Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a genetically recessive disorder of Chinese hamsters, which occurs in high incidence in some inbred lines. Hamsters display weight loss, glucose intolerance, mild to severe hyperglycemia, polyuria, polydipsia, glycosuria, hypoinsulinemia, ketonuria, and high levels of free fatty acids in the blood. Micro­scopic changes in the pancreas include islet involution with nuclear pyknosis; shrunken, eosinophilic cyto­plasm; cytoplasmic vacuolation; and degranulation.