title: West Nile virus in farmed alligators.
abstract: Seven alligators were submitted to the Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory for necropsy during two epizootics in the fall of 2001 and 2002. The alligators were raised in temperature-controlled buildings and fed a diet of horsemeat supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Histologic findings in the juvenile alligators were multiorgan necrosis, heterophilic granulomas, and heterophilic perivasculitis and were most indicative of septicemia or bacteremia. Histologic findings in a hatchling alligator were random foci of necrosis in multiple organs and mononuclear perivascular encephalitis, indicative of a viral cause. West Nile virus was isolated from submissions in 2002. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results on all submitted case samples were positive for West Nile virus for one of four cases associated with the 2001 epizootic and three of three cases associated with the 2002 epizootic. RT-PCR analysis was positive for West Nile virus in the horsemeat collected during the 2002 outbreak but negative in the horsemeat collected after the outbreak.
authors.affiliation: University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia 31793, USA. dmiller@tifton.uga.edu
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mauel
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burtle
authors.forename: Dallas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.forename: Murray E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hines
authors.forename: Kendal S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Frazier
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral