title: Persistent cutaneous ulcers associated with feline herpesvirus type 1 infection in a cheetah.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: St. Louis Zoological Park, Forest Park, MO 63110.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Boever
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scherba
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sundberg
mesh_terms: D002612:Acinonyx; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*