Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

• Main Authors: J.S. Biava, R.C. Gonçalves, M.L. Javorouski, M. Bonat, O. Lacerda, P.S. Murakami, R.G.D.C. Vilani, A.W. Biondo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 2014-12-01
• Series: Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia
• Subjects: antas; diagnóstico; endoscopia; tuberculose
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-09352014000601643&lng=en&tlng=en

This paper describes the in vivo Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) technique by endoscopy in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) with clinical signs of tuberculosis. The technique was performed in two tapirs, male and female, from Curitiba Zoo, Paraná, Brazil. A flexible endoscope and a polyethylene catheter were used after the chemical restraint of the animals. For BAL technique, 60mL of saline 0.9% were infused with a polyethylene catheter, introduced by the endoscope's working channel, and 15mL of BAL were recovered, analyzed and submitted to cytocentrifugation. Slides were stained by Papanicolaou, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Ziehl-Neelsen methods contained high quantity of inflammatory cells on light microscopy (macrophages 27.5%, lymphocytes 0.5%, neutrophis 67% and eosinophis 5%). BAL samples were submitted to culture, bacilloscopy and PCR and were negative for both animals. Based on this study, it was concluded that the bronchoalveolar lavage technique in tapirs is feasible, simple, noninvasive, practical and fast, providing an important clinical information in vivo regarding the functional status of the lower respiratory tract.