| Abstract: | Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver has been diagnosed in a large number of captive cheetahs. Some ingredients or contaminants present in the diet were suspected as possible causes for this noninfectious disease with high incidence. Eight different diets fed to cheetahs kept in North American zoos were analyzed for vitamin A levels and the presence or absence of plant estrogens, nitro-saminines, nitrites, and aflatoxins. Three of the eight diets were considered to contain toxic amounts of vitamin A. In humans and rats, hypervitaminosis A has been associated with hepatic vascular lesions, mainly perisinusoidal fibrosis, which progress eventually to occlusive lesions similar to VOD. Plant estrogens were detected in appreciable amounts only in one of the exotic carnivore diets. The role of plant estrogens in the pathogenesis of VOD in captive cheetahs is not clear at this time and needs further investigation. Based on the liver pathology and diet analyses, nitrosamines or their dietary precursors and aflatoxins can be excluded as possible causes of VOD in cheetahs kept in North American zoos. |
