Subclinical BCG-osis in a Captive Badger (Meles meles) with Lymphoma

C Bianco; S Lesellier; J Barrat; C Richomme; M-L Boschiroli; A Núñez

doi:10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.02.009

Subclinical BCG-osis in a Captive Badger (Meles meles) with Lymphoma

J Comp Pathol. 2020 Apr:176:76-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.02.009. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Authors

C Bianco¹, S Lesellier², J Barrat³, C Richomme³, M-L Boschiroli⁴, A Núñez⁵

Affiliations

¹ Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Lasswade, UK. Electronic address: Carlo.Bianco@apha.gov.uk.
² Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, UK.
³ Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife, Malzéville, France.
⁴ University Paris-Est, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, Laboratory for Animal Health, Maisons-Alfort, France.
⁵ Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, UK.

PMID: 32359639
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.02.009

Abstract

Subclinical systemic dissemination of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is described in a captive badger (Meles meles) with lymphoma. An adult female European badger was vaccinated per os with BCG and after 8 weeks post-mortem examination identified marked lymphadenomegaly and multinodular hepatic lesions. The histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed a multicentric T-cell lymphoma, associated with high BCG bacterial load in numerous tissues. The histology did not identify BCG-associated lesions. The scenario suggested that the T-cell lymphoma likely favoured the dissemination of the BCG ('BCG-osis'). Given that lymphoma is rare in badgers, this neoplasm should not interfere with the efficacy of large-scale vaccination programmes.

Keywords: Bacillus Calmette–Guérin; Mycobacterium; badger; lymphoma.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Animals
BCG Vaccine*
Female
Lymphoid Tissue / microbiology*
Lymphoma, T-Cell / veterinary*
Mustelidae / microbiology*
Mycobacterium bovis*
Tuberculosis / prevention & control
Vaccination / veterinary

Substances

BCG Vaccine