Hepatic iron assessment using pinch liver biopsies in Asian glossy starlings (Aplonis panayensis)

Hepatic hemosiderosis is a common nutritional disease affecting numerous bird species. The aim of this study was to validate the use of pinch hepatic biopsies to quantify the hepatic iron in Asian glossy starlings (AGS) and compare clinical measures usable for antemortem disease monitoring. Following euthanasia, serum, liver pinch biopsies, and whole liver sections were sampled from 21 AGS. Liver biopsies and sections were stained with Perl’s Prussian blue, and the area containing iron pigment was calculated by image analysis. The mean percent iron-stained area per whole hepatic section was 62.52% ± 21.81%, while the mean percent iron-stained area in biopsies was 71.47% ± 19.77%. Positive correlations were found between hepatic iron concentration and percentage iron in whole sections (r = 0.92; P <.0001), percentage iron in biopsies (r = 0.91; P <.0001), and other clinico-pathological features. Hemosiderin in hepatic biopsies was significantly higher than in whole hepatic section assessed by image analysis (P <.0001).