Cerebral infarction and myocardial fibrosis in a white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar).

A white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) lost the use of its right hand. Complete blood count, serum chemistry profile, electrocardiographic findings, blood pressure, and radiographic work-up were normal, but the gibbon died 2 days later. The gibbon was serologically positive for herpes simplex I and Epstein-Barr virus. Necropsy and histopathology showed acute infarction of the right cerebrum and multifocal to coalescing severe myocardial fibrosis.     

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in a gibbon (Hylobates lar)

A case of secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) in a Lar gibbon, apparently secondary to an adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, is reported.
Résumé. On rapporte un cas d'ostéoarthropathie secondaire chez un gibbon Lar, apparement secondaire à une adénosarcome du pancréas.
Zusammenfassung. Ein Fall von sekundärer Osteoarthropathie (HOA) ist in einem Lar Gibbon berichtet, offenbar sekundär nach einem Drüsenkrebs des Pankreas.     

Fatal strongyloidiasis in gibbons (Hylobates lar)

A 6-year retrospective study of necropsy material from a colony of 200 gibbons showed strongyloidiasis to be the most frequent cause of death (24 cases). Clinical signs included diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, paralytic ileus and dyspnea. Lesions were most frequent in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. In the gut there were erosive and ulcerative enteritis associated with adult female parasites and rhabditiform larvae and acute and granulomatous enterocolitis associated with invading filariform larvae. There was severe multifocal or diffuse hemorrhage associated with migrating larvae in the lungs of 23 gibbons. Filariform larvae and the lesions they caused also occurred in various tissues; this was commensurate with the wide distribution of these larvae when hyperinfection occurred.     

Fatal herpesvirus infection in commercial rabbits

Acute mortality occurred in two unrelated rabbitries. In the rabbits examined, an unidentified herpesvirus caused lesions that have not been reported previously in this species. The primary lesions were multifocal hemorrhagic dermatitis on the face and back, localized pneumonia, and severe splenic necrosis. Large eosinophilic, intranuclear inclusion bodies that were observed in tissue sections of skin, spleen, and lung were identified as herpes-like viral particles by electron microscopy, and herpesvirus was cultured on rabbit kidney cells. Intramuscular injection of tissue culture fluid containing virus resulted in mortality and severe illness in two seven-week-old domestic rabbits four and six days postinfection, respectively. The gross and microscopic lesions were reproduced and herpeslike viral inclusions were observed in skin lesions. Herpesvirus was recovered from lung, trachea, spleen, liver, and from the thigh muscle at the site of inoculation. The experimental infection also activated severe pasteurella septicemia. The herpesvirus isolate needs further characterization.     

Cytopathic herpesvirus infection in a green iguana (Iguana iguana).

A juvenile male green iguana (Iguana iguana) died 5 days following movement to a room 3-5 degrees C cooler than its previous housing. Gross necropsy lesions were limited to thin body condition. Histologically the animal had multifocal, random, moderate to severe, acute hepatocellular necrosis with intranuclear inclusion bodies at the periphery of the necrotic areas. Electron microscopy of the liver revealed icosahedral viral particles approximately 110 nm in diameter, consistent with a herpesvirus infection. Characteristics of the herpesvirus are similar to those described for iguanid herpesvirus 1.     

Serological survey of bovine herpesvirus type 1 infection in China

To understand the nationwide seroprevalence of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) infection of cows in China, 1344 sera of dairy cows from 29 provinces and 765 sera from 6 herds in Hubei province were collected with stratified random sampling. Another 483 sera from imported cows were included. The serum antibody was tested by BoHV-1 gG ELISA. The results demonstrated that the overall nationwide seroprevalence was 35.8% (481/1344), while the prevalence for individual province ranged from 12.1% to 77.8%. Although each province had positive samples, the prevalence was clustered in areas based on the cow population size. In Hubei Province, the overall seroprevalence was 22.2% (170/765) while the prevalence for individual farms varied greatly from 0.0% to 41.5%. The sera from imported cows had a moderate prevalence of 21.7% (105/483).     

