Vitiligo in two water buffaloes: histological, histochemical, and ultrastructural investigations

Vitiligo, a skin disease, characterized by the spontaneous loss of melanin, has been described in several animals as well as in humans. Most of the reports of large domestic animals have dealt with clinical investigations without morphological data. In this report, the histological and ultrastructural characteristics of two cases of vitiligo in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are presented. Interestingly, many of the ultrastructural observations for vitiliginous buffaloes resemble those previously described for other species, e.g., humans, mouse, and chicken. These data suggest that one or more forms of human vitiligo may have a similar etiopathogenesis to that of the buffalo. Therefore, it is proposed that vitiliginous buffalo may prove to be a useful animal model for the human disease.