Herpesvirus associated dermal papillomatosis in Williams' mud turtle Pelusios williamsi with effects of autogenous vaccine therapy.

An adult female of Williams' mud turtle, Pelusios williamsi long-term captive, that was allegedly caught wild in Kenya was found to have developed papilloma-like skin lesions. Excised tumors were examined histologically after routine processing with hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) stained slides, examined for the presence of viral particles by electron microscopy employing negative staining, and examined for the presence of viral DNA by PCR. Microscopic features in pre-treatment biopsies were fully diagnostic and consistent with multifocal squamous cell papilloma. Viral-type inclusion bodies were not identified. Turtle was found to be infected by reptilian herpesvirus. Association with herpesvirus and vast multiplicity of tumors thwarted surgical solution. An autogenous vaccine was prepared using 5 g of excised fresh tissue, aseptically ground, treated with diluted formalin, centrifuged to obtain a supernatant, and subsequently exposed to UV light. Autogenous vaccine induced substantial areas of necrosis of the papillomatous lesions noted by the loss of cytological architecture, nuclear loss, and by edema. The outer edges of the healing biopsies appeared to be regenerating. Therefore, our vaccine application could be considered as effective. It is difficult to treat and eliminate herpesvirus infection because of its cryptic presence and sudden onset of disease. Successful application of autogenous vaccine could be a potentially promising strategy, which deserves further testing.

Lymphoblastic lymphoma and leukemic blood profile in a red-tail boa (Boa constrictor constrictor) with concurrent inclusion body disease.

An adult male wild-caught true red-tail boa (Boa constrictor constrictor), imported from Surinam, was presented for anorexia, extreme lethargy, and coelomic swelling in the cranial third of the body, in the anatomic location of the thymus. The snake died a few minutes after blood sampling via cardiocentesis. Hematology revealed anemia and extreme leukocytosis (820 × 10(3)/ml) characterized by a predominance (95%) of lymphocytes. Necropsy revealed enlargement of most of the visceral organs. Histology confirmed lymphoblastic lymphoma with a leukemic blood profile and diffuse infiltration of some of the heart, thymus, bone marrow, kidney, spleen, lung, and liver. Several large intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies surrounded by narrow clear "halos" were identified within gastric mucosal cells, proximal and distal convoluted tubule epithelial cells, and splenic cells. The final diagnosis was lymphoblast lymphoma with a leukemic blood profile and concurrent inclusion body disease.

Endogenous development of Hemolivia mauritanica (Apicomplexa: Adeleina: Haemogregarinidae) in the marginated tortoise Testudo marginata (Reptilia: Testudinidae): evidence from experimental infection.

Six young tortoises Testudo marginata Schoepff, 1792 were experimentally infected with Hemolivia mauritanica (Sergent et Sergent, 1904). The prepatent period ranged from 6 to 8 weeks. Young, smaller, club-like forms (6-9 x 3-6 Am) of gametocytes appeared in the peripheral blood first, whereas mature, elongated, cylindrical forms (9-12 x 5-7 Am) were detected after 1-2 weeks and predominated during later patency. Three of the infected tortoises were euthanized and dissected to study the endogenous stages. Meronts occurred in the cells of the reticulo-endothelial system and in the erythrocytes; these were observed mostly in parenchymatous organs. Mature forms measured 14.2 x 9.3 microm and contained 7-12 merozoites. Cysts with two (exceptionally one) cystozoites were also found predominantly in parenchymatous organs and measured 14.8 x 7.9 microm. Pathological changes attributable to Hemolivia were mild and limited to liver and kidneys. The role of individual developmental stages of haemogregarines is discussed with respect to evolution of heteroxenous life cycle and long-term persistence of parasites in their intermediate hosts.