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1 July 2005 Congenital Hemicerebral Anomaly in a Stranded Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi)
Christy A. McKnight, Taylor L. Reynolds, Martin Haulena, Alexander deLahunta, Frances M. D. Gulland
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Abstract

A stranded 5-month-old female Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) was presented displaying tachypnea and diminished lung sounds. No neurological abnormalities were noted. The animal was treated for verminous pneumonia, but died 2 wk later. Gross necropsy examination revealed a severe obstructive verminous pneumonia associated with large numbers of Otostrongylus circumlitus. In addition, the majority of the right cerebral hemisphere was absent, with hypoplasia of the left cerebellar hemisphere, absence of the right pyramid, and malformation of the right occipital bone. Histopathologic findings included multifocal thrombosis and inflammation of pulmonary arteries, verminous pneumonia, and mild vacuolation of the subependymal white matter in the third ventricle representing swelling of myelin sheaths and edema. This is the first report of a hemicerebral anomaly in a marine mammal.

McKnight, Reynolds, Haulena, deLahunta, and Gulland: Congenital Hemicerebral Anomaly in a Stranded Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi)
Christy A. McKnight, Taylor L. Reynolds, Martin Haulena, Alexander deLahunta, and Frances M. D. Gulland "Congenital Hemicerebral Anomaly in a Stranded Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi)," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 41(3), 654-658, (1 July 2005). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-41.3.654
Received: 16 June 2004; Published: 1 July 2005
KEYWORDS
agenesis
brain
congenital defect
hydranencephaly
Pacific harbor seal
Phoca vitulina
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