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

There are numerous classification schemes for panniculitis in humans. The most useful are those based on the traditional histopathologic distinction between lobular and septal panniculitis, with each form further categorized according to the presence of vasculitis [18] . Lobular panniculitis without vasculitis, previously known as Weber-Christian disease in humans, is now known as systemic nodular panniculitis. This condition is an uncommon clinical entity and rarely causes or occurs concurrent with death in felines [7] . In cases where death has been attributed to fatal systemic nodular panniculitis, necropsy has revealed widespread involvement of the adipose tissues, including the panniculus; mesenteric, omental, and retroperitoneal adipose tissue; and the intestinal mucosa [15] . Systemic symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, malaise, and arthropathy usually accompany systemic nodular panniculitis and may persist for several weeks or months [22] .