Sterile nodular panniculitis with lung and lymph node involvement in a Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altica)

HU, Shou-Ping; ZHANG, Zhuo; ZHANG, Jiao-Er; CAI, Xue-Hui; NAKAYAMA, Hiroyuki; HE, Xi-Jun

Based on these collective clinical and histopathologic findings, the patient was diagnosed with nodular panniculitis with lung and lymph node involvement. Sterile nodular panniculitis (SNP) is an idiopathic disorder that presents as concurrent inflammation of fat in the abdomen, epidural space, and bone [5, 6] . SNP has been reported in humans, cats, and dogs, but this is the first known case of SNP in a Siberian tiger. In humans, the disease is characterized by the development of peculiar inflammatory nodules or swellings in the subcutaneous tissue, frequently in the lower extremities, accompanied by constitutional symptoms. In cases of dogs with necrotizing panniculitis, suppurate and granulomatous inflammation associated with the areas of necrosis and pyogranulomatous panniculitis have been observed.