VETERINARY SCIENCE - Veterinary Pathology - Richard R. E Uwiera, Trina C.

Uwiera

VETERINARY PATHOLOGY

Richard R. E Uwiera
Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, College of Agricultural, Life and
Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

Trina C. Uwiera
Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Canada

Keywords: history, gross and histopathology, diagnostic techniques, animal disease

surveillance

Contents

1. The History of Veterinary Pathology

2. What is Veterinary Pathology and who is the Veterinary Pathologist?
3. Tools of the Trade
3.1. Electron Microscopy
3.2. Immunohistochemistry
3.3. Diagnostic Imaging

S
TE S
3.4. Molecular Pathology
3.5. Microdissection of Tissue Samples
R
AP LS

3.6. Microarrays
4. Veterinary Pathology and its Application
Acknowledgements
C EO

Glossary
Bibliography
Biographical Sketches
E –
H

Summary
PL O

Diseases of all kinds have afflicted humankind far beyond recorded history. It was
M SC

humankind’s quest to understand, prevent, and cure diseases that laid the foundation of
medicine and pathology. The genesis of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Pathology
parallel their human counterparts and have since developed into illustrious professions
with a rich history. From butchers to highly trained and skilled professionals, veterinary
SA NE

pathologists and the field of veterinary pathology has continued to evolve and flourish
into a well respected institution. Members are employed in a wide variety of institutions
namely; diagnostic laboratories, government agencies, academia, and industry.
U

As the field of veterinary pathology evolves, so too do the tools of their trade. While,
post-mortem and histological assessment of animals and tissue specimens are the
fundamental tools of Veterinary Pathologist, new technologies are being discovered.
Improved methods in diagnostic imaging and the rapid growth of molecular biology has
enabled the Veterinary Pathologists to identify changes in pathogens and hosts at the
cellular and molecular levels that could only be dreamed of a few decades ago. Of major
importance to a disease control policy is the implementation of an effective disease
surveillance program. Veterinary pathology is pivotal in surveillance as it can be
©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
 VETERINARY SCIENCE - Veterinary Pathology - Richard R. E Uwiera, Trina C. Uwiera

employed both in the field and in formal diagnostic facilities. Working in concert with
laboratory diagnosticians, a field veterinarian uses basic clinical and pathology skills to
identify a problem, determine the severity of disease and then attempts to provide a
presumptive diagnosis. This veterinarian submits either the whole animal or tissue
specimens to a trained veterinary pathologist. The Veterinary Pathologist further
analyzes the tissue and incorporates information from other disciplines to provide a
definitive diagnosis to the clinical veterinarian and if required, to regional and local
governing bodies to further understand the pathogenesis of the disease and control its
spread.

1. The History of Veterinary Pathology

Disease, regardless of the cause or source, has affected humankind long before recorded
history. Archeological evidence in early man has suggested people living in that period
were challenged by many of the same maladies that afflict people in modern day
civilizations. Study of man’s early remains show these people were indeed affected by
nutritional deficiencies, plagued by infectious diseases and even wasted into cachexic
states by malignant cancers.

S
TE S
As civilization evolved, so too did methods of habitation. In general, communities
evolved from individual small family units, into small clusters of people that eventually
R
AP LS
grew into the large communities that formed the foundation of major cities of present
day. During this progression, humankind’s exposure to animals also increased. Animals
were not only hunted for food but were increasingly being domesticated and hence,
C EO

these animals were slowly becoming an essential constituent of the community. Cattle,
and in particular oxen as well as horses were beasts of burden and were a welcome
addition to the hard laborer. Horses also constituted the major vehicle of transportation
in that day, and were only supplanted as the main source of transportation by
E –

automobiles in the early 1900’s. Dogs assisted in hunting and protecting the community
H

from unwanted visitors - whether these were man or beast. Cats were kept for
PL O

companionship. Significantly, both dogs and cats were critical in pest control, a fact
underscored by a rise in bubonic plague in 18 th century London England following the
M SC

erroneous destruction of dogs and cats in that city.

