Congenital polycystic kidney disease in lambs

Abstract

AIM: To describe the pathology and inheritance of a congenital polycystic kidney disease (PKD) of sheep.

METHODS: Mode of inheritance of PKD was investigated by evaluation of results of the disorder from planned matings in two consecutive years within subsets of a flock that had a high prevalence of PKD in lambs. Gross pathological and histopath- ological studies were based on tissues derived from this study. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained paraffin sections of kidney, liver, extrahepatic biliary and pancreatic ducts, pancreas and epididymis were used to describe the lesions.

RESULTS: Twenty-five lambs affected by PKD, of both sexes, were born, numbers in accord with those expected for an autosomal recessive disorder in the population studied. In all cases for which tissues were available, the renal, bile ductal (intrahepatic and extrahepatic), pancreatic and epididymal tissues had widespread dysplastic changes and associated cyst formation.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of renal cysts in conjunction with cysts in other organs are unifying features in many of the human and animal forms of PKD and suggest a related pathogenic and genetic base consistent with an autosomal recessive disorder.

KEY WORDS:

• Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease
• sheep
• congenital
• kidney
• liver
• extrahepatic biliary ducts
• pancreatic ducts
• pancreas
• epididymis

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge and thank Mrs PM Davy and Mrs E Lupton for the preparation of histological sections, and Mr P Jessop for the day-to-day management of the sheep flock. The willing cooperation of the owners of Flocks A and B is gratefully acknowledged.

Notes

¹ LM Griffiths, Riverside Veterinary Clinic, Ashburton, New Zealand