v.14, n.2, 10
Diagnostic Exercise from The Latin Comparative Pathology Group
Parvovirus enteritis in a raccoon (Procyon lotor)
Omar Gonzales-Viera; Mark Anderson; Patricia Pesavento
Clinical History:
Two raccoons died in a pre-release rehabilitation pen in an interval of 1.5 weeks after appearing healthy. The second raccoon, a juvenile female, was submitted for postmortem examination.
Necropsy and Microscopic Findings:
In the small intestine, the subserosa is markedly hyperemic/congested (Fig. 1) with abundant watery, semi-translucid content and large amounts of tan-white mucus. The intestinal wall is thickened, and the mucosa is smooth and overlaid by thick mucus (Fig. 2). The large intestine contains moderate amounts of tan-yellow, mucoid digesta. Mesenteric lymph nodes are enlarged, the parenchyma is red and mildly protrudes on cut section.
Diagnosis:
Severe, diffuse, subacute, necrotizing, hemorrhagic, lymphohistiocytic enteritis with rare intranuclear inclusion bodies, coccoid bacteria and coccidia (Fig. 3)
Ancillary tests:
Direct electron microscopy using feces detected a few 20-22nm diameter viral particles compatible with Parvovirus virions (Fig. 4). Immunohistochemistry with a polyclonal antibody for canine parvovirus immunolabeled viral antigens in the necrotic cells of the crypt necrosis (Fig. 5).
Follow-up questions:
- Typical microscopic findings of the disease
- Etiological diagnosis
- Most common blood work abnormality.
DOI: 10.24070/bjvp.1983-0246.v14i2p137-141
