BEGIN QUOTE OF ABSTRACT

Vet Pathol. 2007 Nov;44(6):951-5.
Subcutaneous neoplasms of the ventral abdomen with features of
adrenocortical tumors in two ferrets.

Smith M, Schulman FY.
Mark Smith, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702 (USA).
A ventral abdominal subcutaneous mass was removed from each of 2 young
adult spayed female ferrets. In both cases, the neoplasms were composed
of islands of polygonal cells separated by interlacing streams of
spindloid cells reminiscent of ferret adrenocortical tumors with smooth
muscle proliferation. Immunohistochemically, the polygonal cells
demonstrated strong cytoplasmic reactivity for inhibin and weak
cytoplasmic reactivity for pancytokeratin and S-100 protein. Spindloid
cells demonstrated strong cytoplasmic reactivity for alpha smooth
muscle actin, muscle-specific actin, desmin, and glial fibrillary-
associated protein. Ultrastructurally, the polygonal cells contained
numerous intracytoplasmic clear vacuoles, mitochondria, scant rough
endoplasmic reticulum, and few intermediate filaments. In one tumor,
vesicular tubular mitochondria were found in polygonal cells. The
spindloid cells contained numerous aggregates of parallel intermediate
filaments. The histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural
findings are suggestive of adrenocortical tumors with smooth muscle
proliferation, but cannot be differentiated from an ovarian gonadal
stromal tumor. Neither ferret had a clinically detected primary adrenal
gland tumor or clinical signs of adrenal-associated endocrinopathy.
PMID: 18039913 [PubMed - in process]

END QUOTE OF ABSTRACT

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5805]