Folia Veterinaria 1/1998

Vol. 42, No. 1, 1998

MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL CASES OF CHRONIC CADMIUM POISONING IN PREGNANT SHEEP

Stoev, S. D., Manov, V, Vassilev, N.*

Department of Pathomorphology
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Thracian University
Students campus
6000 Stara Zagora
Bulgaria

* Department of Midwifery and Gynaecology
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Thracian University
Students campus
6000 Stara Zagora
Bulgaria

Summary

An experiment was made to reproduce chronic cadmium intoxiçation during the pregnancy of three-year-old sheep by weekly trating (per os) with 1.2 mg/kg b. w. cadmium chloridum during a period of 6 months. Morphological investigations were made of the internal organs and uterus in the sheep killed at the end of the 6-month period as well as of the foetuses after abortions observed at the beginning of the fifth month of the pregnancy in all pregnant sheep.
Macroscopically a pronouced hyperaemia in the liver, kidney, brain envelopes and mesenterium, as well single haemorrhages on the epicardium, and oedema in the lung were established. Histological examination showed that the major lesions were observed in the kidneys: endothelial and slight mesangial proliferation in the glomeruli, and granular or hydropic degeneration in the epithelium of proximal convoluted tubules. Granular or vacuolar degeneration in the hepatocytes, pericapillary oedema, perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration, activation of capillary endothelium and Kupffer cells were the main changes in the liver. Oedema and degenerative changes were observed in the brain, Purkinje's cells and the molecular layer of the cerebellum. Hyperplasia and proliferation of alveolar epithelial cells and perivascular or peribronchial mononuclear cell infiltration wcre established in the lung. Degenerative changes were observed in the medulla and zona glomerularis of the adrenal glands.
The damage described in internal organs were observed also in the aborted foetuses, but degenerative and circulatory changes were predominant. A chronic fibrous endometritis and a lot of siderocytes were established in the uterus of most of the aborted sheep.

Key words: cadmium intoxication; pathomorphological investigation; pregnant sheep

References

Folia Veterinaria / 1998