Abstract. On December 8, 2008, a male fisher (Martes pennanti) housed in a quarantine enclosure at the St-Félicien Zoo was found dead with multiple skin ulcers on the muzzle and plantar pads. At necropsy, no major findings were found, and a specific cause of death was not determined microscopically. However, at the borders of ulcerated sites, there were increased numbers of koilocytes, with perinuclear vacuolation and nuclear enlargement. A pan-herpesvirus nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was conducted, and an expected PCR product of 230 nucleotides was obtained within tissues collected from around the skin ulcers. Other tissues, including intestines and pool of lung, liver, and kidney, tested negative. The obtained PCR amplicon was sequenced and was highly related to the partial viral DNA polymerase (DPOL) gene of Mustelid herpesvirus 1. Virus isolation was negative, and no virion was detected by electron microscopy. The pathogenic potential of this novel herpesvirus and its role in the death of the fisher are unknown.
A pathological study was conducted on 32 turkeys that died of sudden death with perirenal hemorrhage syndrome. Turkeys were selected from routine necropsy cases in a diagnostic laboratory. A higher incidence was observed in heavy tom turkeys. In addition to the characteristic gross lesions of perirenal hemorrhage, splenomegaly, and pulmonary congestion, turkeys in most cases had a hypertrophic cardiopathy. Microscopic lesions included moderate-to-marked acute passive congestion of all tissues examined (32/32), severe perirenal hemorrhage (32/32), and splenic lymphoid depletion (25/32). Changes in the thyroid follicular epithelium of most birds suggested an increased glandular activity. No lesions suggestive of arterial hypertension were observed. Adenoviral infection was detected in only four of 32 birds. Bacteriological cultures revealed no significant pathogen. Results suggest that sudden death in turkeys with perirenal hemorrhage is caused by an acute congestive heart failure consecutive to a hypertrophic cardiopathy. The perirenal hemorrhage would be a consequence of a severe passive congestion in kidneys.
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