RESUMO
We report the occurrence of lung cancer in a six months old lamb of Ouled Djellal breed from Algeria. The main clinical sign was a considerable amount of whitish foamy fluid discharge from the nostrils when the animal head was lowered and the rear end was lifted. The post-mortem examination revealed the presence of enlarged, heavy and edematous lungs with diffuse or foci areas, reddish or white-gray in color. The gross and histological lesions of the lungs were compatible with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Lung adenocarcinoma in sheep is caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and originated from differentiated alveolar type II cells and non-ciliated bronchiolar epithelial Clara cells. We evidenced the expression of the oncogenic JSRV by immunostaining of lung slides with specific antibodies against the JSRV envelope. The viral proteins were expressed only in the tumor cells from the affected areas. As already described in other countries, JSRV-induced lung adenocarcinoma is present in the sheep population in Algeria.
RESUMO
We report clinical and pathological features of enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma (ENA) in one sheep in Algeria. A one-year-old Ouled Djellal sheep from a large herd (~1240 animals), located in Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria, was clinically diagnosed by the presence of persistent seromucous nasal discharge, head shaking, muzzle licking, dyspnoea, exophthalmia and frontal protrusion. The sheep was euthanized, and the necropsy was performed. Gross examination showed soft touch, pinkish-white tumour masses in the nasal cavities with distortion of the turbinates and of the medium septum. According to clinical and pathological findings, the tumour has been defined as a low grade mixed nasal adenocarcinoma, with the presence of tubular and papillary structures. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of ENA in Algeria known to be associated with enzootic nasal tumour virus (ENTV) infection. However, such association requires confirmation by direct and/or indirect viral investigation.