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Dietary aluminium and renal failure in the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

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dc.contributor.authorHaynes, J.I.es
dc.contributor.authorAskew, M.J.es
dc.contributor.authorLeigh, C.
dc.date.accessioned2011-06-08T09:08:45Z
dc.date.available2011-06-08T09:08:45Z
dc.date.issued2004
dc.description.abstractThe study investigated the link between the potentially nephrotoxic levels of aluminium ingested in the natural diet of eucalypt leaves by koalas in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, and the high incidence of renal failure in koalas within this habitat. Routine histology of kidney specimens revealed no pathologies at the light microscopic level and contrasted sharply with the clinical signs of renal failure. However staining with solochrome azurine and Perl’s Prussian blue showed aluminium was present in some proximal convoluted tubules in all specimens. Aluminium was also found in bone samples. The presence of aluminium in bone and kidney tissues was confirmed using electron dispersive x-ray analysis with transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Ultrastructural changes, including a decrease in lysosomal numbers, were seen in proximal convoluted tubules and these changes were shown to coincide with the presence of aluminium. No aluminium was found in koalas that died from causes other than renal failure. It was concluded that renal failure in the koalas of the Adelaide Hills is characterised by the presence of aluminium in the kidneys and bone and it is probably related to the high levels of aluminium in their restricted diet of eucalypt leaves. However, it is not known if the presence of aluminium is the cause or effect of the renal failure. The study is the first account where aluminium ingested as part of the natural diet of mammals has been shown to accumulate in the animal and be implicated with nephrotoxicity.es
dc.formatapplication/pdfes
dc.format.extent8es
dc.identifier.issn0213-3911es
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/21582
dc.languageenges
dc.publisherMurcia : F. Hernándezes
dc.relation.ispartofHistology and histopathologyes
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesses
dc.subjectKoalaes
dc.subjectNephrotoxicityes
dc.subject.otherCDU::5 - Ciencias puras y naturales::57 - Biologíaes
dc.titleDietary aluminium and renal failure in the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)es
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlees
dspace.entity.typePublicationes
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Histology and histopathology Vol.19, nº 3 (2004)