Lymphosarcoma associated with virus-like intranuclear inclusions in a California king snake (Colubridae: Lampropeltis).
A laboratory-bred and laboratory-reared male California king snake was submitted for clinical evaluation, and a mass was palpated caudal to the stomach and within the abdominal cavity. The snake was anesthetized and the mass was excised. A constricted atonic section of adjacent small intestine was removed and the ends were subsequently reanastomosed. The snake died 2 days post surgery; after histopathologic examination of all major organs (except muscle and brain), lymphosarcoma was diagnosed. Lymphocytes, approximately 70% of which contained small to large eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions, had infiltrated all major organs. By electron microscopic examination these inclusions were found to be large electron-dense granular structures. Aggregates of circular structures that measured 50 nm were seen in the cytoplasm of several cells.
D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D007181:Inclusion Bodies, Viral / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012911:Snakes; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology