摘要
波罗的海中的灰海豹和环斑海豹种群在60～70年代期间发生严重减少的现象。成年动物曾显示出(目前仍显示出)一系列损害现象,特别是雌性动物的生殖器官、肠、皮肤、肾、肾上腺以及颅骨(波罗的海海豹综合症)等的损害。本报告提供了1977～1996年期间在波罗的海本体和波的尼亚湾收集的76只灰海豹和29只环斑海豹肾脏光学显微病变的形态和盛行情况。血管小球的特殊变化是毛细血管壁的弥散性变厚以及毛细血管壁或被膜壁中存在大而圆的透明体。远曲小管和集合管的特殊变化包括通过多层细胞增殖使正常上皮发生病灶性置换。这些病变的盛行及程度与年龄有关,因此也就是与接触环境毒物的时间长短有关。肾损害在波罗的海灰海豹身上比在环斑海豹身上明显。在来自瑞典动物园的5只灰海豹身上也记录下了类似的发现。这些动物在其生命的大部分时间内都是以波罗的海中的鱼类为食的。在5只波罗的海灰海豹和动物园灰海豹中的其中一只身上进行了显微镜检测。主要是根据一只波罗的海灰海豹身上的发现进行电子显微镜检的结果包括肾小球毛细血管壁的肾小球膜间位以及肾单位远基部位细胞增殖中居间细胞的特征。来自苏格兰海岸的11只灰海豹和来自斯瓦尔巴群岛23只环斑海豹被作为参照物。这些参考海豹没有一只显示出有上述的特殊损害现象。作者认为,波罗的海环境中的有机氯污染是造成这些肾脏病变的一个因素。
A severe reduction in the populations of grey and ringed seals in the Baltic occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. Adult animals showed (and still show) a series of lesions inter alia in the female reproductive organs, intestines, integument, kidneys, adrenals, and skulls (the Baltic seal disease complex). The morphology and prevalence of light microscopic changes in the kidneys of 76 grey seals and 29 ringed seals collected in the Baltic proper and the Gulf of Bothnia during 1977–1996 are presented in this report. Specific changes in the glomeruli were diffuse thickening of the capillary walls and the presence of large, rounded, hyaline bodies in the capillary or capsular walls. Specific changes in the distal convoluted tubules and the collecting ducts included focal replacement of the normal epithelium by multilayered cell proliferations. The prevalence and extent of the changes were age-related and thus correlated with the time of exposure to environmental toxicants. The lesions were more conspicuous in Baltic grey seals than in Baltic ringed seals. Similar findings were recorded in 5 grey seals from Swedish zoological gardens. These animals had been fed Baltic fish for most of their lives. Electron microscopy was performed on 5 of the Baltic grey seals and on one of the grey seals from zoological gardens. Electron microscopy results mainly based on findings in one of the Baltic grey seals, included mesangial inter-position in the glomerular capillary walls and the characteristics of intercalated cells in cell proliferations in the distal parts of the nephrons. Eleven grey seals from the Scottish coast and 23 ringed seals from Svalbard served as reference material. None of the reference seals showed the specific lesions described above. The authors propose that organochlorine pollution of the Baltic environment is a factor in the cause of these kidney changes.
