Clinical and pathologic features of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis in a ferret (Mustela putorius furo)

Clinical and pathologic features of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis in a 4-month-old ferret are reported. Clinical signs including neurological symptoms appeared at 3 months of age and progressed rapidly. By magnetic resonance imaging, severe cerebral atrophy was recognized. Histopathologically, there was severe neuronal loss and diffuse astrogliosis with macrophage accumulations; lesions were found predominantly in the cerebral cortex. Intracytoplasmic pigments were observed in surviving neurons and macrophages throughout the brain. The pigments were intensely positive for periodic acid-Schiff, Luxol fast blue, and Sudan black B and exhibited a green autofluorescence. Electron microscopic examination revealed the accumulation of electron-dense granular material within lysosomes of neurons and macrophages. Immunohistochemically, a large number of saposin-positive granules accumulated in the neuronal cells, astrocytes, and macrophages of the lesions, but significant immunoreactivity for subunit c of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate synthase was not observed. Based on these findings, the animal was diagnosed as affected by neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis.