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Updated: May 24, 2026

Necropsy-based Wild Fish Health Assessment
Published on: September 11, 2018
Multiple endocardial neurofibromas in a rosy-billed pochard (Netta peposaca)
Andrew D Miller1, Eric J Baitchman, Katherine Masek-Hammerman
1Harvard Medical School, New England Regional Primate Research Center, Southborough, MA 01772, USA. Andrew_Miller@hms.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Endocardial neoplasms are uncommon in veterinary species with most cases restricted to endocardial schwannomas in aged rats. A 15-year-old male rosy-billed pochard (Netta peposaca) was diagnosed following necropsy with numerous, proliferative endocardial masses. Histologically, these masses were composed of interlacing streams and bundles of neoplastic spindle cells supported by a fine fibrovascular stroma. Rare areas of cellular and nuclear palisading were present in the nodules. Approximately 60% of the neoplastic cells were strongly positive for S-100, whereas none of the neoplastic cells was positive for desmin, synaptophysin, neurofilament, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. The histologic features coupled with the S-100 immunoreactivity led to a diagnosis of endocardial neurofibroma.

