ABSTRACT
Three Inland Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) from two breeding groups were humanely destroyed following a period of anorexia. Two of the animals were 8-months old and related and one animal was approximately 2-weeks old. Necropsy examination revealed poor bodily condition but no other gross abnormalities. Microscopically there was non-suppurative hepatitis and interstitial nephritis. Multiple large, amphophilic, intranuclear inclusion bodies were present within hepatocytes and epithelial cells of the bile ducts, renal tubules, small and large intestinal mucosa, pancreatic acini and oral mucous membranes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the inclusions comprised viral particles with morphology consistent with an adenovirus. A fragment of the adenoviral polymerase gene was amplified, sequenced and compared with other reptilian adenoviral sequences.
Subject(s)
Adenoviridae Infections/virology , Adenoviridae/ultrastructure , DNA, Viral/ultrastructure , Inclusion Bodies/ultrastructure , Lizards/virology , Virion/ultrastructure , Adenoviridae Infections/pathology , Animals , Bile Ducts/pathology , Bile Ducts/ultrastructure , Epithelial Cells/pathology , Epithelial Cells/ultrastructure , Hepatitis, Animal/pathology , Hepatocytes/pathology , Hepatocytes/ultrastructure , Inclusion Bodies/pathology , Intestinal Mucosa/pathology , Intestinal Mucosa/ultrastructure , Intestine, Large/pathology , Intestine, Large/ultrastructure , Intestine, Small/pathology , Intestine, Small/ultrastructure , Kidney Tubules/pathology , Kidney Tubules/ultrastructure , Liver/pathology , Liver/ultrastructure , Mouth/pathology , Mouth/ultrastructure , Mouth Mucosa/pathology , Mouth Mucosa/ultrastructure , Pancreas, Exocrine/pathology , Pancreas, Exocrine/ultrastructureABSTRACT
Between March 2003 and October 2004, Paenibacillus larvae, the aetiological agent of American foulbrood disease of the honey bee, was isolated from broodcombs and honey samples of 54 apiaries in the administrative district of Arnsberg (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). Genotyping of 176 P. larvae isolates with repetitive element polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting (rep-PCR) using BOX A1R and MBO REP1 primers revealed five different genotypes (AB, Ab, ab, ass, Acapital BE, Cyrillic). In samples of three apiaries, more than one genotype was detected. A combination of two genotypes was isolated from honey samples of the same hive two times (ab/ass and Ab/ab). The five genotypes were not randomly distributed in the district, but revealed a certain geographical clustering. Possible factors with impact on the genotype diversity and the distribution pattern are discussed.