Suspected lymphoid leukosis visceral lymphoma with intestinal and ovarian involvement in a chicken
Thomas Salles Dias, Taís da Silva Lopes Chagas, Davi Lemos Monteiro, Carlos Henrique Campello Costa, Aniesse Siva Aguiar, Dayse Lima da Costa AbreuAbstract
An adult hen from a small poultry flock was submitted for diagnostic investigation because of nonspecific clinical disease and suspected neoplasia. At necropsy, the bird had ascites, splenomegaly, severe intestinal adhesions, nodular intestinal lesions and ovarian masses. Histopathology revealed extensive infiltration of the intestinal mucosa, serosa, muscular layers, ovary and adjacent coelomic adipose tissue by monomorphic lymphoid cells. The intestinal mucosa had oedema, glandular obliteration and villous blunting, while the ovary was markedly effaced by similar lymphoid cells, with a remnant ovarian follicle. The microscopic findings were compatible with lymphoid leukosis. However, because immunohistochemistry and molecular testing were not performed, the diagnosis was considered morphologically compatible rather than aetiologically confirmed. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of avian visceral neoplasms in small poultry flocks and reinforces the importance of histopathology in distinguishing lymphoid neoplasia from metastatic carcinoma and infectious granulomatous disease.