A case of infundibular cyst with neutrophil cannibalism by squamous cells in a dog.

Abstract

A 6-years and 6-months-old, neutered male mongrel dog had a skin mass between the left eye and nose. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the mass revealed giant epithelial cells containing many neutrophils in the cytoplasm. The mass was excised and histopathologically diagnosed as an infundibular cyst with giant epithelial-like cells containing neutrophils in part of the lumen. The giant cells were immunopositive for cytokeratin and immunonegative for vimentin. Cell cannibalism is a cell engulfing phenomenon in which a cell incorporates either the same or a different type of cell and the incorporated cells are degenerate or necrotic. In this case, epithelial cells in the lumen of the cyst incorporated neutrophils, which corresponds to neutrophil cannibalism by squamous epithelial cells.