Fatal arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in 2 related subadult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

L J Tong; E J Flach; M N Sheppard; A Pocknell; A A Banerjee; A Boswood; T Bouts; A Routh; Y Feltrer

doi:10.1177/0300985813501333

Fatal arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in 2 related subadult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Vet Pathol. 2014 Jul;51(4):858-67. doi: 10.1177/0300985813501333. Epub 2013 Aug 29.

Authors

L J Tong¹, E J Flach², M N Sheppard³, A Pocknell⁴, A A Banerjee⁵, A Boswood⁵, T Bouts⁶, A Routh⁷, Y Feltrer²

Affiliations

¹ Zoological Society of London, Veterinary Department, London Zoo, Regents Park, London, UK Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Services, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Sydney University, Australia lydiatong@cantab.net.
² Zoological Society of London, Veterinary Department, London Zoo, Regents Park, London, UK.
³ Cardiac Pathology Unit, Imperial College, London, UK.
⁴ Zoological Society of London, Veterinary Department, London Zoo, Regents Park, London, UK Finn Pathologists, One Eyed Lane, Weybread, Norfolk, UK.
⁵ Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, UK.
⁶ Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation, Al Shahaniya, Qatar.
⁷ Zoological Society of London, Veterinary Department, London Zoo, Regents Park, London, UK Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey, Channel Islands.

PMID: 23988399
DOI: 10.1177/0300985813501333

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). This report records 2 cases of sudden cardiac death in closely related subadult captive chimpanzees with marked replacement fibrosis and adipocyte infiltration of the myocardium, which resemble specific atypical forms of the familial human disease arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Changes were consistent with left-dominant and biventricular subtypes, which are both phenotypic variants found within human families with familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Previously reported fibrosing cardiomyopathies in chimpanzees were characterized by nonspecific interstitial fibrosis, in contrast to the replacement fibrofatty infiltration with predilection for the outer myocardium seen in these 2 cases. To the authors' knowledge, this case report is the first to describe cardiomyopathy resembling arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in nonhuman primates and the first to describe left-dominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy-type lesions in an animal.

Keywords: arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy; chimpanzee; familial; heart; sudden cardiac death.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Zoo*
Ape Diseases / pathology*
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / complications
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / pathology
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / veterinary*
Death, Sudden, Cardiac / etiology
Death, Sudden, Cardiac / veterinary*
Fatal Outcome
Histological Techniques / veterinary
Male
Pan troglodytes*
Pedigree