Biasato I, Biasibetti E, Biagini D, Bruatto G, Cenacchi G, Guarda F, Capucchio MT. Spontaneously occurring intramural coronary arteriosclerosis in regularly slaughtered veal calves and beef cattle: a screening study about prevalence and histopathological features.
J Vet Cardiol 2018;
20:55-63. [PMID:
29371083 DOI:
10.1016/j.jvc.2017.12.001]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Intramural coronary arteriosclerosis has been reported in several species, but no systematic studies are currently available in bovine. The present study aimed to describe the arteriosclerotic changes in regularly slaughtered veal calves and beef cattle.
ANIMALS
Twenty-five veal calves (6-9 months old) and 17 beef cattle (10-24 months old) housed in intensive livestock farming and regularly slaughtered were included in the present study.
METHODS
Selected heart samples were submitted for histopathological and ultrastructural examination and the following parameters were evaluated: intimal hyperplasia, degenerative changes of the tunica media, medial hypertrophy/hyperplasia, myocardial fibrosis, and myocarditis. Pathological intramural coronary arteries with and without lumen narrowing were manually counted in every sample.
RESULTS
Intramural coronary arteriosclerosis was observed in all the calves and cattle, with similar prevalence of fibromuscular/muscular intimal hyperplasia (92% vs 88%), degenerative changes of the tunica media (76% vs 71%), and medial hypertrophy/hyperplasia (44% vs 59%). The posterior papillary muscle of the left ventricle was the myocardial localization significantly more affected in both calves (p = 0.0007) and cattle (p = 0.0339). Anitschkow cells were detected in the coronary walls of both calves (60%) and cattle (76%).
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study that systematically describes spontaneously occurring intramural coronary arteriosclerosis in bovine species. Anitschkow cells, whose ultrastructural characteristics and localization suggest their potential origin from the smooth muscle cells of the tunica media of the arteriosclerotic coronary vessels, were also identified.
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