Coloidal goiter in Geoffroy’s side-necked turtle (Phrynops geoffroanus)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26605/medvet-v19n2-7148Keywords:
thyroid hyperplasia, histopathology, post mortem diagnosis, cheloniaAbstract
The Geoffroy's side-necked turtle (Phrynops geoffroanus) is a small-sized chelonian widely distributed in Latin America, yet little is known about thyroid dysfunctions in this species. In this context, the objective of this study was to describe a case of colloid goiter in a Geoffroy's side-necked turtle (Phrynops geoffroanus). An adult specimen, with a history of being hit by a vehicle, was necropsied in the morphology department of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte after being rescued by CETAS/RN. During necropsy, a single, multilobulated, dark brown, firm mass, approximately 6 cm in diameter, was noted on the ventral region of the trachea, with a cut surface that was septated and gelatinous. Fragments of the mass were routinely processed for histopathology, and microscopic findings revealed benign hyperplasia of thyroid follicles, which exhibited varying sizes, were filled with eosinophilic amorphous material (colloid), and displayed an epithelium composed of cylindrical thyroid cells, arranged irregularly in one to two layers, projecting into the follicular lumen in discrete projections. These findings were consistent with colloid goiter. To the authors' knowledge, no records of this condition in Geoffroy's side-necked turtles exist. The lesion may constitute a necropsy finding and underscores the importance of proper thyroid evaluation in reptile medicine. Colloid goiter should be included in the differential diagnosis of thyroid tumors in Phrynops geoffroanus.Downloads
References
Allen, A.L. et al. Hyperplasia of the thyroid gland and concurrent musculoskeletal deformities in western Canadian foals: reexamination of a previously described syndrome. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 35(1): 31, 1994.
Bakeer, A.M. et al. Spontaneous Pathological Affections of Thyroid Glands in Different Animal Species with Special Reference to Related Biochemical Parameters. Egyptain Journal of Comparative Pathology and Clinical Pathology, 25(1):131-147, 2012.
Bürgi, H. Iodine excess. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, (24):107–15, 2010.
Cao, X.Y. et al. Iodination of irrigation water as a method of supplying iodine to a severely iodine-deficient population in Xinjiang, China. Lancet, 344: 107–110, 1994.
Davidson, J. An epidemic of nonexistent iodine deficiency due to inappropriate urine iodide testing and reference ranges. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1291): 109–110, 2009.
Dijk, P.P. et al. Turtles of the world: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution with maps, and conservation status. Chelonian research monographs, 2014.
Frye, F.L.; Dutra, F.R. Hypothyroidism in turtles and tortoises. Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Clinican, 69:990–993, 1974.
Frye, F.L. Diagnosis and surgical treatment of reptilian neoplasms with a compilation of cases 1966-1993. In vivo (Athens, Greece), 8(5):885-892, 1994
Gaitan, E. Goitrogens in food and water. Annual Review of Nutrition, 10:21–39, 1990.
Gyimesi, Z.S.; Garner, M.M.; Burn, R.B. Goiter and thyroid disease in captive Kirtland's snakes, Clonophis kirtlandii. Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery, 18(3): 75-80, 2008.
Hadfield, C.A. et al. Proliferative thyroid lesions in three diplodactylid geckos: Nephrurus amyae, Nephrurus levis, and Oedura marmorata. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 43(1): 131-140, 2012.
Hernandez-Divers, S.J.; Knott, C.D.; Macdonald, J. Diagnosis and surgical treatment of thyroid adenoma-induced hyperthyroidism in a green iguana (Iguana iguana). Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine, 32(4): 465-475, 2001.
Hoang, V.T.; Trinh, C.T. A Review of the Pathology, Diagnosis and Management of Colloid Goitre. European endocrinology, 16(2):131–135, 2020.
Iriarte, M.B. et al. Giant intrathoracic goiter of atypical presentation: a case report. Clinical Pathology, (13), 2020.
Jameson, J.L.; Weetman, A.P. Disorders of the thyroid gland. Harrisons principles of internal medicine, 2: 2060-2083, 2001.
John-Alder, H.B. Thyroid regulation of resting metabolic rate and intermediary metabolic enzymes in a lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) General Comparative Endocrinology, 77: 56-62, 1990.
John-Alder, H.B. Joos Interactive effects of thyroxine and experimental location on running endurance, tissue masses, and enzyme activities in captive versus field-active lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) General Comparative Endocrinology, 81: 120-132, 1991.
Kubota, J. et al. Selenium in crops in the United States in relation to selenium-responsive diseases of livestock. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 15(3): 448-453, 1967.
