The impact of environmental lead exposure on Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus): Pathological and immunohistochemical studies

• Published in: BULGARIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
• Main Authors: M. S. Ahmed, M. S. El-Neweshy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria 2021
• Subjects: : immunohistochemistry; japan; lead shots; lead poisoning; pathology; whooper swan; Veterinary medicine; SF600-1100; Cygnus cygnus; Whooper Swan
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.15547/bjvm.2019-0033; https://doaj.org/article/9faf50571a254ffc92324487ee64636e

This study was carried out to investigate the pathology of environmental lead (Pb) poisoning in Whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus). A number of 12 out 54 swans (22.2%) randomly collected from Honshu, Japan from June 2005 to July 2007 were affected with Pb poisoning. Affected swans showed stained vent with greenish watery diarrhoea and impacted crop. The presence of Pb shots in the gizzard (50%) was confirmed by X-ray, and all cases showed a dark greenish coloured liver. Micro-scopically, the pathology of Pb poisoning in swans was multisystemic. The severity of the lesions was the highest in the CNS followed by the liver, kidney, spleen, lungs, gizzard, heart, bone marrow re-spectively and was the least in the peripheral nervous system. CNS lesions were cerebral haemorrhage, malacia, and spongiosis with astrocytic activation and increased neurofilaments accumulations. In addition, there were hepatic and renal hemosiderosis and apoptosis, hepatic granuloma, interstitial pneumonia, gizzard and myocardial necrosis and bone marrow hypoplasia. Chemical analysis of the Pb content in liver and kidneys ranged from 8.18 to 60.6 µg/g, respectively. The extent and severity of lesions varied among individuals and were mostly dose-dependent. Finally, these findings improved the diagnostic procedure of Pb poisoning in free-living Whooper swans.