Rhabdomyosarcoma of the pectoral muscles in a free-living European robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Giovanni Manarolla (1) , Enrico Radaelli (1) , Giuseppe Sironi (1) , Giuliano Pisoni (1) , Tiziana Rampin (1)

1 Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Igiene e Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria

An adult free living European robin (Erithacus rubecula) with a large, firm, subcutaneous mass on the pectoral muscle was submitted for examination. The bird was unable to fly and died spontaneously. Necropsy revealed a yellowish, bilobate mass almost completely replacing the pectoral muscles with extensive osteolysis of the keel bone. Histopathology revealed a poorly demarcated, highly cellular sarcomatous tumour with metastases to lungs, pulmonary blood vessels and hearth. Immunohistochemistry was negative for neuron-specific enolase, S-100 protein and the p-27 major capsid protein of avian-leukosis viruses. The homogeneously positive immunolabeling for vimentin and scattered positivity for myoglobin and desmin suggested a diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Giovanni Manarolla, Enrico Radaelli, Giuseppe Sironi, Giuliano Pisoni, Tiziana Rampin. Rhabdomyosarcoma of the pectoral muscles in a free-living European robin (Erithacus rubecula). Avian Pathology, 2009, 37 (03), pp.311-314. ⟨10.1080/03079450802043767⟩. ⟨hal-00540114⟩