As populations grew, so did the understanding and treatment of disease. Initially,

SA NE

disease was thought to be a consequence of an offence to the gods and thus healing was
intimately connected to spirituality. The infirm visited the temples and other places of
worship for remedies of their afflictions, often administered by priests or holy men. It
U

was during the time of the Greeks however, that manifestations and causes of disease
were beginning to be separated from theology and lore. Some of the founding fathers of
contemporary medicine living during the Hippocratic period tried to determine the
source of ailments using basic principles of anatomy. Unfortunately, much of the early
writing suggests that the understanding of physiology and organ function was flawed.
The predominant belief that souls of the uncremated dead would “wander for eternity
along the River Styx” meant that few human bodies were available to would be
anatomists for dissection.

People such as Aristotle, and other visionaries at the time, encouraged animal dissection
to further understand medicine. Indeed, studies of animal physiology, development and
©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
 VETERINARY SCIENCE - Veterinary Pathology - Richard R. E Uwiera, Trina C. Uwiera

anatomy were fundamental to the development of the science of zoology and likely
provided insight into animal diseases. Moreover, disciples of the Hippocratic School,
Heterphilos and Erasistratos who may also be considered founders of pathology also
used animal dissection to improve their understanding of human anatomy and disease. It
appears likely that these individuals’ quest to understand human disease unknowingly
set the foundation of veterinary pathology. Interestingly, it has been suggested that
while many scholars during the Hippocratic period scoffed at the importance of
veterinary medicine, they did believe comparative pathology to be useful.

While the field of pathology progressed through study by Galen in ancient Rome,
furthered by people like Benivieni in Renaissance Europe, it was really Rudolf Virchow
who is considered one of the true founding father of human pathology. He should be
considered as a founding member of veterinary pathology as well, as some of the many
pupils he instructed, became the earliest members of veterinary schools were involved
with documenting in detail the anatomy and general pathology of animals. Virchow’s
description of tissue changes following injury detailed in cellular pathology is
considered by many as one of the seminal advancements in contemporary medicine and
pathology. Though he was a physician, much of his observation of disease and advances

S
TE S
in the understanding of infectious disease occurred from visits to abattoirs. Indeed, he
was instrumental in implementing macroscopic and microscopic inspection of meat by

R
AP LS
trained veterinarians. These individuals were considered the first veterinary pathologists
in a slowly burgeoning field. Of interest, it is speculated that Virchow’s curiosity in
meat hygiene and belief that slaughter plants were fertile grounds to study disease may
C EO

have flourished from introduction to facilities at a young age. Indeed many of his
relatives worked as butchers in 19th Century Germany.

The 1800’s did not prove to be a particularly stellar century for veterinary pathology.
E –
H

The recognition of veterinary pathology as a legitimate field was overshadowed by

significant progresses in human pathology was making in descriptions of post-mortem
PL O

changes. There was dearth of recognition in the veterinary field, yet many
M SC

wellrecognized national institutions were developing to advance human pathology.

Hundreds of physicians practiced human pathology, but approximately only 30 people
were involved in veterinary pathology. In Germany and Austria, however, several
individuals were beginning to set the foundation for the new discipline of veterinary
SA NE

pathology. Individuals, such as Wilhelm Schutz, a protégé of Virchow, proposed that all
necropsies be completed by a trained pathological anatomists (the term used in 19 th
Century Europe to describe pathologists) and follow a systematic protocol similar to
U

procedures used by human pathologists. Similarly, Christian Fuchs drafted two books
that described pathological anatomy and veterinary pathology. These tomes were
considered important diagnostic guides for describing anatomical lesions and clinical
symptoms presented by ill animals. Indeed, without people such as these, the growth
veterinary pathology would have been more stunted.

As a profession, veterinary pathology continued to lag behind human pathology until the
1940’s. During this time, there was a marked growth in the numbers of veterinary
pathologists being trained in North America and Europe; a trend punctuated by the swift
formation of three professional veterinary associations. As the numbers of practitioners
increased, so did the knowledge of veterinary pathology, a phenomena that continues to
today.

