Nephrolithiasis among Slaughtered Cow in Iran: Pathology Findings and Mineral Compositions

Nephrolithiasis among Slaughtered Cow in Iran: Pathology Findings and Mineral Compositions

There are a few reports on the composition and quantitative analysis of the bovine uroliths in the world's veterinary literature. The aim of the present study was to quantitatively report the mineral composition of the nephroliths found in kidneys of cattle in Iran. In this study, 180 cattle were examined (82 male and 98 female). The nephroliths were found in 16 (8.88%) of the 180 animals. Analyses of the renal calculi by polarizing light microscopy and infrared spectroscopy revealed that the nephroliths were made up of various composition including calcium oxalate (51-80%), magnesium ammonium phosphate (5-25%), calcium hydrogen phosphate (8-15%) and ammonium urate (0-5%).