CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CIGARETTE-SMOKE EXPOSURE IN BEAGLE DOGS

Abstract

To compare the clinical and pathological effects of high and low nicotine cigarette smoke 12 young adult male beagles were separated into 4 equal groups and exposed to smoke from high (4.6 mg) or low (1.4 mg) nicotine cigarettes, administered in 6 or 12 cigarettes/day. Two control groups, sham-exposed and nontracheostomized, consisted of 3 dogs each. The dogs were exposed 7 days/wk for 5 mo. Tracheobronchitis developed in smoke-exposed dogs; gross lesions were generally confined to the lungs and tracheobronchial lymph nodes. Histopathological changes were found in all smoke-exposed dogs, with slightly more severe or extensive lesions in the dogs exposed to 12 cigarettes/day. The incidence and severity of rhinitis, turbinate basal epithelial cell hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia were increased among dogs in the high nicotine cigarette groups.