Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ค๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฒ๐ฌ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ค๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฒ๐ฌ are a form of ๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ. Nephritis means inflammation of the kidney, and embolic means that the inflammation is caused by ๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข or aggregates of bacteria in the bloodstream.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Any species can get this condition, however the name โwhite spotted kidneysโ is typically used in cattle.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
As mentioned, this type of nephritis is caused by emboli of bacteria flowing in the bloodstream. These bacteria will lodge in the small vessels of the kidney, and set up a home for themselves. The immune system doesnโt like them very much, so they send ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐จ๐๐ฒ๐ญ๐๐ฌ (white blood cells) like macrophages and neutrophils to eat the bacteria. This inflammatory response produces an ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ (focal area of pus) that we can see on the surface of the kidney.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Having a ๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐, or bacteria in the bloodstream, is often associated with a very sick animal. These bacteria can spread to any organ, forming abscesses, and severely compromising the animalโs health. So while embolic nephritis can cause significant kidney damage, this is often overshadowed by damage to more โimportantโ organs, like the heart, brain or lungs.
Typically, we think of this bacteremia occurring in very young calves with an infected umbilicus, which allows the bacteria direct entry into the bloodstream. If these calves survive their bacteremia, the abscesses in the kidney will heal by ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ (forming scar tissue). Once resolved, these lesions generally do not bother the animal!
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Embolic nephritis can be diagnosed at necropsy or at slaughter by seeing random white to yellow abscesses throughout the kidney! These lesions may also be visible on ultrasound in the live animal.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
If the animal has an active bacteremia, an intense antibiotic protocol is warranted to help them get the infection under control. If the animal has already recovered, then no treatment is needed!
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-5) Examples of white spotted kidneys!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 2. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1-5 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Williams, Jakowski, Acland, Metro licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
