Bovine Renal Lipofuscinosis in a Tanzanian Crossbred Yearling Male Calf: A Case Report

Aim: To report a rare case of bovine renal lipofuscinosis (BRL) that was encountered incidentally at necropsy.

Presentation of the Case: In June 2023 an yearling male calf was found dead in one of the dairy cattle farms in Mbeya city, Tanzania; after being sick for about a week. The owner requested a necropsy service to establish the cause of the death of the animal. Necropsy revealed significant gross pathological changes in a liver that was cooked-like and shrunken, with flabby consistence and large pale necrotic foci. Furthermore, dark blue discoloration of both kidneys with normal morphology was evident. Based on the history and gross pathological findings, the animal was diagnosed to have died from acute hepatitis. Differential diagnosis for kidney discoloration included hemachromatosis, renal hemosiderosis, BRL, and melanotic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC). After ruling out hemachromatosis, renal hemosiderosis and MRCC in the list of possible causes of kidney discoloration based on the lack of gross pathological findings, particularly hepatic fibrosis, pallor, and a mass of tumor tissue in the kidneys that are characteristic of hemachromatosis, renal hemosiderosis and MRCC, respectively; the cause of kidney discoloration was diagnosed as BRL.

Discussion: In this necropsy, the history and gross pathology suggested that the animal’s death could be attributed to acute liver failure, which is one of the sequelae of acute hepatitis. Kidney discoloration was not considered an attribute factor to the animal’s death because, with the exception of discoloration, the kidneys did not have gross pathological changes. Moreover, to date there has been no report of a clinical disease in cattle associated with BRL. However, BRL is an important disorder because it leads to condemnation of the affected kidneys as unfit for human consumption.

Conclusion: The case of BRL reported here was an incidental finding at necropsy, and is not associated with the death of the animal.