The Use of Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells in the Treatment of a Comminuted Tibiotarsal Fracture in a Juvenile Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata).

An adult red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) presented with a comminuted fracture of the tibiotarsus and fibula. Surgery was performed, and a type II external fixator, with 2 distal and 2 proximal pins, was used to stabilize the fracture. After a 10-day stabilization period, the bird developed a second fracture on the same bone, proximal to the first fracture site. Another surgery was performed on the seriema similar to the first one. However, in this second surgical procedure a single pin, instead of 2 perpendicular pins, was placed proximally to the fracture site. After the second surgical procedure, bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) from the seriema's left ulna were collected. Twenty-seven days after the second surgery, the BMSCs were transplanted, into the fracture sites. Twenty-four days after the stem cells were injected into the fractures (51 days after the second surgical procedure), radiographic images revealed healing bone calluses at the fracture sites. The fracture healing was relatively long for this case (a total of 75 days). The addition of bone marrow stem cell therapy to the use of external fixation may have contributed to the healing observed radiographically 24 days after administration; therefore, bone marrow stem cell therapy, in addition to traditional surgical fracture reduction and stabilization, may be a promising therapeutic approach for avian cases with similar injuries and bone anatomy. However, as this is a single case, this therapeutic modality deserves further application and study. Moreover, we suggest modifications in the bone marrow stem cell collection and therapy, which may be useful for future studies and application involving birds.