Open AccessSpontaneous Neoplasms in Captive African Cane Rats (Thryonomys swinderianus Temminck, 1827)
Author(s) -
Ferrán Jori,
John E. Cooper
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
veterinary pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.794
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1544-2217
pISSN - 0300-9858
DOI - 10.1354/vp.38-5-556
Subject(s) - captivity , cane , biology , medicine , incidence (geometry) , veterinary medicine , zoology , pathology , biochemistry , sugar , physics , optics
Despite the increasing importance of cane rat ( Thryonomys swinderianus) farming in Africa, diseases of these animals in captivity are not well known. A survey of a colony in Gabon averaging 235 cane rats over a period of 36 months allowed the observation of several suspected tumors and the confirmation of three cases of neoplasms. Within a period of 8 months, a chondroma in an adult female, a hemangiosarcoma in a subadult male, and a chondrosarcoma in an elderly female were diagnosed. This incidence (1.3%) of neoplasms in the cane rat colony in such a short period is uncommon. Neoplasms in rodents might be induced by such factors as a high inbreeding coefficient, an oncogenic virus, or chemical agent intoxication. Although the etiology remains undetermined, these cases are described to provide baseline data on the pathology of this species in captivity.