Kujur, A. et al. Fetal Congenital Goiter in Goat: A Case Report. The Indian Journal of Animal Reproduction, 42(1): 61-64, 2021.
LaDouceur, E.E. Reptile neoplasia. In: Garner, M.M.; Jacobson, E.R. Noninfectious Diseases and Pathology of Reptiles. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2020. p. 1-53.
Loukopoulos, P. et al. An outbreak of thyroid hyperplasia (goiter) with high mortality in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 27(1): 18-24, 2015.
Lynn WG. The thyroid. In: Gans, C.; Parsons, T.S. Biology of the Reptilia. New York: Academic Press, 1970. p.201-234.
Machotka, S.V. Neoplasia in reptiles. In: Hoff, G.L.; Frye, F.L.; Jacobson, E.R. Diseases of amphibians and reptiles. Boston: Springer, 1984, p. 519-580.
Popov, G.S. et al. A Postmortem Finding of a Colloid Goiter in an American Black Bear. Acta Veterinaria, 74(2): 322-330, 2024.
Ramsay, E.C. et al. A retrospective study of neoplasia in a collection of captive snakes. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 27(1): 28-34, 1996.
Reche, A.J. et al. Feline hyperthyroidism: review and retrospective study. Revista Científica de Medicina Veterinária, 5(14): 16-21, 2007.
Rivera, S.; Lock, B. The reptilian thyroid and parathyroid glands. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice, 11(1): 163-175, 2008.
Rosol, T.J.; Meuten, D.J. Tumors of the endocrine gland. In: Meuten, D.J. Tumors in domestic animals. Iowa: John Wilwy & Sons Inc, 2017. p. 766-833.
Schlumberger, H.G.; Lucke, B. Tumors of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. Cancer Research, 8(12): 657-753, 1948.
Schmidt, R.E.; Reavill, D.R. Thyroid hyperplasia in birds. Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, 16(2): 111-114, 2002
Srivastav, A.K.; Sasayama, Y.; Suzuki N. Morphology and physiological significance of parathyroid glands in reptilia Microscopy Research Technique, 32(2): 91-103, 1995.
Tolentino M.L. et al. Hyperplastic goiter in sheep in the semi-arid region of Paraiba, Brazil: case report. Research, Society and Development, 9(9): e203996887, 2020.
Topper, M.J. et al. Colloid goiter in an eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). Veterinary Pathology, 31(3): 380-382, 1994
Vieira-Lopes, D. A. et al. Histologia e histoquímica do tubo digestório de Phrynops geoffroanus (Testudines, Chelidae). Acta Amazonica, 44: 135-142, 2014.
Vogt, R.C. et al. ICMBio. Avaliação do Risco de Extinção de Podocnemis expansa (Schweigger, 1812) no Brasil. Processo de avaliação do risco de extinção da fauna brasileira. Disponível em: <https://www.icmbio.gov.br/ran/publicacoes/artigos-em-periodicos.html>. Acesso em: 10 jul. 2024.
Wallach, J.D. Medical care of reptiles. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 155(7): 1017-1034, 1969.
Wassner, A.J.; Smith, J.R.; LaFranchi, SH. Thyroid. In: Allen, D.B.; Nadeau, K.; Kappy, M.S.; Geffner, M.E. (Eds) Pediatric Endocrinology: Principles and Practice. 3rd ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2020.
Yonkova, P. et al. Features in the topography and morphology of the thyroid glands in chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 29(1): 110–116, 2023.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Aquiles Vicente Pereira, João Alves Gonçalves Filho, Isis Daniele dos Santos Rocha, Silvio Miguel Castillo Fonseca, Marina Monteiro Nogueira, Telma Sousa Lima, Danilo José Ayres de Menezes, Joyce Galvão de Souza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A Revista de Medicina Veterinária permite que o autor retenha os direitos de publicação sem restrições, utilizando para tal a licença Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
De acordo com os termos seguintes:
Atribuição — Você deve dar o crédito apropriado, prover um link para a licença e indicar se mudanças foram feitas. Você deve fazê-lo em qualquer circunstância razoável, mas de nenhuma maneira que sugira que o licenciante apoia você ou o seu uso.
NãoComercial — Você não pode usar o material para fins comerciais.
CompartilhaIgual — Se você remixar, transformar, ou criar a partir do material, tem de distribuir as suas contribuições sob a mesma licença que o original.
Sem restrições adicionais — Você não pode aplicar termos jurídicos ou medidas de caráter tecnológico que restrinjam legalmente outros de fazerem algo que a licença permita.
