A Case of Acute Pancreatic Necrosis in a Japanese Black Feedlot Cattle during Meat Inspection

Abstract

During meat inspection, a 27-month-old Japanese Black heifer was diagnosed with acute pancreatic necrosis by histopathological examination. Seven days before slaughter, the heifer developed anorexia and exhibited tremors in the abdominal skin. Persistent tremors in the abdominal skin were also seen at ante-mortem inspection. Lesions were found in the pancreas and peripancreatic adipose tissue at inspection after slaughter. Macroscopically, the entire pancreas was slightly swollen, and a small amount of fibrin was deposited on the surface. The cut surface of the pancreas had a variegated appearance caused by merging yellow areas and white areas. The adipose tissue of the peripancreatic omentum and mesentery thickened with associated edema, and irregularly- or belt-shaped fat necrosis was observed in the cut surface. In histopathological samples of the pancreas, widely fatty infiltration accompanied by saponification was observed predominantly in pancreatic interstitium, degeneration or necrosis of acinar cells and infiltration of inflammatory cells, chiefly neutrophils and macrophages were observed around pancreatic parenchyma adjacent to fat necrosis of infiltrative adipocytes. These histological findings were consistent with the characteristics of acute pancreatic necrosis. In this case, the cause could not be identified.