Frequency of apoptotic keratinocytes in the feline epidermis: a retrospective light-microscopic study of skin-biopsy specimens from 327 cats with normal skin or inflammatory dermatoses

A retrospective light-microscopic study was performed on 294 biopsy specimens of haired skin from cats with various feline inflammatory dermatoses and specimens from cats with normal skin. Conditions expected to frequently have apoptotic epidermal keratinocytes (AKs) (including erythema multiforme, systemic lupus erythematosus, thymoma-associated exfoliative dermatitis, solar dermatitis, and viral dermatopathies) were found to have significantly more AKs than other types of inflammatory dermatoses. Nevertheless, we found more than two AKs in many skin-biopsy specimens from inflammatory conditions not expected to have frequent AKs (especially those from ectoparasitic dermatoses). Only a single AK was found in 1/33 cats with normal skin.