title: The nature of aleutian disease in mink. I. Two forms of hypergammaglobulinemia as related to method of disease transmission and type of lesion.
abstract: Aleutian mink disease is generally considered to precipitate spontaneously in ranch mink, with a lethal outcome. A two-year field study of a herd of susceptible mutant mink (sapphires and violets), however, has shown that all individual mink were affected from birth; the well state consisted of periodic low-level hypergammaglobulinemia accompanied by minute vascular occlusions. The spontaneous lethal change in an individual appeared to arise during one of these hypergammaglobulinemic episodes and thus represented a failure of the immune system to control an inherent virus-induced mononucleosis. The fact that the entire herd was affected by the periodic form from birth is considered strong evidence for vertical transmission at a rate of 100%. The incidence of spontaneous precipitation was found to be dependent on the level of hypergammaglobulinemia in the mother during pregnancy.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000453:Aleutian Mink Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008907:Mink; D011247:Pregnancy; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D012621:Seasons; D013163:Splenomegaly