A case of mixed granulomatous inflammation in a turkey hen

Abstract

Granulomatous inflammation may be caused in birds either by various infectious diseases (with the formation of Langhans type giant cells) or by the presence in different tissues and organs of foreign bodies (with the formation of Muller type giant cells), the most common being uric acid crystals in gout. We examined the cadaver of a two year old turkey hen that had multiple yellowish-white nodular formations located in the liver. Histopathological examination showed that these were formed mainly through an infectious type granulomatous inflammation caused by a chronic colibacillosis with the presence of bacterial colonies and necrotic debris in the center and Langhans giant cells with foamy cytoplasm. The liver also had early stage foreign body granulomas caused by the precipitation of uric acid crystals in the parenchyma. We were then able to establish that the bird suffered from both coligranulomatosis and also visceral gout, as a consequence of improper microclimate and feeding parameters. It is uncommon to find both types of granulomatous inflammations in the same patient or even in the same organ. The tophy gout had not yet started to form Muller type giant cells, but still, the architecture of the granulomas was clear enough to be compared to the adiacent infectious type one.