Jacobson Elliott R, Berry Kristin H, Stacy Brian, Huzella Louis M, Kalasinsky Victor F, Fleetwood Michelle L, Mense Mark G
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2009 Oct;45(4):982-8. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-45.4.982.
We necropsied a moribund, wild adult male desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) with clinical signs of respiratory disease and elevated plasma biochemical analytes indicative of renal disease (blood urea nitrogen [415 mg/dl], uric acid [11.8 mg/dl], sodium [>180 mmol/l] and chloride [139 mmol/l]). Moderate numbers of birefringent oxalate crystals, based on infrared and electron microscopy, were present within renal tubules; small numbers were seen in colloid within thyroid follicles. A retrospective analysis of 66 additional cases of wild desert tortoises was conducted to determine whether similar crystals were present in thyroid and kidney. The tortoises, from the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, were necropsied between 1992 and 2003 and included juveniles and adults. Tortoises were classified as healthy (those that died due to trauma and where no disease was identified after necropsy and evaluation by standard laboratory tests used for other tortoises) or not healthy (having one or more diseases or lesions). For all 67 necropsied tortoises, small numbers of crystals of similar appearance were present in thyroid glands from 44 of 54 cases (81%) and in kidneys from three of 65 cases (5%). Presence of oxalates did not differ significantly between healthy and unhealthy tortoises, between age classes, or between desert region, and their presence was considered an incidental finding. Small numbers of oxalate crystals seen within the kidney of two additional tortoises also were considered an incidental finding. Although the source of the calcium oxalate could not be determined, desert tortoises are herbivores, and a plant origin seems most likely. Studies are needed to evaluate the oxalate content of plants consumed by desert tortoises, and particularly those in the area where the tortoise in renal failure was found.
我们对一只濒死的野生成年雄性沙漠陆龟（阿加西氏陆龟）进行了尸检，该陆龟有呼吸系统疾病的临床症状，血浆生化分析物升高表明存在肾脏疾病（血尿素氮[415毫克/分升]、尿酸[11.8毫克/分升]、钠[>180毫摩尔/升]和氯[139毫摩尔/升]）。基于红外和电子显微镜观察，肾小管内存在中等数量的双折射草酸盐晶体；在甲状腺滤泡内的胶体中也发现了少量晶体。我们对另外66例野生沙漠陆龟病例进行了回顾性分析，以确定甲状腺和肾脏中是否存在类似晶体。这些陆龟来自莫哈韦沙漠和索诺兰沙漠，于1992年至2003年间进行了尸检，包括幼年和成年个体。陆龟被分类为健康（因外伤死亡且尸检和通过用于其他陆龟的标准实验室检测未发现疾病）或不健康（患有一种或多种疾病或病变）。在所有67只接受尸检的陆龟中，54例中的44例（81%）甲状腺中存在少量外观相似的晶体，65例中的3例（5%）肾脏中存在此类晶体。草酸盐的存在在健康和不健康陆龟之间、不同年龄组之间或不同沙漠区域之间没有显著差异，其存在被视为偶然发现。另外两只陆龟肾脏内发现的少量草酸盐晶体也被视为偶然发现。尽管无法确定草酸钙的来源，但沙漠陆龟是食草动物，其来源似乎最有可能是植物。需要开展研究来评估沙漠陆龟食用植物中的草酸盐含量，特别是在发现肾衰竭陆龟的区域的植物。
