Histological Finding of Extremity Bone Tissue in Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator) with Metabolic Bone Disease

Abstract

A female monitor lizard, three month y.o. weighing 1.2 kg from breeder, has been paralyzed for three days and diagnosed with metabolic bone disease. Euthanize and necropsy performed to observed microscopic images of bone tissue. Bone samples taken from seven limb bones include scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, and fibular. The microscopic observations showed excessive osteoclast cell activity in the compact tissue, in the other hand was found cartilage tissue that was not supposed to be between mature compact bone tissue, some cartilage tissue containing adipose. This causes the compact bone to lose bone density and make the lizard bone structure to be difficult to regenerate properly so that the growth of monitor lizards is inhibited, this causes make the lizards difficult to walked or paralyzed. Based on examination of calcium and phosphorus in the blood founded an imbalance.