title: First report of malignant catarrhal fever in a captive pudu (Pudu puda).
abstract: A male, six-year-old pudu (Pudu puda) from an Italian zoo was submitted for postmortem examination after sudden death. Necroscopy revealed non-suppurative bronchopneumonia and degeneration of the liver and haemorrhagic lesions of the thymus, pericardium and spleen. Microscopically, multifocal perivascular mononuclear cell infiltrates were observed in the kidneys, lungs, spleen, and the portal triads of the liver. Histological examination of the brain showed meningitis, vasculitis and perivascular cuffs of mononuclear inflammatory cells. A region of the DNA polymerase gene of malignant catarrhal fever viruses was amplified by real-time PCR and nested PCR. PCR products from the tissue samples were sequenced and analysed. The sequences showed 99% similarity with a portion of the caprine herpesvirus 2 DNA polymerase gene. This is the first report of malignant catarrhal fever in a captive pudu.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy. Electronic address: paola.modesto@izsto.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Modesto
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grattarola
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biolatti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Varello
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casalone
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Lucia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mandola
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dondo
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goria
authors.affiliation: Parco faunistico "La Torbiera", Via Borgoticino 19, 28010 Agrate Conturbia, NO, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Bari, Strada Prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Decaro
authors.affiliation: Azienda Sanitaria Locale ASL NO, Viale Roma, 7, 28100 Novara, NO, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Iulini
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Acutis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D000866:Antelopes; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008304:Malignant Catarrh / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
keywords: Caprine herpesvirus 2; Malignant catarrhal fever; Pudu puda; Real time PCR; Zoo animal