Amyloidosis in the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus

Four cases of amyloidosis were recognized in a study population of 21 (19%) bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) examined as part of an investigation of the causes of cetacean strandings along the Texas Gulf Coast. Amyloid deposition was mainly and most prominently in the corticomedullary regions of the kidneys and less consistently in the vessels of the spleen, lung, and heart and around acini of the palatal salivary gland and the thyroid gland. Pretreatment of sections with permanganate and sulfuric acid greatly diminished Congo red staining, suggesting the dolphin amyloid is of the AA variety.