Acid fast inclusions in tissues of dogs dosed with lead

Liver, kidney and bone from dogs with experimental lead toxicosis were examined to study the frequency of occurrence of acid fast inclusions and the results were correlated with the lead content of these tissues. Light and electron microscopic studies revealed that bone and kidney had characteristic acid fast lead inclusions in 95 and 68 per cent of cases, respectively. Liver, although it had a high lead content, did not often show inclusions. For histopathological diagnosis of lead poisoning in dogs, we suggest that Ziehl-Nielsen stained sections of the epiphyseal area of long bone be examined for the presence of acid fast inclusions in osteoclasts.