Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Giant cell hepatitis withinfection in a Japanese domestic cat.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Kobayashi, Natsumi et al.
- Affiliation:
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology · Japan
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old spayed female mixed-breed cat became very tired and stopped eating, which led to weight loss and watery diarrhea before she sadly passed away. Tests showed that her liver enzymes were elevated and she had mild anemia. After her death, a thorough examination revealed that her liver was yellow and had dark red spots, and the liver cells showed signs of severe damage and unusual cell growth, leading to a diagnosis of giant cell hepatitis (a serious liver condition). Additionally, parasites called flukes were found in her bile ducts, which were similar to those found in Southeast Asia and South America. Unfortunately, despite the findings, the outcome was not favorable, as she did not survive.
Abstract
A 6-y-old, spayed female, mixed-breed cat developed anorexia, weight loss, and watery diarrhea, and later died. Elevated liver enzyme activities and mild anemia were present antemortem. Generalized jaundice and a diffusely yellow liver with dark-red foci were noted at postmortem examination. Cytologically, hepatocytes contained abundant fine-to-large vacuoles, and multinucleate giant hepatocytes were present. Histologically, the liver had severe centrilobular necrosis, severe biliary congestion, and multinucleation of hepatocytes, leading to the diagnosis of giant cell hepatitis. In addition, flukes present in bile ducts were identified asby morphologic and molecular analyses. These flukes were genetically similar toin Southeast Asia and South America.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40878627/