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Rickets in a Thoroughbred-cross foal: case report and review of the literature.
Abstract: Rickets is a metabolic bone disease associated with failure of endochondral ossification and impaired osteoid mineralization in growing animals. As a consequence, affected individuals can develop gross and microscopic bone malformations. The most common causes of rickets in domestic species include vitamin D and phosphorus deficiency. Rickets has been described in multiple species; however, comprehensive postmortem characterizations with confirmatory histopathology in equids have not been published. A 6-mo-old, Thoroughbred-cross foal was diagnosed with rickets based on gross autopsy findings and microscopic examination of the ribs and long bones. Grossly, all costochondral junctions of the ribs were enlarged with a "rachitic rosary" appearance, and there were multiple fracture calluses in the rib bodies. Epiphyses and metaphyses of the long bones appeared widened on sagittal section, and their physes were irregularly thickened. Histologically, there were poorly organized columns of hypertrophic chondrocytes within the physes of affected bones, islands of chondrocytes embedded within the primary and secondary spongiosa, and faintly eosinophilic seams of poorly mineralized osteoid within the bone trabeculae. Areas of focally increased osteoclastic activity were observed in some of the sections, perhaps pointing to a more complex metabolic bone disease in a growing animal. Low serum concentrations of calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were detected in an antemortem sample. The pathogenesis of these imbalances was not definitively established, but lack of sunlight exposure, low concentration of vitamin D precursors in the diet (perhaps secondary to malnutrition), or both, were suspected; a genetic basis cannot be ruled out.
Publication Date: 2021-06-23 PubMed ID: 34160312PubMed Central: PMC8366248DOI: 10.1177/10406387211025232Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Case Reports
- Journal Article
- Review
Summary
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The article discusses a case of a six-month-old Thoroughbred-cross foal diagnosed with Rickets, a metabolic bone disease usually caused by deficiency in Vitamin D and phosphorus. The study highlights the characteristic abnormalities and gross features seen in affected animals, along with the altered levels of certain nutrients in the blood.
Understanding Rickets
- Rickets is a metabolic bone disease that hampers the normal process of bone development and mineralization in young animals. Failure of endochondral ossification, a process where cartilage is transformed into bone or bone-like tissue, is one of the significant issues with this disease. Also, the absence or reduced levels of certain critical nutrients, namely vitamin D and phosphorus, often cause Rickets.
Case Details of the Thoroughbred-cross foal
- A detailed postmortem examination of a six-month-old Thoroughbred-cross foal revealed numerous bone malformations, confirming the case of Rickets. The common features included enlargement of costochondral junctions of the ribs creating a “rachitic rosary” appearance, presence of multiple fracture calluses in the ribs, and noticeable widening of epiphyses and metaphyses of the long bones.
- Microscopic findings revealed a poorly organized structure of hypertrophic chondrocytes (specialized cells that produce and maintain cartilage) within the physes of affected bones, along with the presence of these cells embedded within the primary and secondary spongiosa – a soft, sponge-like part of the bone containing marrow and blood vessels.
- Traces of poorly mineralized osteoid bones were also detected. Some sections also showed increased osteoclastic activities – a process that breaks down bone tissues, indicating more complex metabolic imbalance in bones.
Probable Causes and Pathogenesis
- Antemortem examination of the foal revealed low levels of calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood, pointing towards deficiency of these essential constituents leading to the disease.
- The exact cause of these imbalances could not be determined accurately, but some possibilities highlighted include lack of sunlight exposure, lack of Vitamin D precursors in the diet due to malnutrition, or a combination of both. However, a genetic basis driving the onset of the disease was not ruled out.
Cite This Article
APA
Asin J, Murphy BG, Samol MA, Polanco J, Moore JD, Uzal FA.
(2021).
Rickets in a Thoroughbred-cross foal: case report and review of the literature.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 33(5), 987-992.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387211025232 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino branch, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino branch, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino branch, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino branch, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino branch, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California-Davis, CA, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone and Bones
- Calcium
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Rickets / veterinary
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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