Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Vet Pathol. 2012 May;49(3):503-7. doi: 10.1177/0300985811419530. Epub 2011 Sep 7.
A series of 11 pituitary tumors in budgerigars were classified on the basis of their clinical, gross, microscopic, and immunohistochemical characteristics. Affected birds were young to middle-aged. Clinically, neurologic signs--including difficulties flying, ataxia, and blindness--were most commonly reported. Additional clinical signs included weight loss, abnormal feathers or molting, increased respiratory efforts, and exophthalmos. Nine birds were diagnosed with chromophobic pituitary adenomas, and 2 birds had chromophobic pituitary carcinomas. Only 1 tumor was delimited to the pituitary gland; the other 10 variably invaded the brain, skull, and retrobulbar space. Distant metastases were identified in 2 birds. All tumors were immunohistochemically strongly positive for growth hormone, consistent with the diagnosis of somatotroph tumors. The common occurrence and early onset may suggest a genetic predisposition of budgerigars to develop somatotroph pituitary tumors with a high incidence of local invasion and with metastatic potential.
根据临床、大体病理、显微镜和免疫组织化学特征，对 11 例虎皮鹦鹉的垂体瘤进行了分类。受影响的鸟类为幼龄至中年。临床上，最常报告的神经症状包括飞行困难、共济失调和失明。其他临床症状包括体重减轻、羽毛异常或换羽、呼吸急促和眼球突出。9 只鸟被诊断为嫌色性垂体腺瘤，2 只鸟患有嫌色性垂体腺癌。只有 1 个肿瘤局限于垂体；其他 10 个肿瘤不同程度地侵犯了大脑、颅骨和眶后间隙。2 只鸟有远处转移。所有肿瘤的生长激素免疫组织化学染色均为强阳性，符合生长激素细胞瘤的诊断。虎皮鹦鹉常见且发病早，这可能表明它们存在遗传易感性，容易发生具有高局部侵袭性和潜在转移性的生长激素细胞瘤。
