Paraneoplastic bullous stomatitis in a horse

• Published in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association Vol. 207; no. 3; p. 331
• Main Authors: Williams, M A, Dowling, P M, Angarano, D W, Yu, A A, DiFranco, B J, Lenz, S D, Anhalt, G J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-08-1995
• Subjects: Animals; Diagnosis, Differential; Fluorescent Antibody Technique - veterinary; Head and Neck Neoplasms - complications; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery; Head and Neck Neoplasms - veterinary; Hemangiosarcoma - complications; Hemangiosarcoma - pathology; Hemangiosarcoma - surgery; Hemangiosarcoma - veterinary; Horse Diseases - etiology; Horse Diseases - pathology; Horses; Male; Paraneoplastic Syndromes - etiology; Paraneoplastic Syndromes - pathology; Paraneoplastic Syndromes - veterinary; Pemphigoid, Bullous - pathology; Pemphigoid, Bullous - veterinary; Pemphigus - diagnosis; Pemphigus - veterinary; Precipitin Tests - veterinary; Stomatitis - etiology; Stomatitis - pathology; Stomatitis - veterinary
• ISSN: 0003-1488
• DOI: 10.2460/javma.1995.207.03.331

An adult horse with a 2-month history of anorexia, ataxia, and oral blisters had developed these clinical signs just prior to the appearance and growth of a cervical mass. Bullous stomatitis was characterized histologically as subepidermal clefting. Clinical signs were unresponsive to treatment with antibiotics or corticosteroids; however, surgical removal of the mass coincided with remission of all signs. Histologic findings of the mass were consistent with hemangiosarcoma. Results of indirect immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation on frozen serum from the horse were characteristic of paraneoplastic pemphigus in human beings, a newly recognized mucocutaneous autoimmune disease associated with neoplasia.