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Passerine dietary iron overload syndrome
Author(s) -
Kincaid Anne L.,
Stoskopf Michael K.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.1430060109
Subject(s) - dietary iron , biology , passerine , spleen , mononuclear phagocyte system , physiology , iron levels , disease , immunology , iron deficiency , pathology , medicine , endocrinology , zoology , anemia
Iron storage disease attributable to dietary iron overload was identified in four genera and seven species of tanagers. Dietary analysis showed iron levels seven‐to 12‐fold above recommended values. The source of the iron was commercial mynah bird diet, a common component of passerine diets, which suggests an alternative interpretation of iron syndromes previously described as idiopathic heritable conditions. Pathologically, the syndrome was characterized by marked iron deposition in hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, and reticuloendothelial cells of the spleen and other tissues. Pathologic, demographic, and clinical data were compatible with a dietary source of iron overload.