Neoplasia in 125 donkeys (Equus asinus): literature review and a survey of five veterinary schools in the United States and Canada.
Abstract: A diagnosis of neoplasia was noted in 125 of 357 donkeys (35%) in our review of medical records from 5 veterinary schools in the United States and Canada. Equine sarcoid was the most common tumor in our study, accounting for 72% of all tumors and 82% of cutaneous tumors. Soft-tissue sarcomas were the second most common skin tumors. All other types of neoplasia were rare. Important differences in the occurrence of neoplasia in donkeys compared to horses included the rarity or absence of squamous cell carcinoma in any organ system and gray horse melanoma. Lymphosarcoma, the most common malignant tumor in horses, appears to be very rare in donkeys. We report several tumors in donkeys including melanocytoma, peripheral nerve sheath tumor, and gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Our data demonstrate commonalities as well as differences in neoplastic diseases of donkeys and horses. Understanding differences in carcinogenesis among these 2 closely related species can inform researchers pursuing pathogenic mechanisms of equine disease and inform veterinary diagnosticians regarding tumor prevalence.
© 2016 The Author(s).
Publication Date: 2016-10-03 PubMed ID: 27698162DOI: 10.1177/1040638716665659Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Review
Summary
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This study reviews medical records of 357 donkeys from five veterinary schools in the US and Canada and found that 35% of them were diagnosed with neoplasia, or new, abnormal growth of tissue. The most common tumor found was equine sarcoid, especially among skin tumors. There were also notable differences in the prevalence of certain cancers between donkeys and horses.
Research Methodology
- The authors reviewed medical records of 357 donkeys from five veterinary schools in United States and Canada.
- They were especially interested in cases denoted neoplasia, a condition involving abnormal tissue growth.
Research Findings
- Neoplasia was found in 35% of the donkeys, indicating that it’s a significant health concern for this species.
- The most common type of tumor found was the equine sarcoid, making up 72% of all tumors and 82% of skin tumors.
- Soft-tissue sarcomas were the next most frequently occurring skin tumors.
- Most other types of neoplasia were uncommon.
Differences Between Donkeys and Horses
- Notably, some types of cancer found in horses were rare or non-existent in donkeys. Squamous cell carcinomas, in particular, were not observed in donkey’s any organ system.
- The gray horse melanoma was also not seen in donkeys.
- Lymphosarcoma, a malignant tumor that’s very common in horses, seems to be rare in donkeys.
New Tumors Identified
- The study also reported several new tumor types in donkeys including melanocytoma, peripheral nerve sheath tumor, and gastrointestinal stromal tumor.
Conclusions and Implications
- The researchers conclude that while there are similarities, there are significant differences in neoplastic diseases between donkeys and horses.
- These differences in cancer incidence could inform further research into the mechanisms of equine disease.
- The information on tumor prevalence could assist veterinary diagnosticians in identifying potential health issues in donkeys.
Cite This Article
APA
Davis CR, Valentine BA, Gordon E, McDonough SP, Schaffer PA, Allen AL, Pesavento P.
(2016).
Neoplasia in 125 donkeys (Equus asinus): literature review and a survey of five veterinary schools in the United States and Canada.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 28(6), 662-670.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638716665659 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento) cdavis.pathology@yahoo.com.
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento).
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento).
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento).
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento).
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento).
- Private pathology practice, Maupin, OR (Davis)College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (Valentine, Gordon)College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonough)Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Schaffer)Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Allen)Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA (Pesavento).
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Canada
- Equidae
- Horse Diseases / classification
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Neoplasms / classification
- Neoplasms / epidemiology
- Neoplasms / etiology
- Neoplasms / veterinary
- Prevalence
- Schools, Veterinary
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- United States
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- El-Shafaey ES, Hamed M, Amin Y, Alkhodair KM, Shousha S, Aljazzar A, El Sebaei MG, Mosbah E. Neoplastic and non-neoplastic swellings of the external genitalia in horses and donkeys: clinical, histopathological, and treatment outcomes. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1613601.
- Wang Z, Zeng S, Wang Y, Wang T, Qu H, Zhu Y, Li J. Reproductive Disorders in Donkeys: Current Evidence and Update. Animals (Basel) 2024 Aug 28;14(17).
- Paraschou G, Xue C, Egan R, Bolfa P. Multicentric lymphoma in a donkey with intestinal and bone marrow involvement. BMC Vet Res 2024 Feb 15;20(1):57.
- Kondratjeva J, Julien F, Coutelier C, Humeau L, Moog F, Combarros D, Fourquaux I, Pressanti C, Delverdier M, Moore PF, Cadiergues MC. Cutaneous epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma in a donkey - a case report. BMC Vet Res 2022 Jul 11;18(1):267.
- Unger L, Abril C, Gerber V, Jagannathan V, Koch C, Hamza E. Diagnostic potential of three serum microRNAs as biomarkers for equine sarcoid disease in horses and donkeys. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Jan;35(1):610-619.
- Lima TS, Silva RAF, Pereira RMF, Soares KL, Santos NTA, Sousa MS, Mendonça FS, Lucena RB. Skin Diseases in Donkeys and Mules-An Update. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 31;11(1).
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