Experimental infection with equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) induces chorioretinal lesions

Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis (EHM) remains one of the most devastating manifestations of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection but our understanding of its pathogenesis remains rudimentary, partly because of a lack of adequate experimental models. EHV-1 infection of the ocular vasculature may offer an alternative model as EHV-1-induced chorioretinopathy appears to occur in a significant number of horses, and the pathogenesis of EHM and ocular EHV-1 may be similar. To investigate the potential of ocular EHV-1 as a model for EHM, and to determine the frequency of ocular EHV-1, our goal was to study: (1) Dissemination of virus following acute infection, (2) Development and frequency of ocular lesions following infection, and (3) Utility of a GFP-expressing virus for localization of the virus in vivo. Viral antigen could be detected following acute infection in ocular tissues and the central nervous system (experiment 1). Furthermore, EHV-1 infection resulted in multifocal choroidal lesions in 90% (experiment 2) and 50% (experiment 3) of experimentally infected horses, however ocular lesions did not appear in vivo until between 3 weeks and 3 months post-infection. Taken together, the timing of the appearance of lesions and their ophthalmoscopic features suggest that their pathogenesis may involve ischemic injury to the chorioretina following viremic delivery of virus to the eye, mirroring the vascular events that result in EHM. In summary, we show that the frequency of ocular EHV-1 is 50-90% following experimental infection making this model attractive for testing future vaccines or therapeutics in an immunologically relevant age group.     

Fatal herpesvirus infection in patas monkeys and a black and white colobus monkey

Fatal herpesvirus infections were diagnosed in 3 patas monkeys and 1 black and white colobus monkey over a 4-week period. Herpesvirus was isolated from 1 patas monkey and from the black and white colobus monkey. Both isolates had growth characteristics similar to Herpesvirus hominis and Herpesvirus simiae. The isolate from the colobus monkey antigenically appeared to be H simiae or H simiae-like, whereas the isolate from the patas monkey could not be conclusively identified with the antisera used. All affected animals were housed in close proximity to rhesus monkeys, the carrier host of H simiae.     

An experimental study on the pathogenicity of the caprine herpesvirus type 1 (CHV-1).

The pathogenicity of caprine herpesvirus type-1 (CHV-1) in goat kids and lambs was studied. Two experiments were carried out. In the first, two Saanen goat kids and four lambs of a local breed were infected intravenously with the Swiss strain E/CH of the virus. Clinical reaction was severe in the kids, but it was very mild in the lambs. Virus was excreted from the kids in higher titres and longer than in lambs. Virus was also isolated from tissue specimens but only from a kid that died on post inoculation day 4 (PID 4). The gross- and histopathological lesions were more severe in kids. In the second experiment only lambs were used. They were dexamethasone treated and then virus inoculated. A very mild infection developed. The lambs did not shed the virus, neither the virus was isolated from their tissues collected at necropsy. Nevertheless histopathological lesions were seen. In both experiments the animals seroconverted on PID 10.     

Persistent cutaneous ulcers associated with feline herpesvirus type 1 infection in a cheetah.

Persistent cutaneous ulcers developed in a female cheetah cub after an episode of rhinotracheitis. When they were 3 weeks old, the cub and a male littermate developed mucopurulent oculonasal discharge consistent with feline herpesvirus type 1 infection (feline viral rhinotracheitis). The male cub was weaned and its lesions resolved. The female cub remained with the dam until the cub was 3 months old, at which time plaque-like lesions developed on the eye margins and muzzle. These plaques regressed over the next month and were replaced with cutaneous ulcers ranging from 1 to 10 mm in diameter. Feline herpesvirus type 1 was isolated from biopsy specimens collected from the ulcers. Cutaneous ulcers are uncommon manifestations of feline herpesvirus infections and have not been reported in other exotic fields. A proposed susceptibility to viral infections related to low genetic diversity has been proposed in cheetahs, and may be involved in the pathogenesis of persistent herpetic ulcers.