouded leopards.
Clinical relevance: Normetanephrine- and metanephrine-to-creatinine fractionation testing may provide a minimally invasive antemortem method of screening for pheochromocytomas in clouded leopards. Quantitative studies are needed to determine if this testing is consistently able to diagnose pheochromocytoma in live clouded leopards.
期刊介绍：
The American Journal of Veterinary Research supports the collaborative exchange of information between researchers and clinicians by publishing novel research findings that bridge the gulf between basic research and clinical practice or that help to translate laboratory research and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials and clinical practice. The journal welcomes submission of high-quality original studies and review articles in a wide range of scientific fields, including anatomy, anesthesiology, animal welfare, behavior, epidemiology, genetics, heredity, infectious disease, molecular biology, oncology, pharmacology, pathogenic mechanisms, physiology, surgery, theriogenology, toxicology, and vaccinology. Species of interest include production animals, companion animals, equids, exotic animals, birds, reptiles, and wild and marine animals. Reports of laboratory animal studies and studies involving the use of animals as experimental models of human diseases are considered only when the study results are of demonstrable benefit to the species used in the research or to another species of veterinary interest. Other fields of interest or animals species are not necessarily excluded from consideration, but such reports must focus on novel research findings. Submitted papers must make an original and substantial contribution to the veterinary medicine knowledge base; preliminary studies are not appropriate.
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