Undifferentiated sarcoma of the salivary gland in a mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

A subcutaneous mass was found in the lower ventral neck region of a 55-week-old male Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). Histopathologically, the mass involved salivary glands and featured diffuse proliferation of pleomorphic neoplastic cells with large necrotic foci. The lesion was well demarcated from the surrounding tissue, although invasive growth to fibrous septa was occasionally observed. The neoplastic cells were mainly arranged in irregular sheets with severe cellular atypia, round to oval nuclei and varying amounts of eosinophilic cytoplasm. Mitotic figures and multinucleated giant cells were frequent. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the neoplastic cells were strongly positive for vimentin and S-100 and negative for NSE, cytokeratin, α-SMA, c-kit, factor VIII, CD34, α-1-antitrypsin, lysozyme and MSR-A. Based on the results, the mass was diagnosed as an undifferentiated sarcoma of the salivary gland. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of such a tumor in Mongolian gerbils.