Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Infection of a Eurasian River Otter (Lutra lutra)

Abstract

Abstract.A 10-year-old female Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra) died after prolonged anorexia and weight loss in the Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Seoul, Republic of Korea. On necropsy, the liver was found to be swollen and friable with 1 lobe enlarged and necrotic. The other organs showed no significant alterations except for mild atrophy of the right kidney. Microscopically, there was multifocal hepatic necrosis. The hepatocytes around the necrotic areas were swollen and contained large basophilic intranuclear inclusions. Periportal infiltration by plasma cells and lymphocytes was also evident. Transmission electron microscopy revealed characteristic hexagonal virus particles sized approximately 70 nm in diameter in the nuclei of the hepatocytes, which were consistent with an adenovirus. Polymerase chain reaction of the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver sections was used to determine whether the virus was either the canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), or some other viral agent. The results of these tests showed that the virus was CAV-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a CAV-1 infection in an otter.

Mustelids

“…Infectious canine hepatitis, an adenovirus, has been identified in striped skunks and a captive Eurasian river otter, resulting in fatal hepatitis (Karstad et al, 1975;Park et al, 2007).…”

Hepatite infecciosa canina: relato de caso Infectious canine hepatitis: case report

“…A técnica de PCR é altamente sensível e específica e pode detectar baixo número de cópias de DNA (Kiss et al, 1996). Em surtos de infecção pelo CAV-1 essa técnica foi utilizada para identificar o agente (Pratelli, 2001;Caudell et al, 2005;Decaro et al, 2007;Park et al, 2007;Swango, 1992).…”

Serological and molecular epidemiology of canine adenovirus type 1 in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the United Kingdom

“…However, there have been several documented cases of ICH in free-ranging species, including a grey fox ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) in Georgia, USA6, and three cases in red foxes in the UK7. Furthermore, disease appears not to be restricted to canids; fatal ICH has been suspected in hospitalised black bear cubs ( Ursus americanus ) in the USA8 and a captive Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ) in Seoul, South Korea9.…”