LUCRĂRI ŞTIINłIFICE MEDICINĂ VETERINARĂ VOL. XLII (2), 2009, TIMIŞOARA
HISTOPATHOLOGIC ASPECTS OF KIDNEYS IN YOUNG PIGS
M. COMAN, I. OLARIU-JURCA, A. STANCU, ALINA COMAN
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Timisoara
Calea Aradului No. 119, 300645, Timisoara, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
Summary
Kidney’s histostructural research in pigs during the first 4-5 days of life has pointed
out glomerular lesions, tubulogranular nephrosis and diffuse and circumscribed collagen
formations.
In pigs having 4 or 8 weeks of age was noticed acute glomerular nephritis (serous,
cystic, hemorrhagic) interstitial lymphohistiocystic hyperplasia, atrophies and/or cystisation of
the urinary tubes, urinary retention cysts.
Renal glomerular injury influences also interstitial morphofunctional integrity and its
injury have consequences upon the whole nephron which causes lethal kidney failure.
Key words: histopathologic aspects, kidneys, young pigs
Swine biological productive potential is closely related to several factors
which contribute in maintaining a good state of health which is indispensable in
obtaining a high productivity level (1, 7).
Neuroendocrinologic disturbances, intoxications, toxic infections and
infections which cause alterations of the chemism and morphology of the blood, are
seen in the urinary tract, firstly by alteration of the extremely fragile nephrons
(dystrophies, circulatory disturbances , inflammations, etc) as well as by the injury
of the renal pelvis and urinary bladder mucosa (5, 7, 9).
Materials and methods
Research was done in a pig farm situated in Timis country, where was
noticed a high frequency of the renal lesions, fact which justifies the high mortality
percentage immediately after birth and up to the age of 60 days. An autoimmune
nephritis was suspected. Research was done on abortions and on pigs of different
ages to which were carried out detailed microscopic examinations, followed by
sampling of specimens for the lab research.
A number of 5 samples were taken from abortions, 7 samples from pigs 34 days of age, 9 samples from pigs 3-4 weeks of age and 9 samples from pigs
having 8 weeks of age. Samples taken from the kidney were fixed in 80 degrees
alcohol solution and paraffin - embedded, sectioning into 6 micrometers and
staining by usually techniques used in lab (HEA, Giemsa).
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LUCRĂRI ŞTIINłIFICE MEDICINĂ VETERINARĂ VOL. XLII (2), 2009, TIMIŞOARA
Results and discussions
Pigs 4-5 days of age: it was pointed out the hypertrophy of the cortical
area with the presence of some micro-cavities in which the vascular squat were
reduced or absent (figure 1).
In the medullar area there were identified massive collagen formations. In
the connective tissue mass were noticed urinary tubes containing necrotic epithelia
which were exfoliated from the basal membrane. Interstitially, it was identified a rich
number of leukocyte infiltration (figure 2).
During the first days besides the pathogenic agents (biotic, nutritional,
immunologic and hereditary) the cold, as a microclimate parameter had an
essential part in the mortality growth in suckling piglets during their first days of life
(1, 2, 8).
Pigs having 4 or 8 weeks of age: in the renal cortical area were identified
hypertrophied renal corpuscles by the appearance of serous exudates into the
glomerular space while he vascular squat were atrophied (serous glomerular
nephritis) (figure 5). Gradually, the inflammation can be converted into chronic
cystic glomerular nephritis. The adjacent urinary tubes showed degenerated and
necrotic epithelia.
In other case was found intercapillary hemorrhagic glomerulitis showed by
congestion, hypertrophy of the capillary endothelium and their thromboses
(hemorrhagic glomerular nephritis). The lesion was frequently seen in swine being
specific in acute form of the roseola (figure 4).
Renal interstitials were enlarged, inside their mass were identified
lymphatic histocystic infiltrations circumscribed and diffuse, which compressed the
urinary adjacent tubes. Renal epithelia were degenerated and necrotic as observed
in the tube’s lumen (epithelial tubulonephritis) (figure 6).
In the last decades the theories concerning the etiology of the nephritis
brought up proves sustained by some immune components whose role often
exceeded infections or toxic agents.
Having a practical importance, nephropathies, by the accumulation of
immune circulatory complexes, forms by the antigen coupling with the antibody and
sometimes with the object (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9).
In the pig’s pathology, the stress problem is of great importance while
intensive growth. Weaning stress might have as a result the lowering of the body
resistance facilitating the appearance of the contagious diseases, while the
containment stress might have an influence also on the immune system. The
research done indicated that there are more sensitive to stress pigs from meat
races which have difficulties to adapt even when they are put to a minor effort (1, 2,
7).
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LUCRĂRI ŞTIINłIFICE MEDICINĂ VETERINARĂ VOL. XLII (2), 2009, TIMIŞOARA
Fig.1. Kidney of one day old pig;
Hypertrophy of the Cortical Area; microcavities
Fig.2. Kidney of one day old pig;
Interstitial Medullar Connective
Hyperplasia
Fig.3. Kidney of a four weeks old pig;
Interstitial Infiltration;
Tubuloepithelial Nephritis
Fig.4. Kidney of eight weeks old pig;
Intracapillary Hemorrhagic Glomerular
Nephritis
Fig.5. Kidney of eight weeks old pig;
Serous Glomerular nephritis
Fig.6. Kidney of eight weeks old pig;
Urinary Retention Cysts
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LUCRĂRI ŞTIINłIFICE MEDICINĂ VETERINARĂ VOL. XLII (2), 2009, TIMIŞOARA
Conclusions
In pigs during their first 4-5 days of life was noticed the hypertrophy and
cystisation of the renal glomerules, granular dystrophy and necrosis in the
contorted tubes followed by the collagen formation, last one being more frequent in
the medullar area.
Renal hysteostructure in pigs having 4 or 8 weeks of age indicated acute
lesion of glomerular nephritis (serous, cystic, and hemorrhagic) hysterocytsic
interstitial hyperplasia with atrophy and/or the cystisation of urine tubes, cysts of
urinary retention.
The renal glomerular lesion influences also the morphofunctional integrity
of interstice and its lesion has consequences upon the entire nephron, causing
lethal kidney failure.
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