©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)

 VETERINARY SCIENCE - Veterinary Pathology - Richard R. E Uwiera, Trina C. Uwiera

-
-
-

TO ACCESS ALL THE 15 PAGES OF THIS CHAPTER,

Visit: http://www.eolss.net/Eolss-sampleAllChapter.aspx

Bibliography

Crocker J. (2002). Molecular pathology in oncology. Molecular Pathology 55, 337-347. [Describes the
latest molecular techniques employed to identify genomic changes and the potential applications for
diagnostic pathologists]
Innes J. R. M. (1969). Veterinary pathology: Retrospect and Prospect. The Veterinary Record, 85, 730741.
[An excellent discussion on the development of the discipline of Veterinary Pathology]

S
TE S
Long E. R. (1965). The pathology of antiquity. A History of Pathology, 1-15. New York: Dover
Publications Inc. [Provides insight into the burgeoning field of Human Pathology and animal dissection].

R
AP LS
Saunders L. Z. (1996). Austria and Germany. A Biographical History of Veterinary Pathology. 37-55 and
127-221. Lawrence: Allen Press Inc. [A world-wide historical biography of veterinary pathologists].
Saunders L. Z. (2000). Virchow’s contributions to veterinary medicine: Celebrated then, forgotten now.
C EO

Veterinary Pathology 37, 199-207. [Describes the impact Rudolf Virchow had on the advancement of
human and veterinary pathology].
Slauson and Cooper (1990). Pathology – The study of disease. Mechanisms of disease: a textbook of
comparative general pathology. 1-19 Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins. [This textbook explains the basic
E –

principle of veterinary pathology].

H

Snijders A. M., Meijer G. A., Brakenhoff R. H., van den Brule A. C. J., and van Diest P. J. (2000).
PL O

Microarray techniques in pathology: Tool or toy? Molecular Pathology 53, 289-294. [This provides
information on microarray technology].
M SC

Tataryn J., Berezowski J. and Campbell J. (2007). Animal Disease Surveillance. Large Animal Veterinary
Rounds. Vol. 7 (ed. Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan). Issue 6.
Montreal: SNELL Medical communications Inc. [This article provides an overview of basic principle of
epidemiology used in Veterinary Disease Surveillance].
SA NE

Taylor C. R. Shi S., Barr N. J., and Wu N. (2006). Techniques of immunohistochemistry: Principles,
pitfalls and standardization. Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry, 2nd edition (ed. D. Dabbs), 1-43.
Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier. [Provides detailed information on immunohistochemistry
U

and other antibody based diagnostic technologies].

Weiss M. M., Hermsen M. J. A., Meijer G. A., van Grieken N. C. T., Baak J. P. A., Kuipers E. J., and van
Diest P. J. (1999). Comparative genomic hybridization. Molecular Pathology 52, 243-251. [An in-depth
discussion of hybridization techniques used in diagnostic pathology}.
Wilkinson L. (1992). Attitudes to animal health and disease in the ancient world. Animal and Disease: an
introduction to the history of Comparative Medicine. 1-17. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[Discusses early animal disease and the paralleled development of animal medicine and comparative
pathology]

©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)

VETERINARY SCIENCE - Veterinary Pathology - Richard R. E Uwiera, Trina C. Uwiera

Biographical Sketches

Richard R. E. Uwiera is the chief Veterinary and Comparative Pathologist at the University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His research focuses on the zoonotic potential and pathophysiology of
cryptic microorganisms present in livestock and is also involved in research that spans the disciplines of
Cardiology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Animal Health and Biomedical Engineering.

Trina C. Uwiera is a Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgeon at the University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Canada. She in working to develop an animal model for congenital inner ear malformations to
facilitate further investigation into the pathophysiology, and histological changes of the disease. This
work may lead to the possible prevention and treatment of the clinical manifestations of this congenital
condition. Other research pursuits include projects in surgical education, obstructive sleep apnea and
enuresis, and hearing loss.

S
TE S
R
AP LS
C EO
E –
H
PL O
M SC
SA NE
U

©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)