Hepatic Encephalopathy Associated With Hepatic Lipidosis in Llamas (Lama glama)

Abstract

Hepatic encephalopathy has been listed as a differential for llamas displaying neurologic signs, but it has not been histopathologically described. This report details the neurologic histopathologic findings associated with 3 cases of hepatic lipidosis with concurrent neurologic signs and compares them to 3 cases of hepatic lipidosis in the absence of neurologic signs and 3 cases without hepatic lipidosis. Brain from all 3 llamas displaying neurologic signs contained Alzheimer type II cells, which were not detected in either subset of llamas without neurologic signs. Astrocytic immunohistochemical staining intensity for glial fibrillary acid protein was decreased in llamas with neurologic signs as compared to 2 of 3 llamas with hepatic lipidosis and without neurologic signs and to 2 of 3 llamas without hepatic lipidosis. Immunohistochemical staining for S100 did not vary between groups. These findings suggest that hepatic encephalopathy may be associated with hepatic lipidosis in llamas.

Camelidae

“…Secondary hepatoencephalopathy associated with lipidosis has been described in llamas. Alzheimer type II astrocytosis in the cerebrum and to a lesser extent in the hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebellum are present in affected animals (Pillitteri and Craig, 2012). Decreased astrocytic immunohistochemical labelling intensity for glial fibrillary acid protein is seen in the brains of neurological llamas with hepatic dysfunction.…”

Congenital portosystemic shunts and hepatic encephalopathy in goat kids in California

“…30 In all species, the microscopic lesions consist of spongy changes due to intramyelinic edema resulting in splitting and vacuolation of myelin sheaths, and the presence of Alzheimer type II astrocytes, the latter being found only in horses, goats, and llamas with hepatic failure. 9,21,29,30 Though one would expect to observe episodic prosencephalic signs in HE, there is only a single report of hepatic encephalomyelopathy in a calf exhibiting only cervical spinal cord signs with portosystemic shunts and CNS lesions characterized by extensive dilation of the myelin sheaths. 9 In the current study, while spongy change is a common feature in all goats, abnormal astrocytes were seen in only 4 animals.…”