title: Temporal and geographic clustering of polyomavirus-associated olfactory tumors in 10 free-ranging raccoons (Procyon lotor).
abstract: Reports of primary nervous system tumors in wild raccoons are extremely rare. Olfactory tumors were diagnosed postmortem in 9 free-ranging raccoons from 4 contiguous counties in California and 1 raccoon from Oregon within a 26-month period between 2010 and 2012. We describe the geographic and temporal features of these 10 cases, including the laboratory diagnostic investigations and the neuropathologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural characteristics of these tumors in the affected animals. All 9 raccoons from California were found within a localized geographic region of the San Francisco Bay Area (within a 44.13-km radius). The tight temporal and geographic clustering and consistent anatomic location in the olfactory system of tumor types not previously described in raccoons (malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors and undifferentiated sarcomas) strongly suggest either a common cause or a precipitating factor leading to induction or potentiation of neuro-oncogenesis and so prompted an extensive diagnostic investigation to explore possible oncogenic infectious and/or toxic causes. By a consensus polymerase chain reaction strategy, a novel, recently reported polyomavirus called raccoon polyomavirus was identified in all 10 tumors but not in the normal brain tissue from the affected animals, suggesting that the virus might play a role in neuro-oncogenesis. In addition, expression of the viral protein T antigen was detected in all tumors containing the viral sequences. We discuss the potential role of raccoon polyomavirus as an oncogenic virus.
authors.affiliation: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giannitti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pesavento
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dela Cruz
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Rancho Cordova, CA, USA.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Clifford
authors.affiliation: WildCare, San Rafael, CA, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parker Struckhoff
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Del Valle
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Bollen
authors.affiliation: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Puschner
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre, DNA Building, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gelberg
authors.affiliation: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mete
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McGraw
authors.affiliation: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA lwwoods@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Woods
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D061346:Laser Capture Microdissection / Q000662:veterinary; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000662:veterinary; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology*; D009922:Oregon / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D011821:Raccoons
keywords: Procyon lotor; cancer cluster; malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor; olfactory nerve; raccoon polyomavirus; sarcoma; secondary brain tumor; wildlife