Elephant necropsy

Obdukcija slonova vrlo je zahtjevan zadatak te je izazov za obducente, ponajprije zbog tehničkih problema koji je prate uzrokovanih veličinom lešine. Ništa manji izazov nije mogući kontakt s infektivnim patogenima s kojima obducent može doći u dodir prilikom zahvata. Jedan je od recentnijih primjera razmjerno često uvrđivanje tuberkuloze uzrokovane s M. tuberculosis u slonova. U ovom pregledu, koristeći se i jednim slučajem iz naše prakse, osvrnuli smo se prije svega na tehničke karakteristike razudbe slona kao i na zaštitne mjere vezane za sigurnost obducenta.Necropsy of an elephant is a very demanding task which represents a real challenge for the performing pathologist. This is mainly due to the technical problems which are associated with such a necropsy, simply caused by the great size of the cadaver. An equally important challenge is the potential contact with infectious pathogens which a pathologist may encounter during this task. A notable and common example in recent times is tuberculosis caused by M. tuberculosis in elephants. In this paper, using one case from our archives, we present the technical characteristics of the necropsy procedure in elephants, but also give general guidelines regarding the safety of the performing staff