NOVEL USE OF NILE TILAPIA FISH (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS) SKIN AS XENOGRAFT IN ZOOLOGICAL SPECIES

Nile tilapia fish skin (<i>Oreochromis niloticus</i>) has been increasingly used in human and veterinary medicine in xenografts for treatment of burn wounds. The objective of this study was to self-prepare the graft using a Brazilian patent (WO2017/035615 A1) as a guide and apply it to full-thickness wounds in zoological species (<i>n</i> = 4). The wounds, which were all characterized as contaminated wounds in which the entire dermal layer was missing, had all previously been surgically debrided and treated with traditional wound-healing techniques without success. This graft technique was developed in response to the poor treatment success. The graft was prepared and sutured to the affected area, leading to complete contraction and epithelialization in all cases. The patients were concurrently placed on one course of systemic antibiotics because of the severity of wound contamination. The frequency of dressing changes varied between species and no adverse effects were apparent. This method of processing Nile tilapia fish skin proves promising for use in contaminated wounds, as it is inexpensive and easy to acquire and develop, mitigates stress in wildlife patients because of a decreased frequency of dressing changes and therefore handling, and can be utilized in clinical environments.