Histological studies of bovine herpesvirus type 4 infection in non-ruminant species.
The pathology of bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BHV-4) infection was studied in cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Twenty kittens, twenty-two rabbits and ten guinea pigs, some treated with glucocorticoid-were inoculated with a BHV-4 strain of feline origin, via various routes of inoculation (conjunctival, intranasal, peritoneal). Clinical signs were recorded. After euthanizing at different post inoculation days macro- and microscopic changes were observed by necropsy and in hematoxylin-eosin stained histological sections. The presence of the virus in organs was detected by immunohistochemistry and a nested PCR assay. Inclusion bodies and monoclonal antibody-stained cells were found in the conjunctiva, trachea, lungs, spleen and lymph nodes. Most of the lesions were localized to the respiratory and the immune system. The macro- and microscopic lesions and clinical signs were more severe in kittens and guinea pigs. The histological data indicated that cats, especially kittens, were susceptible for BHV-4 and the infection was not confined to the urinary bladder.
Egyed
L
L
Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. laci@novell.vmri.hu
Kluge
J P
JP
Bartha
A
A
D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D013045:Species Specificity
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone