A Morphopathological Study on Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma in Libya

Aims: To determine a first estimate of the prevalence of Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA) in slaughtered sheep in East of Libya and to investigate morphopathological characteristics of OPA forms in native sheep of Libya.

Study Design: This study was carried out in some El-Beida slaughterhouses (in an eastern part of Libya) during the period from October 2020 to April 2021.

Methods: The animal involved in this study was native sheep of more than 4 months age. Lungs of 525 sheep carcasses were examined then full sections (n= 141) were used for histopathological examination.

Results: OPA was detected in 1.1% of all examined cases and in 2.97% of affected lungs. 4 out of 6 sheep, showed the classical form whereas atypical lesions were detected in 2 out of 6 sheep. Histopathological changes were almost similar in the two forms of the disease.

Conclusion: OPA is well documented for the first time in sheep from El-Beida area and classical and atypical forms of OPA were reported and described. Moreover, this study provides a morphological background necessary for routine differentiation and indicates the necessity for initiating further studies on identifying the epidemiology, etiological agents and pathogenesis of OPA in Libyan sheep